$17bn+
of infrastructure deals advised on
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Executive coach to founders and CEOs
Ben Sheppard
Twenty years of deals behind me: four companies of my own and one exit, and more than $17 billion of infrastructure deals advised on. Based in Barcelona, working with leaders across the world.
Ben Sheppard speaking at Google HQ on digital assets.
How I got here
From the roads to the boardroom to the founder's chair.
The start
Labouring on the roads at sixteen
School holidays with the council, tarmacking and cutting hedges, then a degree in business management from Staffordshire University and a first consulting job at Atkins.
The consultant
A workshop every day at EC Harris
Twelve months of workshops, every day, for clients including the John Lewis Partnership and Waitrose. That is where I learnt to get a room of people to a decision.
The dealmaker
Hundreds of millions at a time
Programme manager on the $9 billion M25, then adviser to HSBC, Macquarie, WWF, the World Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and to the UK, Dutch (Rijkswaterstaat), Vietnamese and Philippine governments, on deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The founder
Four companies, one exit
Four companies of my own, each to $1m ARR within sixteen months. One exit. $2.2 million raised on a deck. A seven-figure enterprise contract negotiated for an unproven product.
The coach
Inside Startups
Executive coach to founders and CEOs. Seventy scale-ups advised and five turnarounds led in the last year, and more than two hundred founders and leaders coached across twenty-five countries.
What I help with
What I help with
Leading the company
What to hand over, who to hand it to, the leadership team you need next, and the weekly rhythm that runs without you in every meeting.
Winning the next customers
From founder-led sales to a team and a pipeline: who you sell to next, the offer that wins them, and the system that reaches them every day.
Landing the big deals
Enterprise contracts, partnerships and investment, and the co-founder and equity deals that hold a team together.
And turnarounds, when the numbers have gone the wrong way and the fix has to come fast.
Enquire about coachingSpeaking
On stage, in several countries.
The World Economic Forum, on traceability in fisheries and technology.
The UNECE conference on infrastructure, hosted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.
WWF, on technology.
Google, on digital assets.
On the panel on digital environmental assets at Google.
Past clients and partners
Banks, companies and institutions advised
UnionBank
Rijkswaterstaat
UnionBankRijkswaterstaatClients and mentees, the last two years
Coriqo
Envoqe
Brightline IP
JoolAmblemind
Beat BunchPaperPilot
One55th ConsultingAgentsyProjexe
Roam NetworkPathaka.ai
CoriqoEnvoqeBrightline IPJoolAmblemindBeat BunchPaperPilotOne55th ConsultingAgentsyProjexeRoam NetworkPathaka.aiExecutive coaching enquiry
Executive coaching, priced for your company's size.
One-to-one, every month, on the decisions in front of you. Tell me where the company is and what you need, and we will come back to you to arrange a call. Your rate is set on that call, from the size of your company.
Calls every month, with notes and actions between them.
Your numbers, your team and your deals on the table, under the Chatham House rule.
For companies from about $1 million a year. Under that, start with the Next Customer Kit.
What clients say
“Our profit margin was -97%, our client satisfaction survey was 15% and we were $50k in debt. Ben dove in and helped us to surgically resolve all the root causes and stabilize the company. Now our company is profitable.”
Hassan M
Founder, Enigma
“Every single suggestion Ben has made to plan my business and help me grow and manage my team has proven on point and very effective. He was able to see things clearly where I could not and give me mature, balanced advice that I could action and was well perceived with the team.”
Guillaume D
Founder, ASP
“You predicted a 3-month window to gain traction and for inbound leads to begin rolling in. I launched the strategy in January, and as of March, your logic has been validated: I am now converting inbound leads into real clients.”
Tim Bright
Founder, Brightline IP
“Ben brings sharp strategic clarity and real operator credibility. He asked the right questions, challenged our GTM assumptions with concrete examples, and gave direct, actionable feedback from day one.”
Taskin Karlar
Founder
“Ben has provided me with valuable insights and knowledge around fundraising, pitch deck development, the structuring of cap tables, and SAFEs. He has also been a great sounding board for strategic planning and go-to-market.”
Michail A
Founder, Roam Network
“Ben has a rare ability to listen deeply and respond with clarity that cuts through complexity. He is someone I have trusted at key moments, and for good reason.”
Juanita C
Founder, Jool
“He has helped me exit a venture I needed to set aside with more upside than I would have ever asked for.”
Darren Alderman
Founder, Amblemind
“Ben is a brilliant person to work alongside. Incisive, deeply experienced, very hard working, and just a joy to be around. He brings energy and dedication to most everything he does and I'd recommend bringing him on to a project every time.”
Shiv Malik
Founder, Pathaka.ai
“We had loads of problems which we couldn't see until we sat in that workshop Ben had put together. He's one of the best in the business and I absolutely recommend him.”
Shiv Malik
Founder, Pathaka.ai
“Ben is great! He asks the right questions and has helped our business a lot after struggling with market, direction and strategy. He gave us a clear path and all what is left now is proper execution.”
Omar Adel
Founder, Bolder
“Ben provided exceptional mentoring that was instrumental in helping me settle in my first tech director role.”
Stephanie Itimi
Director, Age UK
“Ben has really brought great experience, sound judgement and focus to our business. He is engaged in your success and a really strong mentor for any business owner looking to get to the next stage.”
Guillaume Debauchez
Founder, ASP
“Our profit margin was -97%, our client satisfaction survey was 15% and we were $50k in debt. Ben dove in and helped us to surgically resolve all the root causes and stabilize the company. Now our company is profitable.”
Hassan M
Founder, Enigma
“Every single suggestion Ben has made to plan my business and help me grow and manage my team has proven on point and very effective. He was able to see things clearly where I could not and give me mature, balanced advice that I could action and was well perceived with the team.”
Guillaume D
Founder, ASP
“You predicted a 3-month window to gain traction and for inbound leads to begin rolling in. I launched the strategy in January, and as of March, your logic has been validated: I am now converting inbound leads into real clients.”
Tim Bright
Founder, Brightline IP
“Ben brings sharp strategic clarity and real operator credibility. He asked the right questions, challenged our GTM assumptions with concrete examples, and gave direct, actionable feedback from day one.”
Taskin Karlar
Founder
“Ben has provided me with valuable insights and knowledge around fundraising, pitch deck development, the structuring of cap tables, and SAFEs. He has also been a great sounding board for strategic planning and go-to-market.”
Michail A
Founder, Roam Network
“Ben has a rare ability to listen deeply and respond with clarity that cuts through complexity. He is someone I have trusted at key moments, and for good reason.”
Juanita C
Founder, Jool
“He has helped me exit a venture I needed to set aside with more upside than I would have ever asked for.”
Darren Alderman
Founder, Amblemind
“Ben is a brilliant person to work alongside. Incisive, deeply experienced, very hard working, and just a joy to be around. He brings energy and dedication to most everything he does and I'd recommend bringing him on to a project every time.”
Shiv Malik
Founder, Pathaka.ai
“We had loads of problems which we couldn't see until we sat in that workshop Ben had put together. He's one of the best in the business and I absolutely recommend him.”
Shiv Malik
Founder, Pathaka.ai
“Ben is great! He asks the right questions and has helped our business a lot after struggling with market, direction and strategy. He gave us a clear path and all what is left now is proper execution.”
Omar Adel
Founder, Bolder
“Ben provided exceptional mentoring that was instrumental in helping me settle in my first tech director role.”
Stephanie Itimi
Director, Age UK
“Ben has really brought great experience, sound judgement and focus to our business. He is engaged in your success and a really strong mentor for any business owner looking to get to the next stage.”
Guillaume Debauchez
Founder, ASP
Questions founders ask
Questions founders ask
Start here
Under $1m a year? Start with the Next Customer Kit, free.
The guide, three tools and two prompts we use with paying clients, free. If you get stuck, coaching with Ben. When the company passes a million, send an enquiry.