The Thinkers50 Coaching Legends, in partnership with 100 Coaches and BetterUp, honours executive coaches that have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of coaching.
Since the start of Thinkers50 as a global Ranking of management thinkers, the discipline of coaching has grown exponentially. Behind the success of many iconic companies you will find the influence of great coaches and mentors. Coaching Legends highlights the legacy of those that have brought fresh thinking and created real impact on businesses, their people, and the practice of coaching.
When Thinkers50 started out as a Ranking of the top 50 management thinkers, the field of coaching was still in its infancy. Now it has established itself in the world of thought leadership and acknowledging the legacy and impact of our coaching legends is a testament to their significant contribution to bettering business and management.
New inductees to our Coaching Legends are announced annually. Individuals are selected at the discretion of Thinkers50, Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches, and BetterUp.
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LONDON – Thinkers50, the global ranking of management thinkers, has announced its 2025 Coaching Legends, honouring executive coaches who have made significant and lasting contributions to the field of coaching and management, in partnership with 100 Coaches and BetterUp.
Among the new inductees to Coaching Legends are Ram Charan, prolific author and member of the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame, Magdalena Nowicka Mook, CEO and executive director of the International Coaching Federation, and Jonathan Passmore of Henley Business School.
Modupe Taylor-Pearce, founder of BCA Leadership is also recognised, as is Brenda Bence, pioneer in the field of leadership personal branding and author of 11 award-winning books. Tom Kolditz, founding director of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University joins them along with Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski, former head coach of Duke University men’s basketball team and professor at Duke Fuqua School of Business.
Coaching Legends also honours the legacy of Alex Pascal, founder and CEO of coaching.com, who sadly passed away earlier this year. “Alex was passionate about changing the world through coaching,” says Thinkers50 co-founder Des Dearlove. “He saw how technology could revolutionise and scale the way coaching was practised. His energy, enthusiasm, and fresh thinking serve as an inspiration to us all.”
No longer on the periphery of thought leadership, executive coaching has emerged as a sophisticated discipline grounded in research, psychology, and human potential. Notes Thinkers50 co-founder Stuart Crainer, “Our Coaching Legends have helped transform coaching from transactional interactions to a deeper journey of leadership development based on connection, curiosity, and continuous learning. These individuals have fundamentally redefined what it means to coach and develop human talent.”
New inductees to the Coaching Legends are announced annually, celebrating those who have profoundly impacted the coaching profession and organisations worldwide.
The 2025 inductees into Coaching Legends are (in alphabetical order):
A pioneer in the field of leadership personal branding, Brenda Bence is the author of 11 award-winning books, including The Forgotten Choice (2021), Leading You (2016), Master the Brand Called YOU (2014), and Would You Want to Work For You? (2014). Prior to joining the coaching profession, Brenda led billion-dollar global businesses as a senior executive in Fortune 100 corporations including Procter & Gamble and Bristol-Myers Squibb. She has since coached executives from 60 nationalities across 70 different industries.
From a childhood in the family shoe business in northern India, Ram Charan first gained an engineering degree in India then an MBA and doctorate from Harvard Business School. A world-renowned business advisor trusted by top CEOs and boards, Ram’s award-winning books include What the CEO Wants You to Know (2001); Execution (2002); Boards That Deliver (2005); Boards That Lead (2013); Talent Wins (2018); and The Leadership Pipeline (2024).
A retired Brigadier General who led the department of behavioural sciences and leadership at West Point, Tom Kolditz is the founding director of the Ann and John Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University. Previously he served as a professor of practice at the Yale School of Management. Tom developed the concept of “in extremis leadership” – an original crisis leadership model – as explained in his 2007 book, In Extremis Leadership. He is also co-author of Leadership Reckoning (2021).
Legendary Duke University men’s basketball coach and 5-time NCAA champion, Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski also won three Olympic gold medals as head coach of Team USA Basketball. Renowned for leadership, culture-building, and coaching excellence, he is a professor at the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE) and author of two New York Times best sellers, Leading with the Heart (2000) and Beyond Basketball (2006). He is also the author of The Gold Standard (2009).
Magdalena Nowicka Mook is the CEO of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), where she has led ICF’s growth from 8,000 to over 50,000 members across 140 countries and established industry standards for coach credentialing used by over 90% of coaches. Previously, Magdalena was assistant director of national policy and director of development for the Council of State Governments, where she also worked closely with the USAID’s US-Asia Environmental Program.
Founder and CEO of Coaching.com, Alex Pascal’s goal was to transform the way coaching is implemented across the world. A former senior manager at Korn Ferry and leadership advisor to Fortune 500 executives, Alex pioneered technology-driven solutions to scale coaching globally and place coaching.com as an industry leader. Alex received his degree in business administration from the University of San Diego, and his master’s and PhD in consulting psychology at Alliant International University-San Diego Campus.
Jonathan Passmore is senior vice president at EZRA Coaching, LHH and professor of coaching and behavioural change at Henley Business School. He has held C-Suite roles in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors and received multiple awards for his research and contributions to organisational psychology and coaching. Jonathan is co-editor of Becoming A Coach (updated 2024), The Ethical Coaches Handbook (2023), and Coach Me! (2022) and author of 30+ books including Excellence in Coaching (2021).
Founder and CEO of the Breakfast Club Africa (BCA), a pan-African organisation that supports executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders with leadership training, executive coaching, and organisational development services, Modupe Taylor-Pearce has helped over 3,000 African leaders transform the continent through good leadership. He is the founding dean of the African Leadership University of Business, author of Leadership Made in Africa (2023), Business Bomba (2022), Tough Love (2021) and How I Made It: Striking Sustainable Success in Sierra Leone (2014).
100 Coaches is a curated group of the world’s most iconic coaches and advisors, dedicated to supporting business leaders with tailored solutions to create flourishing.
BetterUp is a team of behavioural scientists and talent management experts dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential.
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Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
Highfield Lane
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United Kingdom
Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
Highfield Lane
Wargrave RG10 8PZ
United Kingdom
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