Lifetime Contribution to Coaching 2026: Frank Dick OBE
ActionCOACH UK was honoured to recognise Frank Dick OBE with the Lifetime Contribution to Coaching 2026 award during the September Conference Awards Evening.
Frank has been a valued member of the wider ActionCOACH UK team for more than 10 years. During that time, he has worked with coaches, business leaders and entrepreneurs, sharing lessons from a career that has included more than 55 years at the highest levels of coaching.
His career in sport includes his work as Director of Coaching at the British Athletic Federation and coaching relationships with athletes including Sir Daley Thompson, Lord Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett OBE, Sally Gunnell OBE, Colin Jackson CBE and Linford Christie.
His work has also extended into business, where he has mentored leaders and entrepreneurs and shared his experience of high performance, leadership and personal development.
Frank's relationship with ActionCOACH UK has included regular sessions with the coaching community and appearances at BizX. His contribution has helped coaches apply ideas about performance, leadership, accountability and personal development to their work with business owners.
The special award recognised both his long career in coaching and the contribution he has made to the ActionCOACH UK community over the past decade.
Recognising outstanding client results
Alongside Frank's special recognition, nine ActionCOACH coaches and coaching teams received awards for the quality of their client results.
The awards are based on client feedback gathered through Net Promoter Score surveys. This gives clients a direct opportunity to share their experience of working with their ActionCOACH.
For a coach to qualify for one of the client results awards, they needed to meet all three of the following criteria:
- A minimum of 7 NPS survey responses
- A survey response rate above 50%
- An NPS above the UK average of 84
The criteria provide a consistent basis for recognising coaches whose clients have taken part in the feedback process and reported a strong experience.
The response rate is also important because it provides context for the NPS result. A coach needed to receive responses from more than half of their surveyed clients, as well as achieving the required NPS score.
The 2026 ActionCOACH UK Conference Award winners
The September Conference recognised nine coaches and coaching teams from across different parts of the UK.
Phil Nassau
Central Midlands
Simon Marshall
South East
Mick Corrigan
North West and North Wales
Scott Millar
Northern Ireland
Andy Hemming
West Midlands
Tom Allchurch
South West and South Wales
Lucas Vigilante
East Anglia
ActionCOACH White Rose
Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
Alan Smith
UK
Congratulations to all nine award recipients.
Their recognition reflects feedback from clients working with ActionCOACH coaches across a range of industries, business sizes and locations.
What client results mean in business coaching
Business coaching involves a close working relationship between a business owner and their coach. The work can cover areas such as business growth, leadership, team performance, profitability, time management, systems and the development of the owner themselves.
Client feedback provides an important way to understand how that relationship is experienced by the people receiving coaching.
NPS is one measure used to gather that feedback. It is based on a client's likelihood of recommending a service or organisation and provides a recognised way of measuring customer or client advocacy.
For the ActionCOACH UK Conference Awards, NPS was considered alongside the number of responses and the overall response rate.
This means the awards were based on a combination of the score achieved and the amount of client participation behind that score.
For the coaches receiving recognition, the awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the feedback their clients have provided and the work that has taken place within those businesses.
A UK wide coaching community
The range of award winners also reflects the geographical reach of ActionCOACH UK.
This year's recipients represented:
- Central Midlands
- South East
- North West and North Wales
- Northern Ireland
- West Midlands
- South West and South Wales
- East Anglia
- Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
- UK
ActionCOACH coaches work with business owners across the UK, supporting established businesses through different stages of growth and development.
Local knowledge can be particularly useful for business owners. Each coaching relationship takes place within the context of the individual business, its people, its market and the owner's objectives.
The wider ActionCOACH UK community brings these local coaching relationships together through conferences, training and shared learning.
Why feedback matters to ActionCOACH UK
Feedback gives ActionCOACH UK coaches an opportunity to understand how clients experience their coaching relationship.
For business owners, coaching can involve difficult decisions, changes to the way a company operates and new responsibilities for leaders and their teams. Having a regular opportunity to provide feedback helps create a channel for clients to share their experience.
The Conference Awards use NPS feedback as one way of recognising strong client experiences.
The qualification criteria also create a clear standard. Coaches needed a minimum number of responses, a response rate above 50% and an NPS above the stated UK average of 84.
The result is a recognition process that is connected directly to feedback from the businesses and people receiving coaching.
From coaching experience to business performance
The role of a business coach can vary depending on the needs of the business owner.
For some owners, the focus may be on creating a clearer growth plan. Others may need support with leadership, team structure, profitability, accountability or reducing their own involvement in the day to day running of the business.
As a business develops, priorities can change. A company that has grown from a small operation into an established business may face different challenges around people, processes, management and leadership.
This is why the coaching relationship needs to reflect the individual business rather than follow a single route.
ActionCOACH UK works with business owners across different sectors and stages of development, with local coaches supporting clients through their own business objectives.
Recognising more than individual awards
Awards at a conference provide an opportunity to recognise individual achievements, while also reflecting the wider coaching community behind them.
The nine client results awards recognise coaches whose clients met the feedback criteria. Frank Dick's special award recognises a much longer contribution to the coaching profession and to ActionCOACH UK.
Both forms of recognition are part of the September Conference and the opportunity it provides for ActionCOACH coaches to come together.
For ActionCOACH UK, the conference is also a chance for coaches to share ideas, learn from one another and continue developing their approach to supporting business owners.
How did coaches qualify for the ActionCOACH UK client results awards?
To qualify for a client results award, coaches needed:
- At least 7 NPS survey responses
- A survey response rate above 50%
- An NPS above the UK average of 84
All three criteria needed to be met.
What is NPS?
NPS stands for Net Promoter Score. It is a customer feedback measure used to understand how likely customers or clients are to recommend a company, product or service.
ActionCOACH UK uses NPS feedback as part of its client feedback process.
Find out more about ActionCOACH UK
ActionCOACH UK supports business owners through coaching focused on practical business development, leadership, team performance, systems, profitability and growth.
If you are considering business coaching and would like to understand how coaching could fit your business, you can speak to an ActionCOACH UK about getting started.
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