Hayhurst & Co

What Hayhurst & Co does

Hayhurst & Co is a privately-held UK professional services consultancy founded by Vicky Hayhurst, operating exclusively in the UK higher education sector. The firm delivers three integrated service lines — training, consultancy, and coaching — built around a proprietary "High Performance Model" with three pillars: Mindset, Culture, and Prioritisation. Its client base comprises senior leadership, marketing, student recruitment, communications, and admissions teams within UK universities, with 31 named institutional clients including the Universities of Sheffield, Leeds, Dundee, Salford, Aston, Bournemouth, and LSE.

The firm's service portfolio spans bespoke training programmes (from 2-hour workshops to 12-month development engagements), strategic consultancy interventions (strategic planning, audience/process mapping, vision setting, psychological safety), and one-to-one and group executive coaching for leadership transitions, burnout prevention, and women in leadership. A residential Leadership Academy programme, delivered in partnership with Leader Connect and accredited by the Institute of Leadership, adds a cohort-based product for aspiring university directors. All delivery is human-led with no proprietary technology platform, and the firm's website is built on Squarespace.

Commercially, Hayhurst & Co operates a bespoke quote-based pricing model with no public rate card, acquiring clients through inbound enquiries (website contact forms, direct email, LinkedIn) and word-of-mouth within the tightly networked UK HE sector. The firm reports a Net Promoter Score of 100% and an average trainer rating of 4.8/5 from hundreds of reviews. It is founder-controlled, family-involved (Vicky Hayhurst as CEO, father Steve as Operations Manager), with no disclosed external funding, no acquisitions, and UK-only operations. The team comprises roughly 10 named individuals, including associates engaged across specialist domains such as international recruitment, burnout prevention, EDI, and executive coaching.

Name

Hayhurst & Co

Legal name

Hayhurst & Co

Website

https://hayhurstco.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hayhurst & Co is a UK-based consultancy delivering training, coaching, and strategic advisory services exclusively to UK universities. Its proprietary High Performance Model (Mindset, Culture, Prioritisation) is applied across bespoke programmes for senior university leadership, marketing, and student recruitment teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Leadership Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

C-Suite & Senior Executive Coaching (EDABANAA), Leadership Development & Executive Coaching (BPAHAGAD), Coaching, Feedback & Mentoring Skills (EDABAMAM)

Keywords

• Higher education consulting
• Leadership development
• Executive coaching services
• Team training programmes
• Organisational development

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Training Programmes: Bespoke training programmes built around client teams' goals, ranging from focused 2-hour workshops to comprehensive 12-month development programmes. Training themes include Burnout Prevention & Stress Management, Resilience In A Changing World, and Building A Coaching Culture. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to group size and programme length.
2. Consultancy Services: Insight-driven consultancy interventions ranging from rapid engagements to structured multi-month programmes. Themes include Strategic Planning, Audience & Process Mapping, Vision Setting & Value Proposition, Psychological Safety & Inclusion, and Managing Performance. Delivered as a trusted partner to senior university leaders.
3. Coaching: One-to-one and group coaching for senior leaders and their teams. Specialist coaching themes include Leadership Transitions, Executive Impact, Burnout Prevention & Resilient Leadership, Team Culture & People Leadership, Strategic Thinking & Change Leadership, and Women In Leadership. Ongoing support includes 1-2-1 online coaching sessions for six months post-programme in the Leadership Academy.
4. Leadership Academy (Residential Programme): A residential leadership development programme delivered in partnership with Leader Connect. Includes 2.5-day intensive session (25 hours), professional accreditation via the Institute of Leadership, year's membership, ongoing 1-2-1 coaching for six months, and access to online training platform and The Leadership Book. Cohort size of 8-12 leaders per intake.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hayhurst & Co is a UK-based consultancy that delivers training, consultancy, and coaching services exclusively to higher education institutions, building high performing leadership teams through a proprietary High Performance Model centred on three pillars: Mindset, Culture, and Prioritisation. Its offerings range from short focused workshops to comprehensive 12-month development programmes, alongside a flagship accredited Leadership Academy residential programme delivered in partnership with Leader Connect.

Product overview

Hayhurst & Co offers a portfolio of three core professional services—Training, Consultancy, and Coaching—all delivered through their High Performance Model centred on Mindset, Culture, and Prioritisation. The three services work together as an integrated offering: Training builds team capabilities through workshops; Consultancy provides strategic planning and process mapping; and Coaching offers individual and group support for leadership development. Additionally, the Leadership Academy (operated in partnership with Leader Connect) delivers an accredited residential programme for aspiring directors in higher education. The company also provides a range of themed modules across all services addressing areas such as burnout prevention, psychological safety, strategic planning, and women in leadership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Training Services Bespoke training programmes for UK university teams, focusing on strengthening individual mindsets and nurturing positive, inclusive team culture. Themes include Burnout Prevention & Stress Management, Resilience In A Changing World, and Building A Coaching Culture. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to group size and programme length.
• Consultancy Services Insight-driven consultancy for senior university leaders, empowering them with insight, clarity, and confidence to lead change through effective prioritisation and by building a strong, aligned culture. Themes include Strategic Planning, Audience & Process Mapping, Vision Setting & Value Proposition, Psychological Safety & Inclusion, and Managing Performance.
• Coaching Services One-to-one and group coaching for senior leaders and their teams, helping leaders strengthen their mindset and sharpen prioritisation skills to make confident decisions and drive high performance. Themes include Leadership Transitions, Executive Impact, Burnout Prevention & Resilient Leadership, Team Culture & People Leadership, Strategic Thinking & Change Leadership, and Women In Leadership.
• Leadership Academy A residential leadership development programme developed in partnership with Leader Connect, designed to bridge leadership gaps in Higher Education. Accredited by the Institute of Leadership, the programme is a 2.5-day intensive (25 hours) for aspiring directors, with six months of ongoing 1-to-1 coaching and access to Leader Connect's online training platform and The Leadership Book. Cohort size of 8-12 leaders per intake.

Quantifiable outcome

• Net Promoter Score of 100%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Leader ConnectflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHayhurst & Co has partnered with Leader Connect (founded by Neil Jurd OBE, author of bestselling 'The Leadership Book') to develop an accredited Leadership Academy residential programme for aspiring directors in higher education. The programme combines Hayhurst & Co's higher education sector expertise with Leader Connect's leadership development platform and Neil Jurd's experiential training methodology. The partnership delivers professional accreditation through the Institute of Leadership, access to The Leadership Book and Leader Connect's online training platform, and six months of post-programme 1-2-1 coaching. The 2025 cohort achieved 100% recommendation rate.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Common Purpose: UK-headquartered leadership development organisation running cohort-based programmes and cultural-leadership training for senior leaders across sectors, with strong UK higher education traction. Comparable because it sells accredited, cohort-based leadership development to the same senior university leader personas using a similar training-plus-coaching-plus-content model.
• mclcreate: UK higher education marketing, student recruitment, and communications consultancy serving universities with strategy, content, and training services. Comparable because it sells consultative, bespoke services into the same UK university marketing and student recruitment buyer (e.g., Bournemouth, Sheffield, Leeds-style institutions).
• The Halpin Partnership: UK higher education specialist consultancy delivering bespoke consultancy, coaching, and leadership development to universities. Closely comparable in vertical focus (UK HE only), service mix (training/consultancy/coaching), and consultative sales model.
• People & Practice: UK higher education-focused HR, people development, and organisational consultancy serving universities with coaching, leadership programmes, and culture work. Directly comparable as a specialist people-and-leadency firm selling bespoke services into the same UK university marketing, recruitment, and leadership buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Advance HE: UK higher education sector membership and leadership body that provides leadership development programmes, coaching, and management training to university leaders. Comparable because it targets the same UK university buyer with overlapping leadership development and coaching services, although it operates as a larger, broader membership organisation rather than a specialist consultancy.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): Global leadership development firm providing leadership training, coaching, and assessment for frontline through executive leaders. Comparable on leadership development methodology, training-plus-coaching model, and assessment-led delivery, but multi-sector and far larger in scale.
• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and leadership/executive coaching firm with a substantial leadership development and coaching practice. Comparable at the executive coaching and senior leadership development layer Hayhurst & Co delivers, but operates as a much broader, multi-sector incumbent rather than a UK HE specialist.
• Franklin Covey: Global leadership and performance training provider offering workshops, coaching, and content (e.g., 7 Habits) to organisations including education sector clients. Comparable as a leadership training and culture provider with a similar training-plus-coaching-plus-content architecture, but multi-sector and franchise-distributed rather than UK HE-specialist.

Others

• Jisc: UK higher education digital, data, and technology services organisation that also runs leadership and capability programmes for university staff. Comparable as a UK HE capability-building provider working with the same institutional buyers, but focused primarily on digital and data services rather than leadership coaching.
• Wonkhe: UK higher education media, events, and consulting platform serving university leaders and marketers with insight, research, and content. Comparable as an ecosystem participant reaching the same UK university leadership buyers, but operating as a media/insight vendor rather than a training and coaching provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hayhurst-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hayhurst & Co