Leading Academic
Leading Academic is a Utrecht-based coaching and training firm providing personal leadership development programs, workshops, and bespoke incompany engagements exclusively for Dutch academic professionals, including PhDs, postdocs, professors, and medical staff.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersUtrecht, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Leading Academic does
Leading Academic is a Utrecht-headquartered, Dutch coaching and training firm established in 2013 that specializes exclusively in personal leadership development for academic professionals. Its buyers and end-users are PhD students, postdocs, professors, department heads, and medical residents and young medical staff working in Dutch universities, university medical centers, and research institutions. The company was founded with an explicit focus on female academic professionals, and that cohort remains a primary segment alongside the broader academic-professional segment; academic departments and organizations form a secondary, business-to-business segment.
Leading Academic firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Leading Academic
- Legal name
- Leading Academic
- Website
- https://leadingacademic.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Leading Academic is a Utrecht-based coaching and training firm providing personal leadership development programs, workshops, and bespoke incompany engagements exclusively for Dutch academic professionals, including PhDs, postdocs, professors, and medical staff.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Leading Academic industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Training and Coaching
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Executive Presence & Communication Coaching (EDABANAE)
Keywords
Where Leading Academic is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Utrecht
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Leading Academic business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Open Enrollment Workshops: Single-day and multi-day workshops on topics like negotiation, leadership, resilience, and communication offered to individual participants on a per-event basis
- Year-long Leadership Programs: The 'Leading Academic' annual program provides sustained personal development and career coaching over 12 months
- Incompany Training: Customized training and coaching programs delivered to academic organizations and departments
- Individual Coaching: One-on-one coaching sessions for personal and professional development
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Leading Academic product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Leading Academic provides specialized coaching, training, and advisory services exclusively for academic professionals such as PhD students, postdocs, professors, and academic medical staff. Core deliverables include a year-long Personal Leadership Program, a female-focused variant, single-day workshops on negotiation, politics, resilience, and career navigation, individual coaching, intervisie (peer consultation), and customized in-company training for academic departments. Services are delivered in Dutch and English at the Utrecht office or client locations.
Product overview
Leading Academic offers a comprehensive portfolio of coaching, training, and advisory services for academic professionals. The core offering consists of multi-month programs including the year-long 'Leading Academic' personal leadership program and specialized programs like 'Female Leading Academic' and 'Leren met Hoofd én Lichaam'. These programs are complemented by single-day workshops covering topics such as negotiation, navigating organizational politics, resilience and balance, impact creation, and career direction. The company also provides individual coaching services, intervisie (peer consultation), and customized in-company training and advisory services. English-language offerings are available for international academic professionals. The service delivery is entirely in-person or blended (combining online and physical sessions), with no technology product or platform component.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Leading Academic Annual Program (Jaarprogramma 'Leading Academic!') A year-long Personal Leadership Program providing guided development and effective functioning within academia for academic professionals through sustained coaching, workshops, and intervision over 12 months.
- Female Leading Academic (Jaarprogramma Female Leading Academic) A year-long program specifically designed for female professionals, building on the core Leading Academic methodology with peer learning among female colleagues to address gender-specific leadership challenges.
- Learning with Head and Body (Leren met Hoofd én Lichaam) A program focused on learning through both mind and body, helping professionals break through personal action patterns and address behavioral challenges that intellectual understanding alone cannot resolve.
- Help! Media! A media training program teaching academic professionals how to formulate compelling stories, prepare for interviews, and maintain control during media appearances.
- Effective Leadership of Professionals (Effectief leidinggeven aan professionals) A training program for professionals who have transitioned into leadership roles, teaching effective management of other professionals and teams. GAIA accredited for 30 PE points for physicians.
- Management Training for Medical Residents and Young Staff (Managementtraining voor artsen in opleiding en jonge stafleden) Management training specifically designed for medical residents in training and young medical staff members at academic hospitals and medical centers.
- Individual Coaching Services One-on-one coaching services for academic professionals, including the junior coach program and coaching delivered in English, supporting personal development and career growth.
- In-Company Training and Advisory (Incompany & Advies) Customized in-company training and advisory services for academic organizations and departments seeking tailored leadership and professional development solutions.
- Workshops (Open Enrollment Single-Day Workshops) Single-day workshops covering topics including negotiation ('Onderhandelen voor wat je waard bent'), navigating political dynamics, imposter syndrome dismantling, resilience and balance, personal branding, boundary setting, impact creation, career direction, narrative development, saying no, and listening skills, offered to individual participants on a per-event basis.
- Activities in English Workshops and programs delivered in English for international academic professionals, including negotiation training for PhDs and PostDocs and communication gap bridging.
- Intervision (Peer Consultation Groups) Peer consultation group sessions where professionals discuss work-related challenges and learn from each other's experiences in a structured intervisie format.
Quantifiable outcome
- Participants report increased self-awareness of their qualities and how to use them effectively in organizations
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Leading Academic
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Leading Academic technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Leading Academic partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Leading Academic competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Schouten Global: Dutch-based leadership and career coaching firm serving (inter)national professionals. Comparable executive coaching offerings with overlapping regional client base, though not exclusively academic-focused.
- Loopbaanbegeleiding Nederland: Career coaching and professional development services in the Netherlands. Comparable Dutch career coaching for knowledge workers, though broader audience than academic-only.
Direct peers
- National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity: Provides training, mentoring, and professional development specifically for faculty and academic professionals, with particular emphasis on women and underrepresented groups. Closely comparable mission and target audience to Leading Academic.
- Academic Impressions: US-based provider of training, coaching, and consulting for higher education professionals. Directly comparable as a specialized training/coaching firm serving academic staff and administrators, with a similar niche specialization strategy.
Broad incumbents
- Center for Creative Leadership: Global leadership development provider offering executive coaching, workshops, and programs. Comparable leadership development and executive coaching methodology, though largely focused on corporate rather than academic clients.
- Marshall Goldsmith Coaching: Global executive coaching and leadership development brand. Comparable executive coaching offerings focused on leadership development, though broader market beyond academia.
Others
- European University Foundation: European organization supporting higher education institutions with capacity building, including professional development programs. Comparable ecosystem participant addressing academic professional development needs, though positioned as a foundation rather than commercial provider.
Emerging players
- Inside Higher Ed Career Coaching Services: Career and leadership resources for academic professionals, with growing coaching and professional development offerings. Comparable audience and theme, though broader media platform than pure coaching.
- The Compact for Faculty Diversity: Focuses on leadership development for underrepresented faculty in academia. Comparable niche in academic leadership training with diversity focus, similar to Leading Academic's female programs.
- Bauman Consulting: Provides executive coaching and leadership development for academic leaders and faculty. Comparable one-on-one coaching and leadership development services for academic professionals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Leading Academic social profiles
Digital presenceLeading Academic compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Leading Academic financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Leading Academic leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Leading Academic funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Leading Academic M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Leading Academic
What does Leading Academic do?
Leading Academic provides specialized coaching, training, and advisory services exclusively for academic professionals such as PhD students, postdocs, professors, and academic medical staff. Core deliverables include a year-long Personal Leadership Program, a female-focused variant, single-day workshops on negotiation, politics, resilience, and career navigation, individual coaching, intervisie (peer consultation), and customized in-company training for academic departments. Services are delivered in Dutch and English at the Utrecht office or client locations.
Is Leading Academic a public or private company?
Leading Academic is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Leading Academic founded?
Leading Academic was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Leading Academic based?
Leading Academic is headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Leading Academic make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Open Enrollment Workshops are the primary driver. The others are year-long Leadership Programs, incompany Training and individual Coaching.
Who are Leading Academic's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Schouten Global and Loopbaanbegeleiding Nederland. Direct peers are National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity and Academic Impressions. Broad incumbents are Center for Creative Leadership and Marshall Goldsmith Coaching. European University Foundation is listed as an others. Emerging players are Inside Higher Ed Career Coaching Services, The Compact for Faculty Diversity and Bauman Consulting.
Does Leading Academic have an API?
No public API is recorded for Leading Academic.
What industry is Leading Academic in?
Leading Academic's product category is Professional Training and Coaching. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABANAE, Executive Presence & Communication Coaching. Its NAICS code is 61143 and its SIC code is 8200.