About us
Founded in 2015, WOMBA (Work, Me and the Baby) is a coaching and advisory practice witha depth of expertise in partnering with organisations to support their working parents andleaders.
WOMBA is known for its thoughtful, research-backed coaching programmes; helpingorganisations retain talent and enabling individuals to thrive at work. For the past four yearswe've partnered with Hult International Business School on ground breaking research tounderstand what's needed for working parents to thrive.
We partner with a diverse set of professional services clients across the consulting, legal,financial services, retail, technology, media and digital sectors.
Why we do what we do
The public and organisational systems for UK parents to work and parent is fundamentally flawed. Today, many working parents in the UK are forced to make the unacceptable choice between parenting and career. This is starkly demonstrated by the gender pay gap but thereare other costs to the economy, society and our next generation.
Gendered stereotypes are still prevalent. This matters because it means the response to the flawed system is different for mums and dads. It’s often mums who sacrifice careers and dads who sacrifice parenting. However, society is changing and there is a generational shift with dads wanting to have a more active and present role but often facing barriers.
Organisations have a significant role in improving the experience of working parents and are increasingly adopting policies and practices to bridge the gap between outdated and inadequate public policy and their needs to be competitive in attracting and retaining talent. This has become a business imperative in many sectors and a differentiator in others.
Organisations need to attend to this issue because working parents make up around 1/3 of their workforce; they’re at a critical career stage and make up a high proportion of the future talent pipeline. In addition, there are wider benefits of creating an organisational system to support this group as the policies and aligned culture will also meet the needs of multiple employee segments including carers and GenZ who need or want more flexibility and balance.
What WOMBA Offers
Why this matters to organisations
Meet our team
Our two directors, Helen Sachdev and Alison Green, offer a unique blend of executive and non-executive careers, D&I Board experience and senior executive coaching expertise.
Both are accredited Ashridge executive coaches. Helen is a founding member of WOMBA with a portfolio career, mainly supporting organisations with a social purpose. Alison helps leaders create good change for themselves, their organisations and their stakeholders - as an executive coach, non-executive director and school governor.
As parents, they have experienced the highs and lows of having a family whilst trying to maintain and grow their careers. As leaders, they have championed diversity and inclusion in their executive and non-executive roles.
Neither of these are easy. But we at WOMBA our approach and coaching programmes create meaningful change for organisations and for the diverse talent they want to retain.
We’re very proud and passionate about the work we do.
Helen Sachdev, Co-owner, Director, Founder
Helen is a founding member and director of the coaching practice, WOMBA. She is a senior executive coach (Ashridge accredited) and an organisational supervisor (PGDip).
As part of her portfolio, she is an associate with a sister coaching practice (1:1 support for board level executives), and works as a Non-Executive Director (Chair of the Loughborough Building Society and the Senior Independent NED and Remco Chair at Wilmington PLC).
Her previous executive career was in Retail (Tesco) and Retail Financial Services (Barclays, where she was also a member of the Barclays UK Diversity and Inclusion Board).
She has two grown up children, a step-son and a grandchild and lives in Bristol with her husband, two cats and an African Grey parrot.
Connect with Helen Sachdev on LinkedIn
Alison Green, Co-owner, Director
Alison is director of the coaching practice, WOMBA. She is a Masters qualified executive coach with Ashridge and EMCC accreditation and is a Hult Ashridge Associate Coach .
She has a depth of experience in supporting leaders at pivotal points and transition stages in their careers including becoming a working parent.
Alison's experience as an executive coach is underpinned by her senior executive career in Advertising, Marketing, Financial Services and Healthcare in the UK and Internationally.
Alison is a champion of diverse and inclusive workplaces. She was a member of AXA UK’s Diversity and Inclusion Board and Chair of the ESG Committee at a UK Plc.
She has two grown up children and now she has a little more time she’s developing her yoga practice.
Connect with Alison Green on LinkedIn
Betty Hemingway, Associate
Betty is an executive coach who helps leaders uncover what’s really holding them back when challenge or change arise. She creates a grounded, reflective space that allows clients to reconnect with their confidence, clarity, and inner steadiness - even when self-doubt, judgement or pressure threaten to take over.
She works with clients navigating complex personal and professional demands - whether that’s returning to work, leading through uncertainty, or simply recognising where they’re getting in their own way. Betty’s coaching helps people notice the patterns beneath their reactions and behaviours so they can respond with more clarity, honesty and intention. Her style is calm, direct, and intuitive, enabling clients to work through what they often can’t yet name.
Connect with Betty on LinkedIn
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