Jac Dennington
Jac established Aranyaka in 2024 to provide dedicated senior level coaching and strategic consultancy for people improving outcomes for nature.
Jac coaches purpose-driven leaders, managers and professionals and provides strategic consulting services.
She specialises in coaching for those improving nature outcomes for their business or organisation, or working in environmental sustainability, green economy, green tech or circular economy fields.
Her coaching improves outcomes in many domains, including sustainability, purpose, leadership skills, organisational change, interactions, career trajectory, wellbeing and workload management. Jac is committed to providing deeply effective, lasting change for the benefit of people, nature and systems.
Jac provides strategic consulting services based on her strategic, leadership and environmental experience and draws on a variety of specialist partnerships to tailor available expertise to specific needs.
She is Vice-Chair of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, and a board trustee there since 2023.
“I am more relaxed and confident in putting ideas forward across departments – not just within my own but organisation wide ”
Qualifications
Senior and Executive Coaching (ILM Level 7)
Post-graduate studies Senior Leadership (University of Manchester, AMBS), BSc
Member of European Mentoring Coaching Council (EMCC), Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP).
Experience
30+ years strategic leadership, mentoring, sustainability, coaching
Australia and UK, charities, universities, government
Ten years leadership Australian Department of Environment
Currently Vice-Chair Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Coaching leaders, leadership teams and professionals at Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, Natural England, SMEs, universities.
Jac has extensive experience as a senior and executive leader in government, corporate, higher education and voluntary sectors in Australia and the UK. She founded five businesses across coaching, consulting/project management, cultural (music), retail and wellbeing domains. She held director, senior and executive roles at the University of Manchester, National Museum of Australia, and the Australian Department of Environment. Her coaching includes leaders, professionals and leadership teams at the Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, Natural England, SMEs, and universities.
Jac cares intensely about both nature and people. Her experience includes decades of mentoring and coaching, leadership, project, program and portfolio management across strategy, IT/digital, environmental management, people management, strategic HR, organisational change, culture and organisational development.
Jac is qualified at post-graduate level in Senior and Executive Coaching (ILM Level 7), and holds post-graduate qualifications in Senior Leadership through the University of Manchester (Alliance Manchester Business School). She is a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC), the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP), and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA) awarded for her strategic support of teaching and learning in higher education.
She has considerable experience in nature-based teaching, mentoring and coaching, using nature as both a coaching tool and creative environment to support personal growth.
Jac is a qualified breath coach, has trained and mentored yoga and meditation teachers, and for 20 years taught yoga, mindfulness and meditation in corporate and private settings. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics, Maths and Computer Science from the University of Queensland.
“If ‘excellent’ had been available in the feedback, I would have chosen it for every category. ”
What it’s like to work with me
Most often, you will find me relaxed, cheerful and authentic. Your flourishing is important and rewarding for me.
Your professional relationship with me is unique, and works when it is based on effectiveness, trust and respect. While I love nature, I care about people too. You will be supported to explore freely, be honest with yourself, and to gain insights and clarity. We will be in a confidential environment of ease, focus and genuine safety.
Your coaching or consultancy is designed for you and your organisational context. Our discussion will be tailored exactly to your needs by my synthesising and adapting from a large repertoire of approaches and tools. You will have structure where it matters, and effective results without structure when structure might distract you.
You will take away clarity, new understanding and confident commitment to action to achieve your own tangible outcomes and purpose.
My intelligence, insight, care and experience brings the understanding needed to help you navigate the most demanding aspects of senior roles and life.
“Thank you very much for all the guidance and support, but more importantly your non judgemental approach and sense of humour”