Leadership
The Minds Shaping
Clarendon's Practice
Individually credentialled, collectively committed. Our leadership team draws from the full breadth of British professional life — from the NHS to the City, from academia to the boardroom.
Eleanor Whitfield
Founder & Chief Executive
Eleanor founded Clarendon Growth Partners in 2009 following a distinguished career spanning McKinsey, the Cabinet Office, and senior leadership roles in financial services. A PPE graduate of Exeter College, Oxford, she brings over 20 years of experience helping executives and organisations navigate complex change with clarity and confidence. Eleanor is a Master Certified Coach with the ICF and a visiting Fellow at Henley Business School.
Dr. Marcus Okafor
Director of Coaching
Marcus holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from University College London and trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at the Maudsley Hospital. He specialises in executive performance under pressure, psychological resilience, and the intersection of mental health with high-stakes leadership. Before joining Clarendon, Marcus spent eight years as a consultant psychologist advising FTSE 100 boards and elite sports professionals. He is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society.
Sarah Pendleton
Head of Organisational Development
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD), Sarah brings 15 years of experience across the NHS, local government, and blue-chip private sector organisations. She has led workforce transformation programmes touching over 40,000 employees, and her particular expertise lies in culture change, talent architecture, and inclusive leadership design. Sarah's approach is evidence-led, pragmatic, and always centred on the human experience of change.
Alistair Graham
Lead Facilitator
Alistair's commercial credentials are unusual in a facilitator: he spent over a decade as a Non-Executive Director across three FTSE 250 companies, following an executive career in retail and logistics. He holds an MBA from Cranfield School of Management and is a recognised authority on board dynamics, facilitative leadership, and strategic alignment workshops. Clients consistently describe his sessions as direct, challenging, and deeply energising — he brings the boardroom into the learning room.
