An interview with Dan Carpenter, Executive Coach for Ecologists

Justin Ayling • May 11, 2026

An interview with Dan Carpenter, Executive Coach for Ecologists

In this months blog, Justin Ayling, Director at Embankment Group interviewed Dan Carpenter, an executive coach operating in the Ecological sector.

Dan has had a varied career. He is a Chartered Environmentalist with 20+ years’ experience across environmental consulting, public sector and tech-led organisations. He has held senior roles including Associate Director and Chief Ecologist, leading biodiversity strategy, digital transformation and innovation. As founder of Digital Ecology, he specialised in data-driven systems and BNG. More recently, Dan has started on a journey towards becoming a qualified executive coach.

Having known Dan for a number of years now, we sat down together in a lovely hotel in the Cotswolds to discuss how his new offering may benefit Ecologists considering a career change, a step-up in role, as well as senior leaders honing in their skills. sector. Enjoy!

Justin: What led you into coaching and why focus on the ecology sector?

Dan: I came to coaching because I found myself at a bit of a crossroads in my career and a coaching conversation helped me to realise that coaching itself is incredibly valuable for people like me!

Most people at some time in their life need to talk through their thoughts and ideas in a safe space to figure out what they are really thinking and feeling, and what they actually want.

Coaching goes a step further and helps people take action towards their goals.

I realised that I wanted to help people find their way through tricky patches in their lives, to think through their options and to come out the other side with a plan. My experience and personal values mean that I really want to support those in the ecology sector as a coach, because I want to help deliver better outcomes for the environment. I believe that coaching leaders in the environment sector and other purpose-driven businesses is a key part of delivering those outcomes.

So I am starting my journey towards becoming a qualified coach to help environmental leaders excel.

Justin: What are the most common challenges you see senior ecologists and leaders facing?

Dan: I think there are two key challenges that ecology leaders face as they progress through their careers. The first is that transition from field-based roles and close contact with projects, to roles with either a strategic or commercial focus.

These more senior roles require a different set of skills from those we need when we start a career in ecology, and often we have to learn them as we go.

For many people we have had no formal training in some of these skills, but hopefully we have picked some of them up as we have gone through our careers. That can be daunting and can create a sense of imposter syndrome, which you talked about in your recent newsletter.

The second is that often people feel that their values are misaligned from the realities of a more senior role. Many people start ecology because they deeply care about nature and the environment and hold a strong set of values associated with nature recovery. However, the commercial realities of an ecology business can sometimes feel at odds with those values, and that can feel very unsettling for some people.

Justin: How does coaching help individuals navigate career transitions or leadership pressures?

Dan: Coaching is about building a partnership between the Coach and the Client in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires the client to maximise their potential. Coaching is about creating a safe and creative space for people to address challenges, generate ideas and create action towards achieving our professional goals.

Career transitions are a key example of where coaching can help identify what you want from your career and create an action plan for achieving it. It can also help in times where leaders are feeling stifled and need support to think through the options and identify actions for taking their business forward.

Justin: What does a typical coaching engagement look like in practice?

Dan: People come to coaching when they are looking for support and challenge to develop and progress in their careers, or their business. To get the best out of coaching you need to approach it with clear goals in mind. Coaching typically is carried out over 8-12 sessions, usually an hour each, with sessions every 2 weeks. This can of course be varied to suit the client.

Coaching is a short-term intervention to help unlock individual creativity and move people towards their goals; it is not supposed to be a long term intervention. But some people do return to coaching again and again throughout their careers where they feel they need that support and challenge to progress.

Justin: Who would benefit most from this kind of support?

Dan: Everyone can benefit from coaching at some point in their life, but typically people who are contemplating a career change, a step-up in role, as well as senior leaders, look to coaching to support their development. Coaching can also work for teams and organisations bring in coaches to offer support to senior leadership teams to help improve working relationships and performance. Some large organisations offer coaching to anyone regardless of their role.

Change is key motivator for people to seek coaching, whether that is a career change, an organisational change (such as restructure, buy-out, or something similar) or even a change in leadership. Change is a source of anxiety and coaching can help people through periods of change, helping to identify strengths and create action plans.

Justin: What makes coaching different from mentoring or line management support?

Dan: A good line manager is part HR function, part mentor and part coach, their role being to get the best out of their team. And there can seem like a lot of overlap between these different modes. Mentoring is about offering advice and guidance, passing on knowledge, skills and experience to others. But coaching is different. Coaching helps clients to think creatively about solutions to their problems, supporting them to take action to achieve their goals. Coaches generally do not offer advice or solutions, but create an environment where clients find the path forward themselves. For many clients, a coaching session is one of the few occasions when they get time to think and that is so important in unleashing our creativity and identifying the actions that will help us in achieving our goals.

Justin: What outcomes should someone expect from committing to coaching?

Dan: The key outcomes from coaching should be ideas and actions to help you achieve your professional (and sometimes personal) goals. For some coaching can be quite challenging as it forces us to consider our own realities and those beliefs which may be holding us back. But coaching should give you renewed insight into what is important to you and the creativity you have to overcome challenges and succeed. You should expect to do some deep thinking, but you should emerge from coaching with new insights about yourself and your capabilities. You may emerge transformed!

You can reach out to Dan on dan@dan-carpenter.co.uk or drop him a line on 07530 954391

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How to Position Yourself for Promotion in the Ecology Sector

By Justin Ayling • June 2, 2026

How to Position Yourself for Promotion in the Ecology Sector As a specialist ecology recruiter, Embankment Group places around 200 ecologists into permanent and freelance roles in the UK and Ireland every year. One thing we hear far too oAn is that ecologists do not always know what they need to do to get promoted. They may be working hard, delivering strong technical work and supporting projects, but still feel unclear on what the next step actually requires. This simply must change. The ecology sector requires transparency, clear progression routes and strong support for ecologists who want to develop. If ecologists are expected to grow into Senior, Principal, Associate or Director level roles, they need to understand exactly what good looks like and what evidence they need to show. Promotion is about Readiness, not time served Promotion in ecology is not just about the number of years you have been in the role (time served). It is about showing that you are ready to take on more responsibility, support others and add value beyond your own workload. If you are aiming for the next step, whether that is Senior Ecologist, Principal Ecologist, Associate or beyond, you need to think about how you are presenting to the person or people responsible for deciding if you are ready for the next step. Know exactly what promotion looks like at any moment in time If you want to be promoted, you need to know exactly what you are being measured against. It should not be vague or based on guesswork. Ask your manager to clearly outline what you need to do, what competencies you need to show and what evidence they would need to see before you can move up. This should almost work like a tick sheet, covering areas such as technical ability, project management, report writing, client communication, mentoring, commercial awareness and business development, depending on the level you are aiming for. At every moment, you should know where you stand. You should know what you have already demonstrated, what still needs to be improved and what specific actions will help you qualify for promotion. This also makes career conversations much easier. Instead of simply saying you feel ready for the next level, you can point to clear examples and show that you have met the agreed expectations. Promotion should not feel like a mystery. The clearer the criteria, the easier it is to focus your development and build a strong case for progression. Build evidence of your impact One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming their hard work will speak for itself. In reality, managers are busy and may not always see the full extent of what you are doing. Keep track of the projects you have supported on, the surveys you have led, the reports you have written and any positive feedback from clients or colleagues. If you have helped deliver work on time, improved quality or supported junior team members, make sure you can clearly evidence it. Show commercial awareness As ecologists move into more senior roles, technical ability is only part of the picture. Employers want to see that you understand project budgets, deadlines, client expectations and resourcing. You do not need to be winning work overnight, but you should be able to show that you understand how your role fits into the wider business. Taking ownership of project delivery, communicating risks early and thinking ahead can make a big difference. Take on responsibility before you ask for it (or you’re asked to!) Promotion often comes when you are already operating at the next level. That might mean mentoring junior ecologists, reviewing reports, managing small projects or becoming the go to person for a particular survey area or technical specialism. Look for opportunities to step up, even in small ways. The more you can show you are already trusted with higher level responsibility, the stronger your case becomes. Communicate your ambitions clearly It is important to have open conversations with your line manager about your career goals. Do not wait until review time to mention that you want to progress. You should be able to meet your manager casually to review your progress. A single annual review doesn’t really cut the mustard. If this is the case, I would recommend talking to you Line Manager or HR team to review this. Ask what you need to demonstrate to move up, what gaps you need to close and what support is available. This gives you a clearer route forward and helps your manager understand that progression matters to you. Keep developing your technical profile In ecology, specialist skills can really strengthen your promotion case. Survey licences, protected species experience, botany skills, Biodiversity Net Gain knowledge, EcIA experience and project management capability can all help you stand out. Think about which skills are most valuable to your team and where you can become more useful to the business. Final thoughts Positioning yourself for promotion is about more than doing a good job. It is about showing leadership, commercial awareness, technical growth and a clear willingness to take on more responsibility. If you feel you are already operating above your current level, start gathering evidence, have the right conversations and make it easy for your employer to see the value you bring.