About
Someone who has been in the room with founders for years.
forefront was built by Mike Lane-Evans. His background is acting and performance, then coaching and applied psychology, and years spent working with founders and fast-growing companies, including inside leading accelerator programmes. He has coached leaders and founders across banking, retail, tech and healthcare, amongst others, and he has watched what makes a founder compelling in the room, and what makes even a brilliant one freeze.
That is where the frameworks came from. Hero to Horizon, FRONT, FORE and the rest aren't borrowed theory. They were built and designed by forefront, refined in the room with real founders and teams.
The approach is always the same. Get inside the real situation. Practise it safely. Build the habit. Make it hold.
The team.
The forefront coaches are ex-professional actors. They know how to hold a room, and they bring that craft to how founders communicate.
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Mike Lane-Evans
Founder and Managing Director
Mike spent 26 years as an actor across stage, screen and radio before turning that craft to communication. He began training communicators with the British military in 2018, is an ICF accredited coach, and has coached leaders and founders across banking, retail, tech and healthcare, amongst others. He founded forefront on a simple belief: good communication changes everything.
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Will Pretsell
Associate Coach
Will started out as an actor before moving into training and facilitation. Over the last decade he has worked with major professional services firms and banks, and helped create the Skills Builder Framework now used around the world. At forefront he designs programmes that work for the people in the room, and makes communication feel practical rather than intimidating.
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Rachel Winters
Associate Coach
Rachel trained as an actor at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and performed with companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe and the BBC. For over fifteen years she has worked as an education practitioner, creating spaces where people explore language, presence and confidence. At forefront she coaches individuals and teams to feel confident in high-stakes moments and to handle difficult conversations with care.
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Lizzie Twells
Associate Coach
Lizzie trained in acting at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and has spent over fifteen years in theatre, TV and film, alongside a career as a coach and facilitator across the public, private and charity sectors. At forefront she specialises in managing difficult conversations, helping people step into tough situations, listen with care, and lead conversations that build trust. She also mentors with Arts Emergency.
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