I help brands & the people at the heart of brands to bottle up and grow their unique strengths so they are empowered to make the impact they want.​​

Hello.

kharaktēr is a strengths-based brand, culture and leadership development business, founded by me, Sophie Allard. I partner with brands and the people at the heart of brands as a strategic consultant and coach, to help them tap into and ignite their unique strengths and make a positive difference.

The Ancient Greek word kharaktēr, means the engraved mark that is left on a coin during its manufacture. Whether an individual, a team, or an organisation, we are all shaped by our purpose and our values, by our strengths and stories and by the impact we make on the world around us.​​ I believe that by understanding, embracing and growing our uniqueness, we feel happier and are emboldened to make a positive difference.

I provide brand, culture & leadership consultancy and career and leadership coaching, to help businesses and individuals bottle up their unique strengths, and to fuel their growth. I work with organisations across all industries and have extensive experience working with FMCG, marketing, communications and media organisations. I also love partnering with values-aligned consultancies to help drive positive change.

For more information about my services, check out the brand, culture & leadership consultancy page and the Coaching page.

Sophie Allard - Founder

Mastering the art of your brand

I help individuals and organisations to get clear on who they are and how they thrive, so they are empowered to have a unique impact.

  • "Inspired impactful change"

    “Sophie led a project for me to help develop our leadership strategy in line with our business ambition. Sophie worked with a large number of senior stakeholders to get a rich understanding of the business and our people and distilled these insights into a clear story to engage our senior leadership team. She applied a strategic business lens to the project, to help us connect our people strategy to our business strategy and inspire impactful change. Sophie has a huge amount of passion and drive which helped her to engage with a wide audience and I knew I could count on her to consistently deliver great results.”

    Lisa Hardy - Head of HR, Broadcast Media

  • "Just magic!"

    “Sophie’s ability to connect with individuals and teams is just magic! This allows her to create first class engagement behind a vision or ideas. Sophie’s curiosity and strategic thinking allow her to see things from differing perspectives, enabling her to foster bigger picture thinking. With her experience in FMCG she can connect the dots across the full organisation.”

    Sarah Dossett - Marketing VP, Danone

  • "My go-to strategic thinking partner"

    “Working with Sophie has been one of the most impactful investments I’ve made in my business. She helped me untangle and clarify my value proposition and it’s unlocked a step-change new phase of growth for my business. On a personal level it’s also freed up so much headspace. Sophie is a total professional of the highest level and an absolute pleasure to work with.”

    Caspar Giles - Founder. Challenger Recruiter for FMCG Startups&Scaleups

  • "Astounding people-development talent"

    “It is rare that I come across a leader who possesses such a brilliant blend of traits as Sophie - in-depth business acumen merged with remarkable interpersonal skills and astounding people-development talent. Working with Sophie, I felt that I was part of one of the strongest and most collaborative teams I have ever been a part of and work was just so much fun!”

    Ridzky Novasandro - Head of Regional Marketing at Gojek

  • "Connects the dots on complex projects"

    “Sophie brings her brilliant brand expertise to projects and her strategic and creative nature means she is able to connect the dots on complex projects and communicate the outcome simply, in a way that truly engages the audience.  She's a great facilitator with a depth of experience in leadership and coaching. We love working in partnership with her as part of the extended FizzPopBANG team.”

    Carla Cringle - Founder FizzPopBANG

  • "I reconnected with my inner strength"

    “I reached out to Sophie when I needed some support with my career development and with boosting my confidence. Within just one session, I had reconnected with my inner strength and felt significantly more focused and clear on the way forward. Sophie is an incredible listener and empathiser. All the tools and support she gave me were exactly what I needed and helped me to make big strides forward. I would recommend Sophie to anyone in a similar boat who needs support when faced with challenges and wants to build confidence, clarity and to feel empowered to make changes.”

    Georgina Keeley - Senior Brand Manager

  • "A human & kind approach to coaching"

    “Sophie’s personal, human and kind approach to coaching made me feel immediately at ease. Her natural style and her ability to respond and flex to my needs enabled me to open up and find ways forward. The results have transformed my ways of working and my focus on what my vision and values are. I’ve made changes which have led to huge improvements in my work and personal life.”

    Kate Butler - Organisational Consultant and Facilitator

  • "Instantly able to hone in on my strengths and story"

    “Sophie’s coaching sessions have been a positive and productive space that I have absolutely loved being part of. Her personal and friendly style creates a relaxed and open environment that has allowed me to identify and reflect upon my key strengths. She is a great listener and was instantly able to hone in on my interests, strengths and story. Together we have established what my values, career goals and aspirations are and carved out an exciting path for growth.”

    Faye Leneghan - Brand and Partnerships Manager, Global