HPNA - High Performance Human

First become the CEO of Yourself.

There is no more complex machine than the human being. Sustainably performing at high levels through times of change, growth, disruption is fundamentally challenging. It requires ongoing executive management, perspective and the right skills and tools.
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It requires a CEO of Self.

We equip and support people for this lifetime role. We also then help create the human-centric workplaces that allow them to do their best work. We have seen that you, and your company, can be high performing and also human - just as you can be both driven and self-compassionate. Well-being leads to well-doing.

Our services

Get started with a solution.

We are focused on meaningful, sustained change and performance improvement. In the vast majority of cases that entails working together on an opt-in basis over an extended period.

1. Companies

We transform the concept of people as assets into actionable strategies, leveraging our comprehensive experience across investment, board experience, and multiple C-suite roles to help build companies and investment firms that outperform and are considered the best, most human-centric places people have worked.

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2. Academy

We teach cohorts of mid to senior executives how to perform sustainably through becoming the CEOs of themselves. We then support them in their journey to operationalising this and delivering results. We also work with senior People executives such as CHROs and CPOs to help them build finance knowledge and improve advocacy at the Board and C-suite level.

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3. Individuals

To those trained as CEOs of Self, we selectively offer specialised coaching, functioning as 'Non-Executive Director' to their CEO. We work with clients across within Private Equity, Tech, Law, CHRO/CPO and competitive sports. We also work with business owners during times of critical strategic decisions and change. Human to human.

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Professional Bio

Over Thirty Years Focused on Sustainable Performance and HPNAs

From CFO to Chief People Officer and from tennis to tech, Carl has been focused for the last 30+ years on how individuals and teams sustainably perform at high levels. Burnout, career drift, short-termism and harsh self-talk all take no talent, but it requires tremendous talent to sustainably perform. It takes professionalism, grit and alignment - and most of all it takes humanity. It takes stepping into the role of CEO of Self. Alongside a career in private equity and finance, Carl founded the HPNA Central Academy to teach and train people in that process. People who are HPNAs (High Performing Non-Arrogant) have always been his focus, whether in the Academy or in company building as he has helped do most recently as Chief People Officer of the deeptech synthetic data company Hazy for the last six years.

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Testimonials

"The HPNA course has had a big impact on my life, helping me to organize and focus my personal development in a constructive way. I’ve always taken my personal wellbeing and development seriously but the HPNA course has really helped me to take a step up in the way I’ve structured this in order to get much better results. The course has also allowed me to take a step back and think about my longer term career and take positive steps to ensure the path I’m building is the right one for me."

Chris Pridmore
Senior Manager & Talent Coach, PWC

"The idea of Professionalising Self-Care is so simple that I am going to keep it central to my approach to growth. I’ll most constructively walk away from the course with the month to month goal architecture, which is very helpful and not something I used to have in play before. I also think the focus on Sierra Charlie (tactical self-compassion) is encouraging something that matters as often we are a bit harsh on ourselves."

Adil Khan
Managing Director Sprintlaw UK

"During this course, people will get tools and habits that they'll be able to integrate, which over time will enable them to create space for themselves. One of the best things is interacting with those people in the class setting. It’s just nice to be with people who believe in this kind of work - I get energy and motivation from being around people who want to work on that. I would definitely recommend the CEO of Self course."

Raphaël Benros
Product Marketer, Didimo

“Completing the CEO of Self course provided me with exceptional guidance and structure for my continued professional development as well as giving me insights on my personal life. Working in a cohort helped me gain insights from the experiences of others and created a supportive community. I highly recommend the course to anyone who wants to refine their path and shape the direction of their career."

Mia Noerenberg Miller
Director of Marketing and Communications, Freeman School of Business, Tulane University

“I would recommend the course, enthusiastically. I think it genuinely delivers value and I came into it with a healthy amount of skepticism. I'm still really benefiting from the board meetings concept and structure around that. If I didn't take anything else away from the course, that in itself would be a singularly, and hugely valuable bit of insight. I've enjoyed all of it: there's things I've put in practice already and others that I'm going to look forward to doing more of as well.”

Fergus Doyle
CTO, Cubitts. Success Coach/Advisor Cambridge University Judge Business School

Powering high performance humans + the companies they build.

First become the CEO of Yourself.

Get started with a solution.

1.

Companies

2.

Academy

3.

Individuals

Over Thirty Years Focused on Sustainable Performance and HPNAs

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