Scottish rugby legend David Sole’s School for CEOs seals deal with Carlyle

School for CEOs, which was set up by Sole and business partner Patrick Macdonald in 2011, specialises in chief executive and board development, leadership succession, coaching, executive assessment and the development of “inclusive leadership frameworks”.

Founded in 2002 by Duggie Carlyle, Carlyle specialises in board, chief executive, finance chief and leadership headhunting, in addition to practices covering financial services, family business, private equity and venture capital, as well as strategic interim appointments.

Financial terms surrounding the deal have not been disclosed.

Carlyle and School for CEOs’ combined client base includes Aberdeen, Wood Mackenzie, Scottish Rugby, Quorum Cyber, Edrington, Aviva, Baillie Gifford, SSE and Belhaven-owner Greene King.

Sole, who captained Scotland’s Grand Slam winning rugby team in 1990 and is managing partner of School for CEOs, said: “Since establishing the business 15 years ago, we have created and delivered programmes and coaching for a wide range of clients across the UK and beyond.

“When we considered our future growth and development, Carlyle’s pedigree and brand stood out as an obvious acquirer and partner. Both organisations feel there is a strong cultural alignment, and opportunities to accelerate the growth of both businesses on the basis of our complementary service offerings and client-centric focus.”

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He added: “Looking forward, we share the same vision in terms of the strategic intent to build deeper relationships with clients.”

School for CEOs will continue to trade under its own name. Sole will remain with the business with co-founder Macdonald stepping down.

Fiona James-Martin, managing partner at Carlyle, said: “Having worked closely with boards and leaders for more than 20 years, Carlyle has witnessed a growing client sentiment around not only identifying and securing the best leaders, advisors, and board members, but also to work more closely with them to develop leadership capability.”

She added: “School for CEOs has created an enviable reputation in this space and has a unique suite of offerings, including groundbreaking inclusive leadership development and optimisation - with many high-profile business leaders benefitting from their programmes and coaching.”

Duggie Carlyle said: “The market and demands of board and leadership teams are evolving quickly. We are excited to be adding such a proven and respected team to our wider offering and see this as a natural evolution.

“This investment from Carlyle was very much made in response to consultation from our key long-term clients, around what they needed from a key leadership partner.”

Macdonald added: “We built the school on the premise that we could help CEOs and aspiring leaders accelerate their learning and Board readiness. Our hundreds of alumni are testament to the success of that vision.

“I wish David and the team all the best in their new ‘home’.”

Research by the School for CEOs and academics at Heriot-Watt University during the pandemic found that almost half of senior leaders were at high risk of burnout during lockdown.