Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership (IECL)

IECL programmes support the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential through its Level 1 programme, the ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential through its Level 2 programme, and specialist recognition in team coaching through its Advanced Accreditation in Team Coaching (AATC)-accredited programmes. IECL has held ICF accreditation since 2006, making it one of Australia's longest-established ICF-accredited providers.

The AATC is the ICF's specialist accreditation for coach training programmes in team coaching, a recognition that team coaching is a distinct professional discipline requiring specific competencies beyond individual coaching. IECL holds AATC accreditation, positioning it as one of the specialist providers in team coaching education. Team coaching involves working with an intact team to improve team effectiveness, collective performance, and collaborative dynamics, which is distinct from coaching individuals within a team context.

The Diploma of Leadership Coaching (11315NAT) is an IECL programme recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), Australia's national system for recognising formal qualifications across education and training sectors. This provides graduates with a formal Australian vocational qualification alongside their ICF-aligned coaching education, relevant for coaches working in contexts where AQF-recognised credentials carry professional or regulatory weight, including government, education, and regulated healthcare settings.

IECL has held ICF accreditation since 2006, making it one of the earliest ICF-accredited training providers in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The organisation founded in 1999 received ACTP (Accredited Coach Training Program) accreditation from the ICF in 2006 and has maintained and expanded its ICF accreditation through the transition to the current Level 1, Level 2, and AATC framework.

IECL has trained more than 10,000 leaders from over 500 companies across all continents. This scale reflects the organisation's 25+ years of operation, its expansion from Australia into the Asia-Pacific and globally, and its dual-track operation delivering both ICF-accredited coach training programmes and organisational leadership development engagements.

Yes. In April 2025, IECL merged with Scentia Group, an Australian education and training organisation whose brands include the Australian Institute of Management (AIM). In August 2025, Scentia's AIM division also signed an agreement to acquire Open Door Coaching, a specialist coaching provider that was subsequently integrated into IECL. IECL continues to operate under its own name and retains its own ICF accreditation; the Scentia relationship gives it access to a larger group's infrastructure and market reach across management education and leadership development.

IECL operates both as a coach training provider and as a direct provider of executive coaching services to organisations. The executive coaching arm connects senior leaders with IECL-trained coaches for individual coaching engagements, while the training programmes develop coaching capability within organisations and the broader coaching profession. This dual-track operation keeps IECL connected to the practical realities of executive coaching in organisational settings, which informs the continuous development of its training curriculum.

Yes. Since 2020, IECL has offered its ICF-accredited programmes with global delivery, accessible to coaches and leaders across all time zones. The organisation's programmes are structured for virtual delivery alongside its in-person Australian offerings. IECL is particularly relevant for coaches working in the Asia-Pacific region, where its geographic presence and understanding of regional organisational cultures provide context that global providers based in the US or UK may not offer.

An IECL Level 1 or Level 2 completion tells you the coach has graduated from an ICF-accredited programme, meaning the curriculum met the ICF's standards for core competencies, professional ethics, and supervised practice hours. Level 1 qualifies graduates to apply for the ICF ACC credential; Level 2 qualifies them to apply for the ICF PCC credential. The certification itself is a programme completion credential, not the ICF credential. Coaches must separately apply to and be awarded the ACC or PCC by ICF. If the coach also completed IECL's AATC programme, they have specialist training in team coaching, not just individual coaching. The AQF Diploma of Leadership Coaching (11315NAT) indicates formal recognition under Australia's national qualifications framework, relevant where that carries professional weight.

Ask which IECL programme level they completed (Level 1, Level 2, or AATC), since each represents a different scope of training and credential pathway. Ask whether they hold an active ICF credential (ACC or PCC) separate from their IECL programme completion, and at what level. If you're looking for team coaching, ask specifically whether they completed the AATC programme. For Asia-Pacific engagements, ask about their experience working with organisations in that region. Ask about their post-certification supervision practice; IECL's standards-aligned training should be backed by ongoing professional supervision. Finally, ask for a sample of the kind of executive challenges they've coached most frequently.