The history of EMCC

We have a tremendous legacy dating back to 1989, when professional coaching and mentoring in Europe was a new business practice. A group of practitioners came to the view that there needed to be a common code of practice and shared ethical base for coaches and mentors.

The group included people who are now regarded as the pioneers and original thinkers of the profession, many of whose books have become essential reading. They became the seven founders of EMCC: David Clutterbuck, David Megginson, Julie Hay, Eric Parsloe, Sir John Whitmore, Bob Garvey, and Liz Boredon. They invited several more people to an inaugural meeting on 9 October 2002: Peter Bluckert, Charles Brook, Alison Carter, Zulfi Hussain, Robin Linnecar, Peter Matthews, Donald McLeod, David Webster, and Pauline Willis.

From the beginning, the principle of inclusivity was important to us. Anyone could join EMCC if they agreed to abide by the Code of Ethics. Members were encouraged to establish their own EMCCs according to the legal requirements of their own countries. EMCC UK was set up in 2004 and was fortunate to include three of the original founders, who in 2008 were honoured with the title Honorary Vice President. In 2009, we created an Executive Board, supported by an Advisory Council.

Today in EMCC UK, we continuously develop our thinking around ethics and standards, and actively encourage our members to further develop their expertise and reflective practice through accreditation. Accreditation is for practising coaches, mentors and supervisors, and is also for training providers and higher education institutions which recognise internal coaching or mentoring schemes.