Garry Banford
High stakes. High pressure. Uncertainty. This was Garry’s ‘normal’ for many years in his career within Special Forces. He can share insights you won’t easily find anywhere else - translated into real actionable advice that works in your own challenging environment. But it’s that wisdom combined with his empathetic down-to-earth manner and clear communication style that make his client sessions particularly successful.
"We all need to face challenges and learn to navigate uncertainty. That’s why I really enjoy the process of helping my clients unpick their seemingly insurmountable obstacles into simple, bite-sized solutions - making their issues manageable and goals achievable."
coaching style
Garry remains steadfastly focused on his clients, and moulds his coaching to meet their individual needs. He views it as a privilege to be part of their journey to better themselves - personally and professionally.
His clients appreciate his straight-talking no-nonsense style delivered in his friendly approachable manner; with plenty of humour and stories thrown in.
Despite his wealth of experience, Garry values authenticity. He is honest about his own challenges - especially if it will help others - and his clients appreciate the genuine, down-to-earth coach he is.
background
Garry served over 2 decades in the UK MOD, 16 of which were in Special Forces. He is one of the UK’s most operationally seasoned leaders, serving all of his years with UKSF in the challenging and ever adapting aftermath of the Twin Towers attacks. He rose to the rank of Sergeant Major before ending his contract in 2019. Garry led high-performing teams and really honed his craft throughout his distinguished military career.
Since founding Duratus in 2019 Garry has been coaching executives and leaders from numerous diverse sectors; from finance to football. It was clear from the start that his unique experiences resonated with clients, and could be successfully translated into their high-stake corporate environments. He has helped his clients make some incredible changes to their mindset, and make positive steps to progress toward their personal and professional goals.
experience
Garry’s experience in the Special Forces taught him true hardship and adversity. More importantly, how to work successfully toward an objective despite that hardship and adversity. This convinced him that most things are possible - often beyond what you think is achievable - if you know which direction you’re going and how to get the right team to work with and support you.
Garry’s leadership and coaching experience mean his clients benefit from a combination of authenticity, precise communication, and his ability to get to the core of an issue quickly. He has helped his clients navigate uncertainty, communicate their problems better, demonstrate authentic leadership, and perform optimally under pressure, without sacrificing their own wellbeing.
Garry has been proud to work with:
- Senior leadership teams at CitiBank
- Coaches at Manchester City FC and the England Football team
- Private Equity firm CEO and his senior leadership team
- Police Inspector cohorts including Metropolitan Police Specialist Firearm Unit leaders
- Fintech CEOs
what clients say:
"My Duratus coach has a mentoring and communication style that immediately put me at ease. This allowed me to easily absorb the learning in respect of both the self and stress management tools he taught me.
How do you get the best out of people? By the way, you speak to them and my coach does this with ease, and with a bin full of humility which inspired me to realise that with the right tools and mindset, anything is possible."