About Iain MacMillan — What Now? What Next?

Accredited Executive Coach Accredited by the Association for Coaching. Also previously part of the global coaching team at Omnicom.

Three core skill-sets Building capability, developing people and managing change.

30+ years' experience working for Multinational brands, marketing agencies, technology consultancies, media companies, start-ups.

Find me on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/macca

Meet Iain

"I founded What Now? What Next? because I kept seeing the same pattern: talented people and ambitious organisations investing in learning & development activities that didn't stick, didn't scale, and couldn't be measured. The framework, tools and approach I've built are a direct response to that gap."

My experience and skill-set is focused on three areas: developing people, building capability, and managing change. Over thirty years, I've led teams, built organisations — including my own company — and designed and run programmes to change the way organisations create, communicate and connect with customers. I've done this by harnessing the value that can be generated through the use of data, technology and, more recently, AI. That breadth gives me a hands-on understanding of what works and, just as importantly, what doesn't.

It's also provided me with a network of likeminded souls who want to help individuals and organisations thrive. People who have founded businesses, built teams and pioneered new ways to live and work. I am fortunate that many of these folk now work with What Now? What Next? in an associate capacity.

I've been a member of operational boards since 2001, and qualified as a coach in 2023. I've pioneered the use of profiling techniques to deepen our understanding of ourselves and others — building the kind of trust and self-awareness that makes development sustainable.

For the last 15 years I've been building and managing transformation programmes — particularly around data, technology and AI integration — which gave me a real-world understanding of what it actually takes to make change stick. Not just in theory, but in the daily reality of organisations under pressure.

That experience has given me a clear point of view on what's principally affecting organisations, teams and individuals right now — and what needs to happen about it. Which is what What Now? What Next? exists to address.

Values & approach

Organised

Clear structure, rigorous follow-through, and a plan behind every engagement.

Optimistic

A genuine belief in people's capacity to grow — and in organisations' ability to change.

Tenacious

Curious about what's really going on, persistent in finding the best route forward and seeing it through.

Connective

Building bridges between people, ideas, and levels of an organisation.

Inquisitive

Bringing enthusiasm, understanding anxiety — always asking what's next.

Experience

Three areas of deep, hands-on experience — that together make What Now? What Next? distinctive.

Developing people

Thirty years of leading teams, building training initiatives across a range of organisations and industries.

I pioneered profiling techniques that deepen self-understanding and build trust between team members. A track record of developing people who go on to develop others.

Building capability

Built organisations to scale — including founding and running my own company.

I developed operating plans that improved performance across a variety of industries and environments. A hands-on understanding of what it takes to turn ambition into sustainable capability.

Managing change

Designed and managed transformation programmes focused on data, technology and AI.

Worked in some of the most dynamic and demanding environments in technology and communications — from music promotion to news syndication to technology consulting. Built a real-world understanding of what makes change stick.

What I saw — working across organisations, teams and individuals.

More burnout, more pressure and less motivation — resulting in less productivity and more disengagement.
Skills gaps widening faster than organisations could close them — especially around AI.
Individual development that stayed with individuals — rarely translating into team or organisational performance.
Learning & Development investment made on instinct, measured impressionistically, and rarely connected to business outcomes.

What I think — and what we need to do about it.

Organisational pressures, people stresses and skills gaps have a compound effect — each one makes the others worse.
There's a need for a development-focused framework that addresses motivation, relevance and scaling problems simultaneously — not in isolation, but as a system.
Technology is not about efficiency or replacement. It's about empowering people to be their best selves, to be flexible and adaptable. To come together to thrive.
The case for investing in people needs a proper business case, where growth, performance and flourishing can be measured, attributed and celebrated.