Executive communication coaching
You're a leader who negotiates, influences and makes high-stakes decisions in English as a second language, but your communication does not always carry the same authority as your expertise.
Presenting to a board. Negotiating with international stakeholders. Handling challenge in a meeting. Communicating with precision under pressure. Our work together will focus on the moments where your expertise needs to carry its full authority.
Former global CEO◆ 10+ years in international negotiation◆ Companies across 50+ countries◆ Bloomberg · Sky News · CNN
Benjamin Sporton · Founder
The coach
My name is Benjamin Sporton. Before founding Apex English, I spent more than a decade as a CEO leading global industry associations: first the World Coal Association, then as first CEO of the Global Cement and Concrete Association. That meant representing companies across 50+ countries in negotiations with governments, international organisations and senior business leaders on every continent.
I've spoken in UN negotiations, government ministries and global boardrooms. I've been interviewed live on Bloomberg, Sky News and CNN. I know what authoritative English sounds like under pressure, because I've had to use it.
That experience shapes every coaching relationship I take on. This is not grammar correction, textbook business English or generic leadership development. It is high-level communication work for executives who already speak English well, but need their language, tone, structure and presence to match the level at which they operate.
The rooms this came from
This is for you if
You can already lead meetings, give presentations and negotiate in English. But in the moments that carry weight, your message loses force, your answers run longer than they should, and you sound more cautious than you feel. You leave knowing your expertise was stronger than the way it came across.
That gap, between what you know and how it lands, is what Apex English is built to close. Business English teachers can refine your grammar, but usually can't tell you why your negotiating language is costing you credibility. Executive coaches understand the room you're walking into, but a second language isn't their speciality. This sits at the intersection.
One thing it is not about: sounding like a native speaker. The goal is to help you sound like yourself, at your most precise and authoritative. For most senior executives, I think that's a far more useful thing.
What changes
“
I led a very successful presentation in a very confident way thanks to our practices and the tips I had while preparing for it in our sessions.
I led a very successful presentation in a very confident way thanks to our practices and the tips I had while preparing for it in our sessions. One of the most positive things I value and helped me a lot is that Benjamin is open to customize the session to my specific need. When I need to practice a presentation, Benjamin actively participates on this, giving useful tips and even involving in the content. It's great to have different kind of exercises or activities depending on what I am needing at that moment. I appreciate that Benjamin prepares the session in advance and brings material that is always precise and useful for the objective I pursue.
“
A key resource for gaining a deeper understanding of the business world and becoming a better speaker and communication strategist.
Benjamin worked with me for two years through both individual and group classes. He stands out not only for his great professionalism, but for his ability to truly understand the interests and needs of the people he's working with. He creates dynamic, engaging sessions that amplify people's abilities and knowledge, helping them evolve the way they speak English — often without even realizing it.
I also recommend him as a key resource for gaining a deeper understanding of the business world and becoming a better speaker and communication strategist: essential skills in today's volatile, demanding, and fast-paced environment.
“
Working with Benjamin changed the preparation itself, not just the English. The nerves were still there when the moment came, but they didn't derail me the way they used to.
Working with Benjamin on a presentation about translation, plain language, and AI changed the preparation itself, not just the English. We didn't just rehearse sentences but we worked, intensively, on how I structure an argument out loud, in real time. That's what actually showed up in the room: the nerves were still there when the moment came, but they didn't derail me the way they used to.
More broadly, a year of sessions with Benjamin has been less 'English class' and more a steady sharpening of how I communicate professionally in a second language. It has boosted my confidence and opened up opportunities I might not otherwise have pursued. Benjamin has a remarkable ability to identify exactly what needs strengthening and to turn every conversation into focused, intellectually engaging work. His thoughtful questions, perceptive feedback, and genuine commitment to the process have made him an exceptionally skilled and effective coach.
Communication assessment
Most executives I work with know something isn't landing. Far fewer can name what it is.
The Diagnostic is a structured assessment of how you communicate in English at work, and where the gap sits between your expertise and the way it comes across.
You complete a written profile and self-assessment before we meet. We then spend 45 minutes together, working through real situations from your world. Afterwards you receive a written Individual Diagnostic Report setting out what is working, what is costing you, and what I would prioritise first.
It stands on its own. There is no obligation to go further, and usually the report is enough to act on by itself. If you do go on to a programme, the $250 comes off it in full.
Payment is taken at booking. Credited in full against any programme.
Working with a team? The same assessment runs across a leadership group, with an individual report for each participant and a cohort-level summary of the patterns that show up most. Priced on scope.
Programmes
Flagship · 8 weeks
Make your English carry the weight of your experience.
Eight weeks, one to one, built entirely on your real meetings, materials and pressure points. Four stages, eight named principles, and a capstone that tests whether it holds without a coach in your ear.
See the full programme — method, week by week, pricing
$3,750 USD. Starts with the $250 Diagnostic, credited in full.
Ongoing
Ongoing advisory for leaders operating internationally.
A long-term coaching relationship for executives who want a trusted partner in how they communicate at a senior level. Monthly sessions, feedback on real communication between them, and support when something time-sensitive lands.
Focused sessions
Focused preparation for a specific high-stakes moment.
Short engagements built around a defined situation where how you communicate will directly affect the outcome: an international presentation, a boardroom appearance, or building relationships across cultures.
Free guide
One of the most consistent gaps I see in senior professionals operating in English as a second language isn't vocabulary or grammar. It's the specific language that buys thinking time without losing authority, redirects without conceding ground, and closes a point so it lands and stays.
I've put twelve of those phrases into a short guide, with the context for when and how to use each one.
Where should I send it?
Thank you. The guide is on its way to your inbox.
A short, practical guide you can use before your next senior meeting.
Common questions
No. The goal is not to train to speak with a native accent, and I think chasing that usually costs senior people more than it gains them. The work is on precision, structure, framing and presence, so that what you say carries the weight your expertise deserves. Your accent is not what is getting in the way.
You should already be actively working in English. This is not language tuition and it will not help someone still working on their vocabulary or grammar. It is for people who are already operating at a senior level and can feel a gap between what they know and how it lands.
Business English teaches the language of work. This is coaching on how you perform in the rooms that matter: how you handle a challenge from a board member, how you disagree without conceding ground, how you close a point so it stays closed. We work on your actual meetings and your actual materials, not case studies.
The Apex Communication Diagnostic is $250 USD and the Executive Communication Accelerator is $3,750 USD, with the Diagnostic fee credited in full against any programme you go on to. Team, cohort and extended work is priced on scope, because the right structure for one executive preparing for a board presentation is not the right structure for a leadership group across a year.
Yes. All coaching is remote, and I work across Asia and Latin America, so working around time zones is the normal case rather than the exception.
Yes. The Diagnostic runs across a leadership group with an individual report for each participant and a cohort-level summary of the patterns that show up most. Coaching programmes can be built the same way.
Usually faster than people expect, because most of the work is not learning new language. It is removing habits that are already costing you. Clients preparing for a specific presentation often see the shift within the first two or three sessions. Changing how you are perceived over the longer term takes a programme.