I didn't study leadership.
I grafted it.
I'm Sebastian Oghre. Over the past decade, I've led teams of 100+, managed multi-million-pound budgets, and built high-performance cultures across some of the UK's most demanding operational environments.
But I didn't start in a corner office. I started on the front line — as a customer adviser, a team leader, a branch manager. Every step up was earned through graft, not given through privilege. I know what it feels like to manage people who were your peers yesterday. I know the silence that follows a promotion when nobody teaches you how to actually lead.
That's why I built Earned Seat. Because the managers who graft their way up deserve more than a title and a desk. They deserve the tools, the confidence, and the support to truly own their seat.
"I've managed the teams you're managing now. I've had the conversations you're dreading. I've made the mistakes you're trying to avoid. That's not theory — that's experience."
Sebastian Oghre
Founder, Earned Seat
Years in operational leadership
Team members directed
Of government targets achieved
Budgets managed
From front line to senior leadership
Front of House — The Ring, City Boxer
Started in customer-facing roles, learning the fundamentals of service and discipline.
Team Leader — Felix Marketing
First taste of leadership. Managing a small team and learning what it means to be responsible for others.
Customer Adviser → Bank Manager — Lloyds Banking Group
Promoted through three roles in four years. Led branch operations, coached staff, and maintained strong audit results.
Branch Manager — Safestore Holdings
Managed multiple high-volume sites across London. Maintained 96% occupancy and positioned sites in the top performance group.
Business Manager — Reed in Partnership
Led the Work & Health Programme across London. Achieved 135% of government targets and secured a two-year contract extension.
Operations Manager — Reed in Partnership
Designed operational strategy for the Restart contract across Hertfordshire. Built one of the highest-performing contracts nationally.
Senior Operations Manager — Reed in Partnership
Directing delivery across two major contracts, managing multi-million-pound budgets and developing the next generation of leaders.
What I bring to your coaching
Leadership & Delivery
- Strategic planning and execution
- Leading leaders
- Performance governance
- Coaching-led people development
Operations
- Multi-site management
- Contract & commissioner management
- Risk, compliance and audit
- Continuous improvement
Commercial
- Budget ownership and cost control
- Improving profitability
- Data-driven decision making
- Stakeholder negotiation
Change & Culture
- Leading through restructure
- Embedding improvement frameworks
- Building high-performance culture
- Service transformation