In August 2026, I was named Retirement Coach of the Year at the Prestige Awards, in the London and Southeast regional category.
It wasn’t a big stage moment. No evening ceremony, no red carpet, just a quiet, one-to-one collection of the award and certificate, followed by a very ordinary afternoon back at the desk. Which, if you know how this work actually happens, feels about right. The moments that matter most in retirement coaching rarely come with fireworks either. Usually it’s just a conversation where someone finally feels clear about what comes next.
Paul Hammond supports teachers and professionals approaching retirement or major life change, creating space for genuine reflection while ensuring the financial picture is equally clear.
The judges’ write-up picked out something that sits at the heart of how Panthera LIFE works: the ability to hold both sides of a retirement decision, the emotional readiness and the financial reality, within one coherent coaching relationship, rather than treating them as two separate conversations handled by two separate people.
Much of that work centres on experienced professionals, particularly teachers in their mid-to-late 50s, who have built stable careers and are ready to move purposefully into what comes next. It’s the same territory covered throughout this website: clarity at life’s turning points, not just the numbers, but the identity and purpose questions that make those numbers meaningful.
Thirty years of client relationships sit behind this award, not one afternoon. If you’ve been one of those clients, an early one, a recent one, or one of the many who’ve stuck with me over the years, thank you. This recognition is really as much yours as mine.
If you’re approaching retirement, or supporting someone who is, and you’d like a conversation with no agenda attached, get in touch. I’d be glad to help.
