Andrew De Groot of ActionCOACH Exeter is passionate about business. He has excelled in various senior management roles internationally and has made his home in Devon, where he aims to empower local businesses of all sizes. In fact, Andrew offers a results guarantee if you follow his dynamic plan of action. Exeter-based business journalist Al Gibson spoke to him about his life, career and dream to take at least 25 people on a millionaire journey.
Al: From London to Hong Kong and New York, you have worked across the globe, and now you are based in Budleigh. From Chartered Accountant to top banking executive, these days you are MD of ActionCOACH Exeter. How did this come about?
Andrew De Groot: I guess it all stems from my passion for business! That is what led me into accountancy in the first place. Born in London, I lived in and around Clapham and Wimbledon for much of my life, before moving to Hong Kong to work with Royal Bank of Scotland (NatWest). I was there for four years before moving to HSBC, where I was COO and became Global Head of Markets Operations. This meant managing about 3,000 people in 40 different countries and overseeing international investments. Today I run an ActionCOACH franchise for the South West, which helps entrepreneurs and business owners to succeed.
Al: Your clients are already seeing results. One of them picked up a top award at BizX, didn’t he?
Andrew De Groot: Yes, and I couldn’t have been prouder! BizX is ActionCOACH’s annual business conference and awards, and it’s one of the biggest business events in the UK and Europe. At BizX 2026, held at the International Convention Centre in Wales, James Swift of Car Mod Shop was named Best E-Commerce Business. James started the company from a cupboard under the stairs in Newton Poppleford and has grown it into an international online retailer with more than 250,000 positive customer reviews. He nearly didn’t enter, but I encouraged him to put his application in and he went on to win. Seeing hard work like that get the recognition it deserves is what makes this job so rewarding.
Read more: Car Mod Shop wins Best E-Commerce Business award at BizX
Al: Let’s go back to your banking days. You know the pressure of a high-ranking position, managing large teams and juggling continents?
Andrew De Groot: Yes, there was always lots of travel, from Hong Kong to the UK and back as well as some 21 other countries, but I did enjoy it. I prefer working with individuals face to face, so I spent a lot of time on a plane. I also love working with teams and was constantly going to HSBC sites around the world, basically harnessing 3,000 people into one mission.
It also meant learning Chinese and I managed to get to 1,000 words at one point! We were very much a Chinese team, but at the same time I had to visit HSBC’s larger centres, including the USA, Malaysia, India, the Philippines and of course I loved going to New York. But I also went to smaller offices too, in places like Turkey and Brazil.
It was fantastic being part of developing global talent. Often, I’d discover hidden treasures, people doing a great job, and help them along their career path, sometimes helping them move countries. By the time I left, I had travelled to half of the 40 countries I was responsible for, which was quite an achievement!
Al: That’s not the kind of job you leave?
Andrew De Groot: No, it’s not, but COVID changed things and opportunity changes things too. Like many other families during lockdown, my wife Charlotte, our children and I grew much closer, with me able to be more present in our home. I wanted to continue that, rather than being off on a plane and apart so frequently. So, after eight years at HSBC, I seized the opportunity to grow in a different direction.
Leaving HSBC, I felt I’d done my time in investment banking and been successful. It was a bit like a game of Snakes and Ladders. I’d started at zero, rolled the dice, gone up ladders and escaped downward spirals, and I had completed the board. It was time to find a new game, a new challenge.
Why Andrew De Groot chose Devon
Al: And you found it here in Devon?
Andrew De Groot: Yes! We would come down to Devon on holiday each year, so I knew every beach and every ice cream parlour. So when we decided to move, Devon was the obvious choice. We found an ideal property in 2021, a large site with ample space to live, work and share with others. It’s the perfect base where I can give back to the business world by sharing all I’ve learned over the years.
When we relocated, I didn’t just rest on my laurels and say, “I’ve got all this experience, what am I going to do with it?” I immediately started the process of applying for an ActionCOACH franchise. Why? Because ActionCOACH is the largest business coaching organisation in the world!
So, Charlotte and I are very pleased to be here. Wherever we go, we love to see people succeed and there is so much potential in Devon and Cornwall. I believe that if communities succeed, then life is good for everyone, and I know communities succeed best when there are good businesses, strong jobs and a growing local economy. That is why I love business so much, and ActionCOACH is all about achieving these objectives.
Al: That’s impressive! Can you share a little more about your qualifications and career?
Andrew De Groot: My degree is a BA Hons in Business Studies and Corporate Finance from London Guildhall University and I come to business coaching from the perspective of being a Chartered Accountant. I initially worked for a small firm of accountants, where I qualified, then moved to Coopers and Lybrand (PwC), followed by Royal Bank of Scotland (NatWest) and HSBC. During my corporate journey I was fortunate to attend courses at Harvard Business School, London Business School and Sandhurst.
I’ve held several management roles from Head of Product Control Finance to Head of Transformation, Global Head of Operations and CEO. All of this has equipped me with the academic background and practical skills to work with any business from small firms to large corporations, especially in the technology sector. However, it’s the ActionCOACH system that really delivers results.
Al: So, in effect you now take business owners on Action adventures!
Andrew De Groot: I find business incredibly exciting. It’s so rewarding to build up a good business, provide decent jobs and help the local economy to expand. That’s what I want to achieve! Having said that, I know it sounds ambitious, but one of my long-term aims is to take at least 25 people on a millionaire journey!
It doesn’t have to be a million. It could be £5 million or £10 million, or it could be helping business owners achieve a particular goal that is just as significant. Whatever it is, we at ActionCOACH Exeter want to achieve this level of success for many of our clients.
ActionCOACH has an excellent method of training up business growth specialists and executive coaches who can guide businesses of all sizes to grow. The company’s intellectual property has been developed over more than three decades and is a proven system. Combined with my own skillset, I believe we can achieve some very real breakthroughs.
Everything we do at ActionCOACH Exeter is backed up by life experience. That means the knowledge of running big companies and how to deal with systems, processes, technology and staff, combined with the innovative ActionCOACH system, which comes with a results guarantee.
All ActionCOACH coaches go through a rigorous selection process along with intensive training. Only a small percentage of people who apply to become ActionCOACH franchisees are accepted.
Al: So it’s quite an achievement being awarded an ActionCOACH region.
Andrew De Groot: Yes, it’s extremely difficult and it’s not all about one’s qualifications. You need to have a giving heart, as ActionCOACH is all about giving. Each coach must care about their community and play an active role in CSR. Fortunately, that is always how I have lived my life and run my businesses. While I was in Asia we worked on numerous charitable projects, building several large-scale children’s playgrounds, including a massive one in Japan, as part of the development of my corporate staff.
I was delighted to be accepted as an ActionCOACH franchisee and complete the training. It was 12 months of the most intensive equipping that I have ever experienced, but I am now qualified as a business growth specialist as well as an executive business coach. And, of course, I have my own coach with a session once a week. If you believe in coaching, you are definitely going to want to be coached yourself! So, I really do live and breathe the ActionCOACH system.
Al: That giving heart seems to spill over into adventures of your own. Tell us about your vision to climb Kilimanjaro with your wife.
Andrew De Groot: In October 2026, Charlotte and I set out to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, to raise funds for International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM helps free people from slavery and protects them from violence and exploitation. An estimated 50 million people were living in modern slavery in 2021. Behind that number are real people who deserve to live in freedom and safety.
The challenge means climbing 5,895 metres over seven days, and we set ourselves a target of raising at least £5,895, which is £1 for every metre of the mountain. We have timed it so we will reach the summit on 18 October, Anti-Slavery Day. It’s the hardest physical challenge we’ve ever taken on as a couple! Every donation, whatever the amount, supports IJM’s work, from rescue operations to survivor aftercare. We’ve also arranged to visit IJM’s Kenya office to see their work first hand, which we know will be a highlight of the trip.
Read more about Andrew and Charlotte’s Kilimanjaro charity challenge, or support IJM through their JustGiving page.
Al: Closer to home, you’re also a regular speaker at Rediscover Business & Leadership in Exeter. What did you share at the first conference?
Andrew De Groot: I spoke about how to futureproof your business, and I made it interactive from the start, with plenty of hands going up around the room! I built the session around three simple words: dream, team and regime. Get clear on where you are heading, recruit people for their mindset first and set aside at least five hours a week to work on the business rather than in it. Your business cannot outgrow its owner, so you have to keep learning too.
You can watch Andrew’s session on how to futureproof your business and read the full transcript on the Rediscover Business website. Andrew is also among the speakers at Rediscover Business & Leadership 2026. Read more: Rediscover Business & Leadership returns to Exeter.
Al: Some of that audience had been in business for less than a year. With such a high-powered background, you are well placed to coach executives in large companies. What about the solopreneurs?
Andrew De Groot: Solopreneurs are very much at the heart of what I do, and I am a small business owner myself. I set up a start-up with some friends in the South East of England, which keeps me very down to earth about the challenges and emotions of getting a business off the ground. I know exactly how they are feeling. If anything, my background is an asset to the people I coach because it creates an overflow of belief that I am happy to lend to others. If you would like to be one of those 25 millionaires or are looking for an exciting Action adventure in business, please get in touch!
Find out more about the services Andrew offers through ActionCOACH Exeter, email him at andrewdegroot@actioncoach.co.uk and follow him on LinkedIn.