“Professional coaching has been good to Alejandra Badilla, helping to accelerate an already rapid rise,” writes Jonathan Moules in the Financial Times. As an Executive MBA candidate at Madrid’s IE Business School, Badilla credits her monthly coaching sessions with achieving a director-level promotion at Chubb, underscoring her belief that “everybody needs a coach, always.”

The demand for executive coaching is on the rise, with 87% of EMBA programs now offering this service, up from just 58% in 2011 (EMBAC). As Randall Peterson of London Business School explains, coaching is not therapy or mentoring but a method to “support your thinking about where you want to go and how you want to get there.”

This evolution in career development services equips leaders to improve their executive presence, communication, and decision-making—skills tested in real time while balancing demanding careers and studies. As executive coach Sarah Langslow puts it, “Coaching on live challenges allows direct support, challenge, and follow-up.”

For many EMBA students and graduates, coaching is not a luxury but a necessity for navigating career transitions and accelerating professional growth. Whether it’s during the program or long after, as KPMG’s Christoph Kiegler notes, “the only way to grow is by such self-reflection.”

Coaching is no longer a “nice-to-have” for executives—it’s essential for career success.

Article credit: Jonathan Moules , Financial Times, “Business schools step up executive coaching”