About
I’m Jennifer Clamp.
Aata is my coaching practice, it is a Māori word that means awakening and encapsulates a way of being - purposeful, intentional and deliberate.
The word Aata reflects how I work: helping ambitious founders make space to awaken new perspectives, be more grounded in themself and act with greater intention.
Whether in one to one work or when bringing people together, I’m known for holding space for ambition with low ego, valuing lived experience and independent thinking, connecting people through a shared vision and reconnecting people with what energises them.
If that’s what you’re craving: I’d love to hear from you.
Why I do what I do
My coaching draws on 20 years of leading large-scale change initiatives with commercial and social objectives; and over 30 years of self-enquiry and forging my own path.
Through my work, I wish to see more values-led businesses thriving and creating a shift towards a more humanistic form of capitalism.
I have a special interest in supporting female, underrepresented and impact focussed founders for this reason.
I see founder coaching playing an important role for these founders, in maintaining their conviction as they build new types of businesses in ways that intuitively make sense to them.
Which is why I’m also committed to advancing the field of founder coaching, which I do through the Knowledge Exchange (KX) events and community of 50 Founder Coaches, the Founder Coaches Network, the EFFE project (Ecosystem for Female Entrepreneurs) and published work, including the Founders’ coaching playbook written with MMC Ventures.
About Aata
“Jennifer helps me do my best thinking without judging, without having an agenda of her own.”
Helen Cowan, CEO, The Tall Wall
“Jennifer spends a lot of time understanding and listening, and allows me the space to really explore what I’m experiencing.”
Paddy Rehill, CTO, Perci Health
Who I am beyond coaching
I was born in England, moved to Washington DC in the USA at age 8 and did three years of elementary (primary for you Brits) school there. I returned to the UK for secondary and Uni and then moved to New Zealand, where I lived for 15 years, becoming a citizen and meeting my husband. I spent a lot of time in DC, New York and San Franciso for work and pleasure during that time. In 2019 we moved to the UK.
My foundations are in psychology and biology with a special interest in organisational psychology and human behaviour. I was bought up in a household with a high powered bushiness woman (an economist) and one of the first computer engineers (also a musician and philosopher!). Combine these three influences together – and you have my career: Leading change, in businesses, in a human centred way, often using technology, for the joy of it and the greater good.
The details of my career and qualifications are on Linkedin. The highlights are running big budget technology projects and business transformation initiatives. Shaping the New Zealand innovation ecosystem in an economic development role. Winning multiple competitions with my own startup, and creating Techweek New Zealand and scaling that festival nationally. I like working on knarly, ambiguous problems.
As well as being a coach, I am a mother of two young children. We live in a tiny but mighty village just outside of Bath, amongst the rivers and hills. Our little village has its own community run shop, pub and soon it will have a community farm! As a family we love to be outside, going on walks in mud hardy shoes or paddling in the river and doing creative projects together.