Gerlinde Achenbach, a former primary headteacher, is an executive leadership coach and education consultant (GAEd) working in school improvement and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB). Gerlinde is a lead reviewer with Challenge Partners, empowering UK school leaders to reduce educational inequality and collaborate on best practice and leadership development. She is an Olevi Professional Coach. Through her consultancy, GAEd, she supports school leaders to create equitable, inclusive school cultures and offers training for schools and organisations including The Belonging Effect (formerly Diverse Educators). She is a keynote speaker, notably for Teach First, and has authored DEIB podcasts for their leadership programmes as well as for the Chartered College of Teaching. She is a tutor, visiting lecturer and visiting assessor in ITT. Gerlinde recently authored a chapter for ‘LGBTQ+ Leadership in Education: Visibility, Vision and Voice’ (2026).