CULTURE.
STRATEGY.
LEADERSHIP.
“Prepared, knowledgeable, efficient. You are quite excellent at what you do.”
-Participant in offsite Ellie facilitated.
PENCIL OR INK
WHO WE ARE
Pencil or Ink
We partner with leaders and teams to navigate growth and change with clarity and confidence. Through leadership coaching, culture and strategy consulting, and workshop and retreat facilitation, we deliver practical support and lasting impact, helping leaders move forward with purpose.
Ellie Hearne | Principal
Ellie Hearne has spent her career helping leaders turn moments of change into progress. As the founder of Pencil or Ink, she partners with leaders and organizations to make culture and strategy work together. Her focus is always on the practical: proven tools, academic rigor, and clear steps forward. Her warm, engaging style leaves leaders not just with insight, but with the confidence and clarity to act.
Ellie brings more than 15 years of experience in leadership coaching, facilitation, and strategy consulting, alongside her academic work at Oxford University, where she leads a stack of executive programming on AI, innovation, and strategy. She previously did the same for the Oxford Strategic Innovation Programme.
She has worked with leaders across industries, from global corporations to fast-growth start-ups and mission-driven nonprofits. Quoted in The New York Times, Fast Company, and Business Insider, and profiled by Nasdaq, Ellie is recognized for her ability to cut through complexity and bring clarity where it matters most.
She serves as a trustee of the University of St Andrews American Foundation and has previously served on the board of Accountability Lab. Born in Ireland and raised in Scotland, Ellie is also a GlobalScot business ambassador for the Scottish Government. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.
STAY IN TOUCH
BEHIND THE SCENES
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WHO YOU ARE
