Profile
Debra has been coaching at Central since completing the MA Voice course in 2011. Her skillset includes 15 years acting in Theatre and TV (much under the name Leigh Samuels, when her real name Debra Leigh was unavailable from Equity) and then working in broadcast, including two years as a TV Continuity Announcer for the BBC. She particularly enjoys working with clients on developing scripts and presentations for public speaking events and also delivering voice masterclasses. To maintain her connection with being on ‘the front line’, she continues to work as a voice over artist and also presents for Homestyle for QVC. This unique combination of skills helps business clients needing the flexibility of moving from formal conference presentations, to making impact in the boardroom, whilst also having the confidence to cross over into media for TV/Radio interviews. Her affiliation with Central has taken her abroad to deliver masterclasses in Kuala Lumpur, Moscow and Amsterdam.
Clients include: Accenture, Aukett-Swanke, Bartlett Mitchell, Bartlett School of Architecture, BBC, BMJ, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Cabinet Office, CIA, Cisco, The Commonwealth Secretariat, Crown Commercial Service, Coral, Cognizant, De La Rue, Element 6, European Commission, ETF Securities, Faithorn Farrell Timms, FDA, FT, JTP, GALLUP, Google, Hemsley Fraser, HMRC, Imperial College, Kew Gardens, Ingeus, King’s College, Louis Vuitton, Marks & Spencer, McDonalds, MIP, NHS, Omorovicza, Partners Group, Publicis, Santander, St. John’s Hospice, Trader Media Group, VW, The Westbury Group, The White Company, as well as employees of Banner Chemicals, Barclays, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, FCO, Goldman-Sachs, Merrill Lynch, UBS and VISA. She is also the founder and director of Brighter Voice and has coached the BBC’s Expert Women, at Ashridge, The Globe Theatre and EBRD.
Research Areas
- Voice training for Doctor’s Communication (St John’s Hospice).
- Voice and communication training for the NHS (Chelsea and Westminster Hospital).
- Voice for Media – the pre-set up and altering the scale.
Qualifications
- MA Voice (RCSSD)
- NLP Master Practitioner
External Memberships
Equity, ICV, VASTA
Productions
2012 Voice Coach, The Secret Garden, Trinity Laban (Director Kelly Robinson).