About IBNIC: The International NLP Accreditation Body for Modern Coaching and Education
IBNIC is an independent NLP accreditation body dedicated to raising professional standards for NLP training, coaching, and integrative education worldwide. Guided by an international board of experts, we accredit based on demonstrated competence, learner safety, and professional integrity rather than lineage, commercial affiliation, or personal authority.
How IBNIC Began
The origins of IBNIC trace back to 2006, through ongoing conversations among senior NLP trainers, Master Practitioners, and educators from diverse regions, professional backgrounds, and NLP lineages. These were experienced practitioners who valued NLP deeply and had contributed to its development for decades.
Across these conversations, shared concerns emerged. While NLP continued to expand globally, standards for training quality, learner safety, and professional accountability remained inconsistent. In some areas, accreditation lacked independent oversight, leaving trainers and students without clear, transparent benchmarks for excellence.
These early discussions were not about replacing traditions or redefining NLP. They were about safeguarding its future by strengthening professional standards in a field that had grown faster than its governance.
Why Independence Matters.
As these discussions deepened, one issue became increasingly clear. Meaningful accreditation cannot be governed by a single individual or embedded within a commercial training organization that also delivers courses. When accreditation and training delivery sit inside the same structure, conflicts of interest become difficult to avoid.
IBNIC was designed with collective governance, independent oversight, and transparent decision-making so accreditation serves the profession as a whole rather than any one person, brand, or lineage.
Independence in accreditation does not mean excluding practitioners; it means ensuring that no trainer, school, or individual can decide outcomes alone.
IBNIC board members do not own or operate NLP training companies, ensuring fairness and freedom from conflicts of interest.
Becoming a Nonprofit Accreditation Body.
In 2022, IBNIC began the formal transition toward a nonprofit governance structure. This shift was intentional and necessary to support impartial oversight, collective responsibility, and long-term accountability within NLP accreditation.
In 2025, IBNIC completed its transition into an independent, nonprofit, board-led accreditation body. Accreditation decisions are made through structured peer review rather than commercial affiliation.
This structure ensures consistency, accountability, and protection of learner interests while supporting the evolving needs of modern NLP and integrative coaching education
Our vision and mission.
Our Mission
Our Vision
What makes IBNIC independent?
Our independence is intentional and foundational to our credibility.
IBNIC operates as a nonprofit organization guided by an international council of experts in NLP, neuroscience, psychology, education, coaching, and ethics. Decisions are made through structured review processes rather than personal authority.
Fees apply only to the accreditation audit, administration, and optional physical verification tools such as embossed seals and unique barcodes, which support nonprofit operations.
All applications are reviewed by multiple professionals with diverse backgrounds. This prevents bias and ensures that accreditation reflects real quality and responsible practice.
IBNIC welcomes trainers and schools from any lineage. What matters is demonstrated skill, professional integrity, and readiness to meet modern standards.
Accountability and Professional Safeguards.
IBNIC was established not only to accredit quality, but to protect learner safety and professional integrity. Our role includes providing a clear and independent pathway for concerns related to training standards, ethical conduct, and professional boundaries.
We recognize that in any educational field, issues such as toxic leadership, harassment, misuse of power, or compromised learning environments can arise. IBNIC exists to ensure such concerns can be raised, reviewed, and addressed through a structured and impartial process.
Accreditation is not only about recognition. It is also about responsibility.
Meet the IBNIC board.
The IBNIC Board brings together a diverse group of professionals with deep experience in NLP, neuroscience, psychology, coaching, education, and ethical leadership.
No IBNIC board member owns or operates an NLP training company. This protects independence, prevents conflicts of interest, and ensures fair governance
Our members bring decades of training, coaching, and research across multiple disciplines and guide the standards that shape modern NLP accreditation. Each board member contributes unique expertise and a shared commitment to transparency, learner safety, and evidence-aligned practice. Together, we ensure that IBNIC remains independent, globally informed, and accountable to the highest professional expectations.
Richard Cloot
With over 25 years of leadership and coaching experience, Richard has led teams of up to 300 at top-tier organisations, including Apple and Xerox.
First introduced to the foundations of NLP more than 30 years ago, and now an expert in Positive Psychology, he runs his own coaching and training practice, helping people develop, grow, and lead with clarity, emotional intelligence, and values-based authenticity.
Known for guiding high-performing teams through complex and high-pressure environments, Richard brings to IBNIC a wealth of real-world insight into how people think, learn, and thrive across cultures and generations — all through the lens of NLP.
Currently being onboarded
We’re onboarding this board member very intentionally. She brings over a decade of experience at Meta (Facebook) and a deep, practical understanding of how social platforms shape behavior in the real world. She knows exactly how small business owners such as coaches, trainers, and influencers navigate visibility, credibility, and growth online. With her background in leadership, NLP, and an MBA, she offers a rare perspective on how digital systems, human psychology, and modern entrepreneurship intersect. That perspective is directly aligned with IBNIC’s mission to set standards that are relevant, ethical, and grounded in how people actually operate today.
Prof. Dr. Azizan Osman
Prof. Dr. Azizan Osman is a certified NLP Master Practitioner who has spent more than two decades applying NLP to elevate leadership, shift behaviour, and drive performance transformation among entrepreneurs across Southeast Asia. As the Founder and Chairman of RichWorks Group, he integrates NLP into organisational development, communication mastery, and high-level business coaching to help leaders think clearly, act decisively, and build stronger-aligned, culturally cohesive companies.
His work is grounded in a robust academic and professional background, including a Ph.D. in Business, advanced degrees earned in the United Kingdom, and executive education at Columbia Business School, Kellogg, and IMD. Through his role as a major shareholder of the listed company, ManagePay Systems Berhad (MPay), he continues to influence Malaysia’s SME and fintech ecosystem while championing the practical, real-world application of NLP in leadership and business growth.
Courtney Pachuta, M.Ed
Courtney Pachuta, M.Ed., is a strategic operator and NLP trainer who helps leaders and organizations turn vision into practical, measurable growth.
Her work combines curriculum design, organizational development, and relationship-driven systems to improve how people lead, collaborate, and make decisions.
As Co-Founder and COO of Entrepreneurs Focused on Growth (EFOGI), she designs and runs structured environments—through training, experiences, and operational frameworks—where trust, alignment, and results are built intentionally rather than left to chance.
Courtney is known for bringing clarity to complex systems, applying NLP and behavioral insight ethically, and helping organizations scale without losing integrity, momentum, or their human edge.
Currently being onboarded.
We’re onboarding this board member very intentionally to strengthen ethical clarity and psychological safety in training spaces facing toxic leadership, bias, sexual harassment, or exclusion, including situations where people report misconduct against those in charge. The individual is an expert in reading human behavior and responding when psychological safety is threatened, and was recruited on the recommendation of NLP trainers who value his calm, precise way of navigating difficult dynamics.
He has over 20 years of experience in senior Human Resources advisory roles in non-profi, in environments where transparency, fairness, and human dignity are essential.
With over 15 years as a trainer, facilitator, and coach, he brings steadiness where power meets responsibility, creating space where truth can surface and leadership is measured by behavior rather than status, power, or financial and legal force.
Paulina Purnomowati, MBA
Paulina Purnomowati is a leadership and NLP trainer with more than twenty years of experience guiding executives across Asia toward grounded, purpose-driven leadership.
As the founder of Lumoraá Asia, she brings a rare blend of senior corporate experience from global brands including P&G, L’Oréal, Chanel, and Valiram. Her work focuses on helping leaders realign from within so they can communicate clearly, act with courage, and create sustainable impact.
Known for her appearance on Netflix’s The Apprentice ONE Championship, she now uses her expertise in influence, mindset, and embodied leadership to help individuals and organizations navigate pressure with integrity and self-awareness.
Tony Perzow
Tony Perzow is a negotiation expert, speaker, and transformational coach whose work blends ethical influence, emotional intelligence, and principles drawn from NLP to help leaders communicate with clarity and integrity.
Having trained more than 30,000 professionals—including teams at Apple, Microsoft, Red Bull, and Boeing—Tony specializes in teaching coaches, entrepreneurs, and organizations how to negotiate without pressure, fear, or manipulation.
His approach integrates NLP-based reframing, pattern recognition, and state management with a heart-centered philosophy rooted in connection and alignment.
As the founder of The Heart of the Deal and the Fear to Love Fellowship, Tony is dedicated to elevating the standards of negotiation and coaching by grounding them in ethics, self-awareness, and transformational change.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fleura Shkëmbi
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fleura Shkëmbi is a Clinical Psychologist, Hypnotherapist, ICF-accredited Life Coach, NLP expert, and Mindfulness Meditation Trainer dedicated to fostering personal growth and emotional well-being.
She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the European University of Tirana and teaches at the Mediterranean University of Albania.
With extensive clinical and academic experience, Dr. Shkëmbi integrates evidence-based psychology, hypnotherapy, and mindfulness (MSRT) to help individuals build resilience, clarity, and inner balance.
She also designs and leads professional certification programs for Life Coaches and Mindfulness Trainers, empowering them to create meaningful, lasting impact in their communities.
Michelle Wright-Berends, MA
Michelle is an NLP expert, coach, and trainer with more than 25 years of experience in psychology, crisis and trauma counseling, positive psychology, and behavior change.
She holds a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in applied psychology, crisis counseling, multicultural counseling, and trauma-informed practice, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Michelle also completed advanced Health and Wellness Coach training at Georgetown University. As the founder of The Directional Coach, she integrates NLP, mind-body wellness, and evidence-aligned coaching to support resilience, stress recovery, and personal transformation. Michelle is a United States Army veteran.
Board Membership and Ongoing Appointments
IBNIC is currently interviewing additional board members to join the organization in 2026. We welcome expressions of interest from professionals who align with our mission, standards, and commitment to independent governance.
We are seeking individuals with demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas:
