Lynsey Harley

Examiner
DISC Type : cs

Founder & CEO at Modern Standard Coffee

London, England, United Kingdom

Overview

Lynsey Harley is the Founder and CEO of Modern Standard Coffee, one of the UKs most respected specialty roasters. With nearly 20 years of experience, she is a licensed Q Grader and has judged at the World Barista Championships. People who have worked with her describe her as passionate, dedicated, and enthusiastic.

Outside of her professional life, Lynsey is an avid traveler who particularly enjoyed a holiday in Japan. Instead of reading books, she prefers listening to podcasts and BBC Radio 4 to gain new insights and stories. She has also appeared as a guest commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Unique fact: Lynsey originally studied dentistry for two years, inspired by a teachers comment that his daughter was a dentist and drove a Porsche.

Personality Overview

Status Quo Seeker

Tough To Convince

Process Oriented

They are always well-planned and adopt a systematic approach.  They tend to have clarity about their needs and constraints, and are unlikely to over-promise. Being observant comes to them naturally.

Topics They Care About

Specialty Coffee
Her company, Modern Standard, was founded to make specialty coffee more accessible without compromising on quality, sustainability, or ethics.
Female Entrepreneurship
She is vocal about the challenges women face in business, such as securing funding, and aims to break barriers in the male-dominated coffee industry.
Ethical Sourcing
A core tenet of her business is a deep commitment to sustainability and ethical practices, ensuring every cup respects the planet and its people.

Media Appearances

Futureproofing Coffee Retail: Making Decisions to Provide for Your Business Tomorrow. Featured in Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)

See Now

The Modern Standard Women. Featured in Modern Standard Coffee Blog

See Now

Work History

3-2015
Founder & CEO at Modern Standard Coffee
2-2023
Investor at LHTR Group
12-2021 - 11-2025
Coffee Roasters Guild - Executive Leadership Council at Specialty Coffee Association
4-2013 - 9-2014
Coffee Trader at Falcon Coffees Ltd
5-2010 - 4-2013
Coffee Development Manager at United Coffee UK & Ireland

Education

2017 - 2017
Goldman Sachs 10 from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
2005 - 2008
Bachelor's degree from The University of Edinburgh

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 15 Location : London, England, United Kingdom Job Level : Leadership Designation : Founder & CEO at Modern Standard Coffee
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Insights For Selling To Lynsey

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Expect them to be slow and cautious, encourage them to ask more questions
  • First of all, focus on building their confidence by sharing examples, case studies etc.
  • Spend time addressing concerns around risk and change, they will have them even if they don't express them

DONT's

  • Don't push them too hard to make fast decisions, give them time
  • Don't be very accepting if that is your natural style, stay firm
  • Avoid getting into storytelling mode, especially when they ask specific questions

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Lynsey is

  • Proof of usage by others in the industry, case studies showing ROI are likely to work the best with them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Lynsey

  • They don’t say no often, they push out the decisions or keep going around in circles.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Lynsey move?

  • They are some of the slowest movers and take their time reaching decisions.
  • Can Lynsey take some risk or not?

  • They have very low acceptance of risk even if they do not say it directly.

You And Lynsey

Personality Compatibility


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