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ACAP University College’s Dr Mark Setch becomes first Australian appointed to ICF education board

By Penny Burfitt Public Relations & Content Manager
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ACAP University College students studying coaching will continue to benefit from the now-internationally recognised expertise of course leader Dr Mark Setch, who will become the first Australian to serve on the International Coaching Federation’s (ICF) Coaching Education Global Board of Directors this year.   

Leading coaching expert and ACAP course leader Dr Mark Setch will become the first Australian to serve on the education board of the world’s peak coaching accreditation authority, the ICF.  

Dr Setch coordinates ACAP’s ICF-accredited Graduate Certificate of Applied Coaching and is one of only 40 master certified coaches in Australia and 2000 worldwide. 

“It’s quite an honour to be part of a global board, and the first and only Australian to serve on this board,” he said.  

He was approached to apply for one of seven positions after serving as an ICF ambassador in the Asia Pacific in 2020 then on an accreditation advisory committee in 2024.  

The ICF is the world’s largest and longest-standing coaching body with over 50,000 members globally in 160 countries and territories. The Federation offers certification and accreditation to coaches and coaching education providers.  

Maintaining high standards  

Mark says his goals for his tenure on the board are focused on addressing one of the major challenges facing coaching in 2025 and beyond; retaining high standards for certified education providers.  

In Australia, only two non-VET higher education institutions have earned ICF accreditation for their coaching courses, one of them is ACAP University College.  

"One of the things that will be really important for us as the board will be to ensure ongoing consistency in the quality of education, because the ICF is growing large now with literally thousands of providers across the world and that's a challenge to navigate across cultures, language barriers, and diverse education standards," he said.

“To have and to keep a course accredited, as ACAP’s Graduate Certificate is, is very rigorous, and there are some within the coaching industry who would like to see lower accreditation standards to enable more accredited courses. However, I believe it’s more important than ever to keep the bar high.”  

Dr Setch said the ICF has never been more important than in 2025, as coaching grows globally. In the 2023 ICF Global Coaching Study, a 54 per cent increase in coaches was reported and at ACAP Dr Setch has seen classes doubling in size.  

“Coaching is one of the fastest growing industries globally,” he said. “At ACAP our graduate certificate enrolments are growing and we’ve had to open up additional classes.” 

Mark believes accredited Australian courses like ACAP’s stand out because they set graduates apart in a world full of self-proclaimed coaches.   

“The ICF has become even more critical because currently the coaching industry is not regulated, meaning anyone can call themselves a coach. If you go on LinkedIn the market is saturated with people who can be very good at marketing themselves but have had very little coaching education,” he said.

Bringing out the best 

A former pastor, Dr Setch is a practicing coach and coach supervisor alongside his teaching career and work with the ICF.  

"My favourite part of being a coach is seeing people growing to the best versions of themselves, even people I see only for leadership coaching. In coaching, the zone between professional and personal can't be defined or separated, and I just love seeing people find fulfilment and awareness of where they're stuck and why," he said.

“A good example is an ongoing client of mine is an accountant who employed me to help him grow his leadership but after about a year told me the coaching actually saved his marriage. That’s why I do what I do.”  

ACAP University College General Manager Lara Jacques said Mark’s appointment highlights the incredible credentials of ACAP educators.   

“We are pleased to announce Mark’s appointment to the International Coach Federation’s Coaching Education Global Board of Directors, where his expertise will advance coaching education standards worldwide,” she said.   

“His globally recognised leadership benefits ACAP students. This prestigious appointment further demonstrates ACAP’s commitment to academic excellence through our distinguished faculty.” 

Benefit from the expertise of world-leading teachers like Dr Mark Setch by studying the Graduate Certificate of Applied Coaching online. Find out more: Graduate Certificate Of Applied Coaching . 

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