Sarah Coccia Spotlight Story | Top Flight

Meet Sarah Coccia - Interim Chief Operating Officer of HMPPS and Top Flight alumna

Our Top Flight 2023 alumna, Sarah Coccia, has dedicated 26 years to the prison service, starting as a frontline prison officer and rising through the Civil Service to become Interim Chief Operating Officer of HMPPS. With deep roots in operational work and a passion for public service, Sarah brings a brilliant blend of experience, empathy, and leadership to one of the most challenging roles in government.

Here, she shares how she stays resilient under pressure and the critical lessons she’s carried forward from Top Flight.

The Pipeline: a life-changing experience

I started my journey with The Pipeline’s Top Flight programme in 2023, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it genuinely changed my life.

Before joining, I had heard testimonies from other women about how transformative the experience was, but I was sceptical. I’d been on plenty of leadership development courses in my 25 years of working, and none had truly made a lasting impact. But Top Flight was different.

Sarah's career journey

I began my career 26 years ago as a prison officer. Today, I serve as the interim Chief Operating Officer of HMPPS, having previously worked as the Area Executive Director for London Prisons and Probation.

I grew up in a largely male-dominated environment, became a mother in my 30s, and rose to the ranks of senior civil service in my 40s. My career advanced quickly through the many ranks within the Civil Service, but I often questioned how far I could or even wanted to go. Did I want to be a Director, a Director General or even Permanent Secretary? Did I belong in that world? It sometimes felt like a man’s space, and I wasn’t sure I fitted the bill.

Going into Top Flight, I carried that uncertainty with me. I remember speaking with Lorna, the founder, before joining. I told her honestly that I didn’t think I’d get much out of it. Most of the cohort were from the private sector, and I assumed their world was so different from mine. But I was completely wrong.

Sarah's experience and impact of Top Flight

Gaining perspective and belonging

Top Flight opened my eyes. I learned so much from the women in the room - female leaders from diverse industries, each with different perspectives but facing surprisingly similar challenges.

In our first session, we were asked how many people we each had responsibility for. At that time, I was responsible for 15,000 employees. Only a few other women in the room were responsible for more people, and most were COOs/CEOs/CFOs of large organisations. That moment shifted something in me and I realised the scale of my own leadership, and for the first time, I truly felt I belonged in that room.

Safe and supportive environment 

The women-only nature of the programme was incredibly powerful. It created a safe, honest, and supportive space. We let down our guard, shared openly, and helped one another without competition. Despite different industries and backgrounds, we had similar experiences navigating leadership as women. It was empowering to see that I wasn’t alone in my doubts, challenges, and ambitions.

Bridging the Public and Private sectors

I went into the programme convinced that the public and private sectors had little in common. But after working closely with my cohort, I realised how many similarities we shared and how much we could learn from each other. The exchange of ideas across sectors was on the of the most enriching aspects of the experience.

In-the-moment learning that lasts a lifetime

One unique element was how present everyone was. The Pipeline team encouraged us to fully commit - no phones and no emails during sessions. I doubted people would follow through, but everyone did. It created an in-the-moment connection that made the experience even more rewarding.

I also still have my Pipeline notebook. I wrote down lessons, insights, goals, and quotes from leaders and facilitators from each session. I revisit the notebook often. In difficult moments or when imposter syndrome creeps in, those notes are a lifeline to me. They remind me of what I’ve learned and that I’m not alone in my struggles.

Staying connected beyond the programme

Our cohort still remains connected. I once took six of the women from my group to a prison – HMP Pentonville - to show them the reality behind the headlines. Among them were bankers, lawyers, consultants, and insurers. One said something that stuck with me: “You do something that really matters.” That changed how I viewed my leadership role. It made me proud of my public service in a new and deeper way.

Gaining lessons from failure and honesty

One of my biggest takeaways came from a CEO who said, “The most valuable lessons come from what goes wrong, not what goes right.” That hit home. In my world, crises are frequent and each one teaches me something and makes me stronger. Hearing a senior private-sector leader say that so honestly was refreshing. It wasn’t about metrics or profit, but about growth, vulnerability, and resilience.

The Pipeline team mirrored that honesty. They shared their own personal and professional stories with authenticity, which gave us permission to do the same. That level of openness created real transformation.

If I could, I’d do Top Flight all over again.

How Sarah stays resilient in her role

Resilience through ruthless prioritisation

The key to my resilience is ruthless prioritisation. Without it, I get pulled into the noise and lose sight of the bigger picture. One of the best pieces of advice I took from Top Flight was about knowing where a COO needs to be involved.

These roles are overwhelming by nature. Top Flight taught me you have to carve out what’s essential versus what you might like to spend time doing. You can’t do everything you want to do.

Balancing passion with responsibility

Coming from a frontline background, I love being on the ground in prisons. Ideally, I’d visit one every day. But I’ve had to accept that to be an effective COO, that’s not realistic. So now, I go every other week. It’s a balance between what feeds my passion and what fulfils my responsibilities.

Sarah's advice to her younger self

Stay in my own lane

The one bit of advice that I would give to myself starting out in my career would be to ‘stay in my own lane’ – don’t bother myself with what everyone else is thinking/planning or doing, focus on what I do best, know my own strengths and go out there and achieve my ambition!