Anyone can set themselves up as an "Executive Coach" without any training or professional supervision. Coaching is a powerful form of personal development and, if not conducted professionally, can do a lot more harm than good. SCOA was launched in December 2002 to provide both training to aspirant coaches and accreditation to those who have been working as coaches already for a number of years.

The Management Standards Consultancy was appointed to develop a set of Standards for Executive Coaching, complete with definitions of the knowledge, skills and personal qualities coaches require. These underpin SCOA's curriculum and provide an objective basis for continuous assessment and the accreditation of professional competence.

The Management Standards Consultancy's principal consultant, Trevor Boutall, acts as Director of Accreditation for SCOA, guaranteeing that graduates' professional competence meets international standards.