CBC is an evidence-based WABC credential held by professionals around the world. As a highly respected global credential, CBC positions you as an advanced business coach with specialized business coaching skills. CBC enables you to support a wider range of business-oriented and organizational goals and objectives.
Enhance your full professional scope and access a broader and deeper range of competencies and knowledge as an advanced business coach.
In this increasingly competitive industry filled with un-credentialed coaches, it’s time to set yourself apart as an advanced business coach.
WABC Certified Business Coach (CBC) is a highly respected global credential that enhances your business coaching skills and gives you the knowledge and competencies to significantly advance your practice.
Regardless of what professional role you have (e.g., leader, manager, internal or external business coach, external consultant), if you’re doing business coaching, WABC offers different training options via WABC Accredited (Level 2 – CBC)® programs to become a CBC, based on your level of experience.
Once you earn CBC, you will also become part of our global community, where professional business coaches from across the globe come together to enhance their skills, expand their professional networks and influence the business coaching industry more broadly.
CBC tells the market you’ve progressed beyond general coach training to build advanced, specialized business coaching skills that support a wider range of fixed business-oriented and organizational goals and objectives.
The CBC credential is for individuals who have some experience in business coaching and want to advance their skills to the next level of professional development.
Because WABC credentials specifically prepare you for coaching to support businesses or organizations, an appropriate professional background from working within businesses and organizations is essential to ground your training in real-world situations. Your professional experience is the foundation for pursuing a WABC credential.
As a CBC, you can dive deeper and develop your range of options and applications to coach successfully in a business or organizational environment, aligned with research-informed best practice.
Equipped with at least one business coaching model and a robust theoretical underpinning based in best practice, your advanced skills enable you to deliver against a wider set of business and organizational objectives.
The credential you choose will be based on your previous coaching experience, skill level, ambition, professional development goals and your client needs. Not sure if CBC is right for you? See Compare Credentials for further guidance.
WABC Accredited (Level 2 – CBC)® programs and options are available for you to earn CBC. The WABC Accredited program provider will determine your eligibility and suitable program option during an initial screening interview.
| Start Date | Provider | Program | Format | Location | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New program coming in 2025. |
TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | English |
| Start Date | Provider | Program | Format | Location | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New program coming in 2025. |
TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | English |
| Start Date | Provider | Program | Format | Location | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New program coming in 2025. |
TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | English |
To earn CBC, you must meet these requirements:
To provide ethically sound and expert guidance, professionals in all areas of practice must keep up to date on the latest research, evidence and opinion on how to effectively serve their clients’ needs.
A clear professional development strategy allows business coaches to stay relevant and innovative in providing the best possible expertise to their clients.
As a professional certification credential, you have a few ongoing requirements to maintain your credential that are designed to complement your coaching practice as an opportunity for learning and growth.
As a CBC, you must:
Earning your CBC involves the following fees:
*These fees may be included in the training program pricing. Otherwise, you can find the WABC fees in JOIN WABC.
Maintaining your CBC:
Please see “Maintaining Your Credential” below.
Each WABC credential is intended to be a stand-alone credential, which enables business coaches to pursue the credential that is right for their ambition, professional goals and client needs at any point in their careers.
Our non-linear training approach is purposefully designed to suit the diverse needs of business coaches with flexible and responsive learning options and credentials.
If your WABC Accredited (Level 2 – CBC) program was recently accredited by WABC, check with your program instructor on your eligibility for CBC.
You have one year from your graduation date to become a WABC member, as long as you meet the minimum WABC membership requirements for CBC.
If you were already a WABC member while taking a WABC Accredited (Level 2 – CBC) program but allowed your membership to lapse prior to program completion, you’ll be required to rejoin WABC and pay the associated fees before receiving your CBC.
Certification is a voluntary process by which a nongovernmental body recognizes an individual who has successfully met predetermined qualifications. As an advanced, evidence-based credential, CBC falls within this type of qualification.
It is the most rigorous level of professional credentialing available for individuals. Professional certification credentials that follow industry best practice require validation, carry re-certification requirements and are subject to revocation. CBC adheres to these best practices.
CBC is a professional certification which means it is a “working or applied” credential. Unlike certificates and degrees which transfer knowledge and skills, professional certifications measure how an individual uses knowledge and skills in real-life situations. By certifying that the holder is able to currently practice at a certain level, certification maintains public trust in the delivery of service.
For a professional certification credential to remain valid, the holder must stay relevant with current practice and theories. That’s why it’s a certification best practice for holders to meet ongoing requirements, such as continuing professional development, to maintain their certified credentials.
In order to maintain your CBC credential, there are two ongoing requirements which both require fees:
As a CBC, you must:
Taking a sabbatical during your career may affect your CBC credential.
Yes, your CBC credential can be revoked under certain circumstances.
CBC may be listed in several ways. Please log in to your dashboard for further guidance and access to applicable WABC logos.
After you become a CBC, you’ll get access to a digital badge to easily verify and promote your credential on websites, email signatures and other marketing materials.
Each WABC credential is intended to be a stand-alone credential. The credential you choose will be based on your previous coaching experience, skill level, ambition, professional development goals and your client needs.
| PRACTITIONER RCC™ | ADVANCED CBC™ | MASTER CMBC® | ELITE ChBC® |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level of Credential | Level of Credential | Level of Credential | Level of Credential |
| RCC is an evidence-based WABC credential held by professionals around the world. As a highly respected global credential, RCC raises your credibility and positions you as a practitioner business coach with specialized business coaching skills. RCC enables you to support a range of business-oriented and organizational goals and objectives. | CBC is an evidence-based WABC credential held by professionals around the world. As a highly respected global credential, CBC positions you as an advanced business coach with specialized business coaching skills. CBC enables you to support a wider range of business-oriented and organizational goals and objectives. | CMBC is an evidence-based WABC credential held by professionals around the world. As a highly esteemed, world-class distinction, CMBC positions you at the leading edge of your field in both expertise and training. CMBC enables you to confidently tackle complex goals that may impact broader business and organizational outcomes. | ChBC is an evidence-based WABC credential held by professionals around the world. As a highly coveted, world-class distinction, ChBC positions you as being among the best of the best in the business coaching profession worldwide. ChBC demonstrates your significant impact and influence with your senior expertise, specialized knowledge and professional competence to take on the most challenging business coaching engagements. |
| Eligible Candidates | Eligible Candidates | Eligible Candidates | Eligible Candidates |
|
|
|
|
| Program Duration & Hours (approx.) | Program Duration & Hours (approx.) | Program Duration & Hours (approx.) | Program Duration & Hours (approx.) |
| DURATION 1.5–3 months HOURS Up to 75–150 total learning hours | DURATION 4.5–9 months HOURS Up to 300–600 total learning hours | DURATION 12–24 months HOURS Up to 1200–1800 total learning hours | DURATION 3–12 months HOURS Up to 900 total learning hours |
| Program Options Available | Program Options Available | Program Options Available | Program Options Available |
|
|
|
|
| Program Modes Available | Program Modes Available | Program Modes Available | Program Modes Available |
| Many modes available depending on program enrolled in (e.g. in-person, virtual, blended) | Many modes available depending on program enrolled in (e.g. in-person, virtual, blended) | Many modes available depending on program enrolled in (e.g. in-person, virtual, blended) | Many modes available depending on program enrolled in (e.g. in-person, virtual, blended) |
| Program Supervision | Program Supervision | Program Supervision | Program Supervision |
| Appropriate supervision is provided | Appropriate supervision is provided | Appropriate supervision is provided | Appropriate supervision is provided |
| Program Completion Deliverables | Program Completion Deliverables | Program Completion Deliverables | Program Completion Deliverables |
|
|
|
|
| Re-certification Requirements | Re-certification Requirements | Re-certification Requirements | Re-certification Requirements |
| There are no requirements to maintain your RCC credential |
|
|
|
| WABC Standards | WABC Standards | WABC Standards | WABC Standards |
| Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
| WABC reserves all rights in connection with the Registered Corporate Coach (RCC) credential, including the right to change the requirements of RCC credential, and to replace RCC credential. | WABC reserves all rights in connection with the WABC Certified Business Coach (CBC) credential, including the right to change the requirements of CBC credential, and to replace CBC credential. | WABC reserves all rights in connection with the WABC Certified Master Business Coach (CMBC) credential, including the right to change the requirements of CMBC credential, and to replace CMBC credential. | WABC reserves all rights in connection with the Chartered Business Coach (ChBC) credential, including the right to change the requirements of ChBC credential, and to replace ChBC credential. |
When you earn any of WABC’s credentials for business coaches—RCC™, CBC™, CMBC® or ChBC®—you will enroll in a WABC Accredited program. All WABC Accredited programs undergo rigorous independent initial assessment, and providers are regularly reviewed to ensure they continue to meet our standards of excellence. This ensures their programs continue to be relevant to the market and meet our exacting global standards for business coach training programs.
The value of being a WABC member and a WABC Certified Business Coach™ (CBC™) becomes really clear when it comes to re-certification. This process certifies your development as a business coach, your ongoing learning, and your earnestness in pursuing one of the world’s most beautiful and responsible professions. I was impressed by what was asked of me, in terms of documentation of my progress, yet it turned out to be a moment of bliss.
The respectful, professional, serious and caring way the re-certification process is performed by a WABC assessor is a wonderful experience that I wouldn’t want to miss. I have always been rather cautious and doubtful about associations and held Groucho Marx in high esteem, who said that he was suspicious of clubs that would take him as a member. WABC has taken away those doubts. Thank you, Wendy Johnson, for your leadership and all your wonderful team members.
My certification as a WABC Certified Business Coach™ (CBC™) is extremely important in my coaching practice. As a coach working with a range of organizations, earning certification with a robust and professional coaching body is really important. It indicates the high standards I set for myself, and WABC provides that for me.
The professional development aspect is also critical, and I highly value how WABC takes its professional development so seriously. It was really interesting to recently complete the thorough five-yearly professional development submission necessary for the re-certification of my CBC™, as it allowed me to reflect on what I had learned from recent innovations and changes I had tried, and also where I might focus in the future. Reviewer comments from the WABC assessor are particularly useful. WABC is very friendly, and its body of coaches is truly international; this is helpful for me in sourcing coaching support in different regions of the world.
As an executive coach with C-suite focus, I was looking for a renowned certification that would help me to raise my profile. I decided on WABC as it’s one of the few accreditation organizations to focus solely on business and has global reach. On several occasions my WABC Certified Business Coach™ (CBC™) credential has helped me to pass the rigorous screening process of decision-makers seeking to hire a board-level coach.
I appreciated the process of re-certification after five years, as it helped me to seriously reflect on my past coaching experience and to systematically think ahead where to go next. The WABC assessor did a thorough and empathetic job that added a lot of value. WABC is really worth the investment.
As the first coach in Japan to receive the WABC Certified Business Coach™ (CBC™) credential, I am proud to praise WABC for providing me with valuable insights.
To gain effective results, business coaches need not only theory but also strong skills. WABC, with its depth of experience in business coaching, gives me the support I need to lead clients to success.
Coaching works effectively where there is a sense of equality between a client and a coach. Knowing this helps me focus positively on the successful future of my clients and motivates me to develop and innovate professionally.
From the warm welcome I received from WABC’s founder Wendy Johnson when I first joined WABC in 2012, I know I can always count on WABC for encouragement and support.
After many successful years as a leader in different multinational companies, I took my experience one step further by becoming a freelance soft skills executive business coach, counsellor and Enneagram teacher. My systemic approach applies all my knowledge and methodologies thoroughly and with passion.
Being a WABC Full Member™ means aligning with WABC’s values and committing to continuous professional development as an executive business coach. Re-certifying my WABC Certified Business Coach™ (CBC™) credential every five years involves providing my professional development record—including clients’ comments about their satisfaction—for assessment. WABC’s commitment to such high-quality and meaningful assessment criteria assures me that I am a member of an association whose reputation is widely revered in the market.
CBC™ positions you as an advanced business coach with specialized business coaching skills.
Let’s get started!
Find a listing of our programs below or reach out to us if you’d like some further guidance.
If CBC™ isn’t quite the right fit for you, we’ll have a WABC credential that is.
Whether you are beginning your coaching journey (RCC™), enhancing your professional services (CBC™), mastering coaching specialties (CMBC®) or taking on the most demanding coaching assignments in the market (ChBC®), WABC has a credential to suit your ambition, professional goals and client needs.
