History: 1998-1999: Setting the Global Gold Standard

By the late 1990s, ICF was committed to making coaching a viable, worldwide profession. A landmark merger with the Professional and Personal Coaches Association (PPCA), founded by Laura Whitworth and other key coaching leaders, added weight to this effort by establishing ICF as the standard bearer for professional coaching.  

1998 – ICF Core Competencies and ICF Credential  

To ensure coaching could thrive globally, pioneers in the field came together to establish a shared language and universal standards. Their collaboration led to the creation of a common definition of coaching, the ICF Core Competencies, and the ICF credential — which was first awarded in 1998 to 34 North American coaches at the ICF conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. 

1998 – ICF Code of Ethics 

To uphold the integrity of ICF members and credential-holders, the ICF Ethical Guidelines were approved in August 1998, and the ICF Code of Ethics in 2000. What began as strict rules have evolved into a set of behavioral guidelines, a way of being for ICF coaching professionals.  

1999 – Program Accreditation & Expanded Daily Operations

Continuing to set standards and build credibility within the profession, ICF began accrediting coach training programs. This was an important step as many of ICF’s early leaders were representatives of coaching schools.  

As the decade came to a close, ICF took steps to continue to support and ensure our growth by hiring an executive director and selecting a management company to run daily operations.