Driving meaningful culture change for 65 years
In 2022, EW Group and Challenge Consultancy joined forces to form the leading full-service diversity and inclusion consultancy in the UK and Europe.
Both with a rich heritage and inspiring founders, we offer a comprehensive suite of diversity and inclusion training and consultancy services to help you make positive culture change in your organisation.
2022 marks EW Group’s 30th and Challenge Consultancy’s 35th anniversaries. Together, we are excited to continue the important work we do and drive meaningful change in business practices and society.
EW Group
EW Group was founded in 1992 by Jane Farrell and Annie Hedge, two teachers living in London.
Jane and Annie had a close understanding of how some pupils came from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Some had learning difficulties. Some experienced racism on the bus to school. And some were being harassed for being different in other ways.
Jane and Annie wanted to bring an inclusive approach to leadership and organisational development, and how the best organisations demonstrate real intent to notice, adapt to and embrace difference at work. Their business came from the idea that organisations would only excel when they fully engaged with diversity in all its forms, from leaders to staff to customers. It’s an ethos that has stayed with us to this day.
Together, Jane and Annie built the company on the principles of a positive and practical approach to workplace equality and diversity — one that would also deliver genuine business benefits.
Challenge Consultancy
Challenge Consultancy was founded in 1988 by Femi Otitoju following an earlier career as an Equality Officer in Local Government. Initially working with the public and not-for-profit sectors, Challenge grew and extended its work into the private sector, helping organisations create more inclusive workplaces.
Our work around equality, diversity and inclusion goes beyond the legally Protected Characteristics to embrace the many ways in which people are different. We recognise that people have multiple, intersectional identities and aim to help our clients, staff and stakeholders redress the inequalities that some people face because of those identities.
We see diversity as a strength, a source of inspiration and genius, and Challenge Consultancy is dedicated to helping organisations and individuals get the best from their people and themselves.
Trailblazing an intersectional approach to diversity and inclusion
Our approach looks across all strands of diversity and difference. We take this intersectional approach to identify and tackle underlying inequality in a given context.
From this starting point, we’re able to engage, energise and excite everyone involved in conversations about the power of diversity. Then we use that energy to motivate whole organisations to drive lasting cultural change — change that can be measured and reported on.
Drawing on our experience, looking to the future of workplace diversity
For over three decades, we’ve worked to move the dial on diversity, equity and inclusion by equipping individuals and their organisations with the skills and understanding to build cultures where everyone can thrive.
There’s still much to be done. We acknowledge both the challenges and the amazing possibilities of reimagining the workplaces of today. We’ll continue to work with our clients to forge new ways of working and leading that embrace the wide-ranging perspectives, abilities and experiences of all who work for them — and of the rich diversity of the world around them.