Diversity Briefing

We are excited to launch a new networking space for diversity professionals to learn, network and drive change – The Inclusion Connection.

The Inclusion Connection is an innovative online professional network, hosted by EW Group and Challenge Consultancy, and a dedicated space for professionals working in equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging and wellbeing. Members of The Inclusion Connection have the opportunity to connect with peers, industry experts and inclusion-engaged leaders to discuss the latest industry challenges, and best practice in diversity and inclusion, and learn of unique industry-related events.

Inclusion Connection members have exclusive access to the network’s activity channels and can connect with like-minded professionals all striving to move the dial when it comes to creating equitable and inclusive organisations. Members also have access to experienced diversity and inclusion specialists via the open feed and focussed forum discussions, and additional reference materials within the resources centre.

In April, we were delighted to host our second Inclusive Culture Pledge event of the year on ‘How to Speak Up and Build an Inclusive Culture’. Tash Thomas facilitated an engaging session exploring how to recognise and address inappropriate behaviours in the workplace. We were joined by actors to help bring real-world scenarios to life and it was great to hear from our attendees on their feedback and suggestions.

“Fantastic, positive and informative event, thank you; the actors were a brilliant high impact addition, and every organisation would benefit from a dose of Tash!”

Nadine Haschka, Customer Service Manager at Atradius

If you would like to find out more about joining us at future events and signing up to our Inclusive Culture Pledge, please contact Catherine Manser.

We are delighted to announce EW Group’s parent company, leading Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) specialist eQuality Solutions Group (eQS), has acquired Challenge Consultancy, a London-based DEI training and consultancy business in a seven-figure deal.

Challenge Consultancy was founded by Femi Otitoju in 1988 and has a proven track record in delivering DE&I training on a global scale. Consisting of 41 employees and consultants, Challenge will join forces with EW Group, to form a combined team of diversity and inclusion experts numbering over 100 people.

Rachael Wilson, Managing Director of EW Group, commented: “The two organisations are leaders in the DEI space, with a combined heritage of 64 years as specialists. Together, our depth and breadth of expertise covers every industry and sector. The extent of our combined experience means we are able to respond to societal and workplace shifts, and to be leading on DEI concepts. The coming together of these two organisations creates a truly full-service diversity consultancy, with the capacity to operate at scale.”

Femi Otitoju, Founder of Challenge, said: “The deal with eQS was perfect timing. Andy, Rachael, Michael and the leadership team at eQS are passionate about influencing positive change within the world and their ambition to be the leading global provider in DEI strategies and to make the world a more inclusive place, really stood out. eQS has a proven track record in delivering industry-leading disability solutions and we have always seen EW Group as a like-minded pioneer in DEI. I am confident that the market will respond positively to the combination of two of the strongest players in the sector, and to the greater capacity and expertise the wider Group will now offer.”

We are excited to join forces with Challenge Consultancy, and further strengthen our diversity and inclusion capabilities and services for the private, public and education sectors.

EW Group is incredibly proud to have been working closely with the Mercedes AMG-Petronas F1 Team for the past three years. We provide expert support and are their specialist consultants on equity, diversity and inclusion.

Paul Mills, Chief People Officer at Mercedes F1, said: “Working in partnership with Jane Farrell and the team at EW Group has been great. They appreciate and understand our unique culture and the strong values of our Team and have built their work around that. They have helped us to design and develop bespoke programmes and interventions that continue to have real impact, getting the balance right between support and constructive challenge. We strongly believe a more diverse and inclusive team will not only make us faster, but we hope to also inspire others to set ambitious goals in this area. EW Group is our trusted partner, and we look forward to continuing our work with them as we make progress on diversity, equity and inclusion within our Team.”

EW Group carried out an in-depth diversity diagnostic of Mercedes F1’s policies, processes, culture and practices, and provided valuable advise to the team as they developed a major programme –  Accelerate 25. The five-year programme marks the ‘formalisation of the team’s vision to become more diverse and inclusive.’

Facilitated conversations with all the Team’s senior leaders were followed by bespoke programmes addressing unconscious bias in recruitment, and a skills-based approach to inclusive leadership. The team have also created a Diversity and Inclusion forum for volunteers amongst the organisation, to ensure diverse perspectives are heard and understood. All Managers and staff have been trained and the team are now planning the next steps to ensure they continue their drive to lead the sector on diversity and inclusion.

EW Group is delighted to be working with Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to design and deliver a series of bespoke inclusive cultures training courses to create a positive and inclusive environment for all staff.

The interactive sessions will build on the work that SFRS have done and are doing towards D&I, incorporating new EW research findings into internal values and behaviours, and qualitative data collected from consultations with the SFRS Service Leadership Team, representative bodies, the SFRS EDI working group and the SFRS staff engagement group.

Our expert trainer, Pamela Jones, has been working closely with these different groups to scope and design the workshops, ensuring the key priority areas and themes are captured within the syllabus.
Following this collaborative design approach, Pamela will facilitate a series of workshops taking place across Suffolk County in early 2022. The workshops will see over 200 full-time staff and on-call personnel given training to develop a greater understanding of the values, behaviours and culture throughout SFRS.

Having worked with SFRS for over four years, EW will utilise its existing knowledge of SFRS and its in-depth expertise in diversity and inclusion to deliver an engaging and effective programme of workshops.

Cara Low
October 2021

To celebrate Black History Month, this week EW Group was delighted to host a round-table discussion on reverse mentoring and race equality with Babita Sharma, BBC presenter and author, Mark Lomas, the Head of EDI at High Speed 2 (H2S), and EW’s Sharla Smith.

With a number of attendees joining in person at EW’s London office, and over 100 joining online, the session discussed how much leaders themselves can stand to gain from mentoring, coaching and sponsoring Black, Asian and minority ethnicity staff.

Sharing some of their personal experiences in their careers, our expert speakers also considered the impact positive action programmes, such as the BBC’s RISE programme which both Babita and Mark worked with EW Group to implement, can have. These programmes can move the dial on race equality when they actively engage leaders from across the organisation.

Find out more about inclusive leadership.

Cara Low
October 2021

Collecting diversity data is critical for understanding employee demographics and the diversity challenges an organisation might face. So we were delighted when world-leading Lloyd’s Register asked us to conduct a diversity audit of their policies and processes to explore inclusion on a global scale. The brief was to understand what works well and what can be achieved. EW Group has worked with Lloyd’s Register since 2019, and during our partnership, we have supported the progression of their inclusive culture and the evolution of their diversity strategy. We are therefore thrilled to be able to showcase the outcome and successes of this recent project.

July 2021