DEI & Business Inclusion Strategy

Because inclusion that lives only in a policy document doesn’t change anything

Most organisations have a DEI strategy. Fewer have one that's actually working.

The gap between intention and reality — between what's written in a policy and what people experience day to day — is where the real work lives.

We work with HR Directors and senior leaders to close that gap. Not by adding more initiatives to an already crowded people agenda, but by getting honest about what's actually happening, what's getting in the way, and what's most likely to make a genuine difference.

People around a table talking

What this looks like in practice

Grounded, commercial inclusion work.

We approach inclusion the same way we approach everything else — by listening first, being direct about what we find, and designing something that works for your specific organisation rather than lifting a framework from a textbook.

This work typically includes some combination of the following:

Strategy review and refresh Reviewing your existing DEI strategy to understand where the gaps are between intention and reality. What's working, what isn't, and where the organisation's energy is most likely to create genuine change.

Employee Resource Groups Supporting the development, facilitation, and sustainability of ERGs — from helping you establish the right structure and governance through to facilitating community sessions and supporting ERG leads to be effective.

Inclusion-focused learning and development Designing and delivering workshops and learning interventions that build inclusive leadership capability across your organisation. Including our Inclusive Leadership workshop, which can be delivered as a standalone session or as part of a broader team development programme.

Cultural diagnostic and advisory Working with senior leaders and People teams to understand the cultural conditions that either support or undermine inclusion — and advising on practical steps to shift them.

Who this is for

This work is for organisations that:

  • Have a DEI strategy but aren't confident it's translating into real cultural change

  • Are seeing attrition or engagement issues that may be linked to inclusion

  • Want to move beyond compliance and build inclusion as a genuine performance driver

  • Are establishing or refreshing their ERGs and want expert support to do it well

  • Have leaders who want to lead more inclusively but aren't sure what that means in practice

Our approach

A few things we believe about this work that shape how we do it:

Inclusion is a performance strategy, not a values exercise. Organisations that create environments where every person can contribute fully don't just feel better to work in — they measurably perform better. We keep that commercial lens on throughout.

Good intentions aren't enough. The organisations that make real progress on inclusion are the ones willing to look honestly at what's actually happening — not just what they'd like to be true. We help you have those honest conversations.

Language matters — and context matters more. We are sensitive to the fact that the language around this work varies significantly by geography, sector, and organisational culture. We work with you to find the framing that lands in your specific context, rather than importing terminology that creates resistance before the work has even begun.

Frequently asked questions

  • An inclusion strategy is a practical plan for how your organisation will build an environment where people from all backgrounds can contribute fully and progress equitably. At We Are Firestarter, that work starts with understanding where you are now: reviewing existing policies, practices, and data to identify where the gaps are between your stated values and the lived experience of your people. From there we work with you to design interventions that are grounded in your specific context rather than generic DEI frameworks that could belong to any organisation.

  • A policy sets out your commitments. A strategy is how you actually deliver on them. Most organisations have policies that are well-intentioned but not connected to the day-to-day decisions, structures, and behaviours that determine whether inclusion is real or just documented. If your people are telling you the policy exists but the culture hasn’t changed, that is the gap a strategy addresses.

  • An Employee Resource Group is a voluntary, employee-led group that brings together people with shared identities or experiences, whether that is gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, faith, or another characteristic. ERGs play a powerful role in culture, belonging, and organisational insight when they are well supported. We work with ERG leaders and sponsors to build the structures, skills, and stakeholder relationships that make ERGs sustainable and commercially credible, rather than relying on the goodwill and personal energy of a small number of committed volunteers.

  • By starting with what is actually happening rather than what looks good on paper. Our work is grounded in real organisational experience and we are direct about what we find. Inclusion work that changes something tends to be specific, honest, and connected to business outcomes. Inclusion work that becomes a tick-box exercise tends to be generic, surface-level, and disconnected from how decisions are actually made. We design for the former.

  • Both. Some organisations we work with are building their inclusion strategy from scratch. Others have been investing in DEI for years and want an independent review of what is working and what is not. The starting point changes the work, but the approach is the same: understand where you are, be honest about the gaps, and design something that will actually make a difference.

  • Yes, and it often is. Inclusion strategy sits naturally alongside leadership development, ERG work, facilitation, and team development. Organisations that invest in inclusion at a strategic level while also developing their leaders and teams tend to see more durable change than those that treat inclusion as a standalone programme. We can help you think about how the different strands connect.

Ready to have an honest conversation about inclusion in your organisation?

The best starting point is a conversation about where you are, what you've tried, and what you want to be different. We'll tell you honestly whether and how we can help.

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