Introduction
Positive About Inclusion is an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) consultancy and training provider. Founded in 2020, when our two Directors – Lucy Malarkey and Karen Faulkner – took the opportunity to pivot from careers in the public sector to follow their passion for creating and sustaining inclusive workplace cultures. This social impact statement summarises the positive difference made and added value delivered during 2025.
Our Approach to Social Impact and Added Value
As a profit-for-purpose Community Interest Company, our mission is to create a more inclusive world. We work with organisations of all shapes and sizes, supporting them with training and consultancy projects that create more inclusive workplaces, generating positive social impact for colleagues as well as the customers and communities they serve. The surplus generated from this commercial activity enables us to give back by delivering added value through the pro bono training, consultancy and networking opportunities that we provide.
Our Objectives and Social Impact
To deliver our mission, we have three objectives:
- Objective One – To deliver bespoke training solutions that enhance knowledge and understanding.
- Objective Two – To deliver consultancy projects that embed and sustain inclusive cultures in the workplace and beyond.
- Objective Three – To provide pro bono activity to help tackle the societal challenges that are preventing inclusive communities.
A range of qualitative and quantitative impact metrics are measured and monitored throughout the year to enable us to quantify the positive impact achieved. Our impact report for 2025 outlined four ambitions for 2026 as follows:
- We Said We Would…Continue to expand the number of organisations with whom we work and the different sectors and industries they represent. How we Delivered This…During 2025, we welcomed 11 new clients in four new sectors – advanced manufacturing, private education, construction and tourism.
- We Said We Would…Adapt the commercial services we provide to extend our offer in response to client feedback. How we Delivered This…We introduced two new services to our offer during 2025 in direct response to client feedback – a Board Member Induction Programme for the social housing sector and an EDI workshop targeted at Apprentices, and expanded our e-learning design and delivery to include new modules.
- We Said We Would…Facilitate at least three Inclusion Forum North East events, using feedback from the member community to inform the topics and subjects explored. How we Delivered This…We held four Inclusion Forum North East events throughout 2025 on a range of topics from equality impact assessments to preventing sexual harassment at work in line with the Worker Protection Act.
- We Said We Would...Increase the amount of pro bono activity we deliver to the equivalent of 30 hours. How we Delivered This…We have more than doubled this from last year with approx. 60 hours of pro bono activity being delivered.
Our pro bono activity centred around three key societal challenges:
Community Cohesion – With a social housing background, it’s no surprise that a strong element of our added value activity focused on community cohesion. During 2025, we were delighted to work in partnership with Karbon Homes and the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge to deliver a Pride in Housing event. This was an opportunity for landlords who have made this commitment (or are considering doing so) to hear from peers on the positive impact this makes to customers and colleagues. For many reasons, 2025 has been a challenging year for North East housing providers and we were delighted to be invited to speak with a group of senior leaders at the Collaborate Group. Discussion centred on approaches to community cohesion in the aftermath of anti-immigrant protests and to contribute to a research project, Progress Under Pressure delivered by executive search agency, Castle Peak Group.
Professional Resilience – Our Inclusion Forum North East continues to demonstrate our commitment to giving back and adding value. The forum is a free in-person networking opportunity for professionals who share a passion for inclusion and we have a network of members that represent a diverse range of industries and sectors, with whom to network, collaborate and share best practice. During 2025, we are proud to have delivered four Inclusion Forum North East events and to have had support from various organisations who have hosted events and provided keynote speakers.
Increasing Gender Diversity – As a female-led business, we continuously seek opportunities to enhance gender diversity in sometimes traditionally male dominated sectors. During 2025, we have delivered the following added value:
- Advanced Manufacturing – hosted a Women in Automotive panel discussion at the North East Automotive Alliance’s annual Expo.
- Transport – delivered the keynote address at the Nexus King’s Trust International Women’s Day fundraiser.
- Construction – joined the Constructing Excellence North East People Group and the sub-group responsible for their annual All In Conference.
- Waste Management – presented at the North West Resources Forum event in Lancashire to 100+ waste management professionals.
Conclusion
This has been another successful year for Positive About Inclusion. We are proud of the positive social impact we have made though our commercial activity and the added value we’ve delivered as a result.
Our ambitions for 2026 include:
- Continue to focus our pro bono, giving back activity on addressing the societal challenges that will be critical during 2026.
- Continue to expand the number of organisations with whom we work and the different sectors and industries they represent.
- Expand our IFNE network of members and the sectors represented.
For more information on the services we design and deliver, or to join our Inclusion Forum North East network, please get in touch.
