Who we are

We are a collective of experienced and committed professionals, bound by a shared vision to ‘make difference count’.

We do this by staying curious, questioning the status quo and using research as the foundation for all our solutions. Everything we do, is underpinned by our four values, which are:

Curiosity (pakiki) – We don’t assume, we ask questions, and practice active listening.

Courage (kaha) – We are not afraid to challenge the status quo and lead the way.

Collaboration (mahi tahi) – The magic lies in working together – we partner with our clients to tap into their thinking and come up with solutions that really work.

Continuity (tanu) – Our solutions are future focussed – we care about sustainable solutions that are good for all and pave the way for a better future.

One thing is for sure – we are united in our views that pursuing the goal of a more diverse, inclusive, equitable and sustainable workplace and society is worth doing!

Our Team

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Carol Brown Chief Executive

Area of expertise: Diversity, equity and inclusion strategy development, governance models, diversity, equity and inclusion business case and end to end DE&I consulting.

What matters to me: I see vast opportunities for organisations to improve their productivity and become globally competitive – By being smart about tapping into the diversity of talent and skills available in the market, organisations can improve outcomes for themselves, for their employees and their customers. Supporting business leaders to develop the right DEIB strategies and put measurable and achievable objectives in place, is how I help our clients to be more innovative and ultimately improve their bottom line. This is what really gives me a buzz.

Favourite quote: “It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.” (Winston S. Churchill)

Countries worked in: 6

Ian Baker Finance & Operations Manager

Area of expertise: Financial management, simplification of business processes, people leadership.

What matters to me: I believe a strong finance team should provide business insight and operational support to all internal teams; enabling them to deliver the best possible outcomes to customers. I love seeing businesses thrive by being better businesses - for their clients and for their people.

Favourite quote: “Love People, Use Things: because the opposite never works.” (The Minimalists)

Countries worked in: 5

Jo Mitchell General Manager - Consulting

Area of Expertise: Co-design, Brand & communications strategy, Business strategy, Qualitative research, Workshop design and facilitation, Stakeholder engagement

What matters to me: I believe in centring lived and felt experiences of people within strategy and design. By including the voices that matter the most, we can co-design a way forward that embeds diversity, equity and inclusion to create outcomes that empower people and organisations alike. I find the magic happens when we come together and see the value of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as part of our humanity. If we can support transformative changes within organisations then we step closer to shifting societal norms for the better. When we can all be our whole selves, feel seen, heard and empowered, everybody wins.

Favourite quote: “True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.” (Brené Brown)

Countries worked in: 8

Sarah Peters Senior Consultant

Area of expertise: Implementing inclusive workplace practises, gender equality, race relations and human rights.

What matters to me: I believe that increasing our understanding of peoples’ differences builds stronger economies and communities. I enjoy enabling clients to foster an inclusive, empowered and high-performing workplace culture – a place where individuals can be themselves and use their talents, experience and energies to achieve their full potential.

Favourite quote: He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people. (A whakataukī or Māori proverb)

Countries worked in: 2

Jess Holdaway Senior Consultant

Area of Expertise: Co-design, design for social change, strategy development, qualitative research, workshop design and facilitation 

What matters to me: 

I am passionate about co-creating organisations, communities, and systems that are inclusive, transformative, and impactful.
The work of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, recognises the interdependence between many different types of people, all of whom have different belief systems, worldviews and ways of being. Working with these different aspects of our identity, empowers us to continue to innovate, problem solve and evolve - because of our differences, not in spite of them. 

Favourite quote: “There are a million paths into the future, and many of them can be transformative for the whole." (Adrienne Maree Brown) 

Countries worked in: 3

Verity Thom Project Manager

Area of expertise: Project and Business Operations Management.

What matters to me: Supporting and empowering leaders and organisations to develop transformative, sustainable solutions for equity and inclusion. Creating partnerships with every client and applying a developmental and personalised approach to “meet people where they are at.”

I enjoy getting to work closely with our clients to cultivate the most effective, long-lasting DEIB solutions possible.

Favourite quote: “In a world where you can be anything, be yourself.” (Albert Einstein)

Countries worked in: 2

Birgit Maier Senior Consultant

Area of expertise: DEIB Strategy development and implementation, strategic change management (PROSCI), culture and values consulting and training, leadership & life coaching.

What matters to me: Organisations are most successful when all employees participate meaningfully in diversity and inclusion strategies. Inclusion becomes real, when leadership authentically demonstrate the values, systems and structures align and employees feel respected and heard. I love to use my strategic change management and coaching skills to help leaders develop inclusive, successful, and sustainable organisations.  

Favourite quote: “…and then the day came that the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” (Anaïs Nin)

Countries worked in: 3

Emilija Nikolic Senior Consultant

Area of Expertise: Workplace culture consulting, strategy, analysis, solutions design and facilitation. 

What matters to me: Improving individuals' experience of workplace culture. It matters to me because how we experience work, impacts how we turn up at home and in our communities. Work is a complex system that can be better understood through individual's voices and their wish for it to be as good as it can be, and then those very same individuals become the catalysts for change. When we make workplaces better, by using equity and belonging as levers, factors such as psychological safety, leadership, wellbeing and productivity are positively impacted. I think most people want this for their workplaces.

Favourite quote: “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” (Rumi)

Countries worked in: 3

Mike Lu Analyst

Area of expertise: Business Analytics

What matters to me: I believe that data processing and analysis can help businesses flourish by defining organisational goals, enabling better decision-making and identifying opportunities.

Through my experience in business analytics, compliance monitoring and academic research in publicly listed companies, I strive to provide the best business solutions through quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Favourite quote: “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” (William Shakespeare)

Countries worked in: 3

Glorie Misa Researcher

Area of Expertise: Conducting market and academic research providing strategic insights into DEIB in the workplace.

What matters to me: To me, learning is a constant voyage towards comprehending the unknown. Diversity provides an opportunity for personal and professional growth through learning from individuals who hold different perspectives and life experiences. By embracing and understanding people’s perspectives and life experiences, we can create transformative and rewarding experiences for communities and workspaces, as well as the individuals within them. I believe in cultural humility as a grounding concept that can facilitate and shape these interactions through ongoing learning, self-reflection, and accountability – practices that can serve to create a more prosperous and cohesive space for everyone while working towards embracing DEIB.

Favourite quote: “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” (Albert Einstein)

Countries worked in: 2

Sarah Devereaux Coach

Area of Expertise: Leadership and Executive Coaching, Training Coaches

What matters to me: My purpose in life is to create the ripple effect of positive change. As the world’s youngest International Coach Federation (ICF) Master Certified Coach (MCC) I have trained over 800 coaches and leaders from around the globe in Transformative Coaching. I love the nurturing process of supporting these individuals to master the science and the art of coaching, so they too can create the ripple effect of positive change.

Favourite quote: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” (Anaïs Nin)

Countries worked in: 6

Evan Spargo Coach

Area of Expertise: Leadership & Wellness Coaching, Training Coaches

What matters to me: To live in alignment with my purpose, which is to help people find their own unique greatness within and help transform their own realities by transforming their mindset. Through my work as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and a Fitness Professional over the past decade internationally, I relish the opportunity to shine light on what is unconscious to us and the untapped potential within. To relentlessly create wholesome and positive change for ourselves, to live a more aligned, rich and fulfilled life.

Favourite quote: “Everything you have ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” (George Addair)

Countries worked in: 5

Associates

Lynette Reed Head of Hybridges

Vaughan Reed CEO and Founder of Vibe.fyi

Lynette

Lynette Reed is the founder of Hybridges, and currently Heads up Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy at Auckland Transport. Lynette pioneered Auckland Transport’s Pasifika Strategy, as well as overseeing the crucial Future of Work, Hybrid ways of working strategy. Having completed her Master of Technological Futures at The Tech Future Lab, bringing a Pasifika engagement model from the academic world and using it in the corporate context of Auckland Transport as a framework to improve the Pasifika experience of recruitment, onboarding and leadership across the organisation.

Lynette serves with her husband Richard as a community Pastor in Auckland. Having served in Samoa and Adelaide, Australia, yielding invaluable insights into people and culture in a challenging context, crossing barriers of culture, generational and gender. Lynette was a finalist for the Diversity Works NZ Diversity Champion Awards 2022.

Lynette is excited to be partnering with Diversitas for opportunities to co-create, design, develop and embed a Pasifika strategy to create equitable and measurable improvements for your people and your business.

Vaughan

The hard-to-reach, deskless workforce make up about 80% of the global workforce yet are often overlooked when it comes to internal communications. With over 20 years of working in the digital communication space, Vaughan has seen how effective communications can drive business success.

Based in Auckland, Vaughan leads Vibe.fyi, a workplace digital signage solution that helps businesses confidently reach and engage their entire workforce with dynamic and memorable content – even deskless workers.

To reinforce the right behaviours and influence change, your employees need ongoing communication. Vibe.fyi partners with Diversitas to keep DEIB messages front of mind for your workforce, wherever they are located.

I didn’t know much about my own cultural values before completing the assessment and attending the training. It was very interesting, and I learnt a lot of valuable tips on how to understand my colleagues better and apply what I’ve learnt to build deeper relationships. Thank you for a very enjoyable and informative session. Cultural Intelligence Training - NZ

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