Cat Wildman and Nic Ponsford launched the Global Equality Collective (the GEC) to help organisations break ground in Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion by combining their own data with the world’s first D&I app for businesses and schools.

Back in 2017, Cat and Nic were introduced on Twitter and realised they had a shared interest in achieving equality in the workplace. With Cat’s 15 years-experience in platform design and product development, and Nic’s 20 years of designing teacher and leadership training, they realised they could create a framework that companies could use to achieve diversity, equality, and inclusion.

Within three years, they secured six-figure funding, launched their start up, built the GEC App, and created an online community of over 15k like-minded followers. All this while still having full-time jobs and three young children each at home, against the backdrop of a global pandemic.

The aim of the GEC framework is to challenge the idea that leaders can’t tackle inclusion and diversity themselves because they aren’t experts. Nic explains, “Instead of costly outsourcing, the GEC framework adds a solid layer of leadership training on top of existing expertise, which enables business and educational leaders to look at data we give them about their own specific situation and find ways to close gaps. That’s where the GEC magic happens.”

The pair quickly realised a user-friendly app would be the best way for companies to use the framework. “I’ve spent my career creating digital products that people love,” Cat reveals, “Creating my own was like running wild in a pick ’n’ mix store. Everything you see in the GEC App is intentional; from the colours we use, to the rounded corners on each of the sections – and the buttons were inspired by our human compulsion to pop bubble wrap!”

Nic and Cat didn’t create the framework alone. They combined research from three leading UK universities and worked with over 100 subject experts to create a collective of like-minded specialists. The GEC Collective continues to grow with new members coming through referrals and via the GEC’s active social media network.   

For further details visit GEC website

Submitted by Helly Douglas