We believe that the world is changed via conversation.
Who are we?
We are a diversity and inclusion consultancy, and we support businesses in creating greater difference and belonging in their workplaces.
We are passionate about cultures in which people feel able to show up as themselves and where diversity of thought is valued. We recognise that creating and leading diverse and inclusive organisations is not easy - and we help businesses to navigate this complexity. Whilst direction needs to come from the top, we believe it is everyone’s responsibility to step in to their inclusive leadership.
Why are we different?
We are different from other DEI consultancies in that we have a fresh, modern and paradigm shifting approach.
We want to create sustainable change - and to that end we support, conduct research, facilitate, coach and advise. You are ultimately responsible for creating the change.
All of our coaches have ‘done their own work’ and we are confident that they are leading from a place of heart, not from hurt.
Rather than lecturing you on why you should do this, we speak to the business case and the personal fulfilment case. We’ll encourage you to identify the ‘why’ for your business.
We are also told that we are engaging and fun to work with!
We have worked hard to create a diverse roster of coaches. You can find out more about them here.
Note from the founder, Roxanne Hobbs
I started The Hobbs Consultancy because I was sure that we could do better for our female talent. I wanted to support women through their maternity transition and also in to leadership positions. In the industry I had worked in, we had no issues attracting women, rather we weren't holding on to them through their family years and also weren't ensuring an upwards career trajectory for them. And really this conversation wasn't happening that much back in 2012. One of the first people I told about my new business purpose responded, 'Rox, are you going to start burning your bra now?'. He worked at C-suite level.
I have learnt that it is not just women that might feel excluded from the workplace. There are multiple axes of difference, and it is really understanding everyone's experience as unique that sits at the heart of all of this. I have learnt that we can't simply focus on working with minority groups, but instead need to look at systems and how systems can change. My son's autism diagnosis has prompted a particular interest in Neurodiversity and we've worked hard to kick-off a conversation about Neurodiversity in business.
The THC journey to a more diverse and inclusive workplace has now helped many organisations move from insight to real action and sustainable change.
Back in 2012 it was difficult getting this on the agenda. I felt like people knew this was important but didn't see it as a priority. It's been amazing to watch the conversation gain in attention and importance.
About the founder
Roxanne Hobbs is the founder of The Hobbs Consultancy. A former managing partner in a top media agency, she is passionate about driving transformation in the workplace via diversity and inclusivity and has been recognised in the BIMA 100 'Champions of Good' category for 2018. March 2018 saw the release of her book 'Diverted', charting the story of her son's autism diagnosis. It is a story of resilience, humanity and being the change we want to see in the world.
Diverted: A journey of resilience to the newest frontier of inclusion', by Roxanne Hobbs
Roxanne and her husband were blindsided when their son’s schoolteacher suggested that their five-year-old was autistic. In a five-minute meeting, the shift from confident parents of a ‘normal’ child to parents who had a son with suspected special needs was all too sudden. Roxanne, with all the coaching tools and training at her disposal, found the transition to acceptance challenging. In this book she bears witness to the family's experience from shock thorough to acceptance through to being key champions of the neurodiversity moment. She draws upon key resilience frameworks meaning the book is not only helpful to parents of autistic children, but to anyone facing unexpected change in their lives.