Our Story
Humanity has always been at the heart of our story.
For more than 20 years, we've helped organisations create the conditions where people and performance can thrive together.
Our business has evolved considerably in that time. But the belief behind it hasn't: sustainable performance starts with understanding people.
It's shaped how we work with clients, how we've grown our community and how we're building Sladen for the future.
A name rooted in relationships
Relationships have always been central to who we are.
The name Sladen reflects that belief and reminds us that progress is rarely achieved alone.
Where our name comes from
'Sladen' was the name of a garden in Chennai, India, connected to our founder Richard Colley's family history - the place where his grandfather proposed to his grandmother.
In later years, Sladen House became home to several generations of the Colley family.
We've kept the name not because of nostalgia, but because it reflects something enduring about relationships and progress.
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How the work began – and how it's evolved
Sladen Consulting was founded in 2005 by Richard and Julie Colley, initially working from a kitchen table in the UK.
From the outset, the ambition was to help leaders and teams navigate complexity without oversimplifying it – combining an understanding of human behaviour with the realities of organisational life.
Over the years, that ambition has remained constant, while our business has continued to grow.
Sladen begins
Richard and Julie establish Sladen Consulting, bringing together behavioural insight and real organisational experience to help people and organisations perform at their best
Relationships that last
Early work with Merck marks the beginning of a long-standing client relationship and Sladen's growing expertise across healthcare and life sciences
New ways to learn
The first virtual Skill Bites are launched, introducing shorter, highly practical learning experiences designed around the realities of people's working lives
Adapting to a changing world
Virtual delivery accelerates in response to COVID-19, enabling us to continue connecting and working with clients around the world
Growing our international presence
Sladen opens its German office, strengthening our presence in Europe and bringing us closer to our growing international client community
Extending our impact
The Butterfly Fund is established, creating a way to use Sladen's expertise to support organisations delivering positive social and environmental impact
A new generation of leadership
Sonja Skopp becomes CEO, bringing a scientist's curiosity and deep healthcare experience with a passion for developing people and teams
Twenty years of Sladen
We celebrate two decades alongside the global community of clients, colleagues and associates who have shaped the business with us
Becoming employee-owned
Sladen moves into employee ownership, protecting its independence, purpose and values for the generations to come
What hasn't changed is the nature of our work: helping people think clearly, make sound decisions and create the conditions where people and organisations can thrive.
Preserving what matters
“We've always believed in leaving things stronger than we found them. Employee ownership is our way of doing exactly that.”
Employee ownership isn't a change in direction. It's a natural continuation of the beliefs that have shaped Sladen from the beginning.
Richard and Julie chose employee ownership because they wanted the business to remain independent, purpose-led and true to the values on which it was built.
Through an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), all of Sladen's shares are now held for the benefit of our employees, making Sladen 100% employee-owned.
With Sladen becoming employee-owned, Julie Colley retired after more than twenty years of helping to build the business and establishing the Butterfly Fund. We are incredibly grateful for the care, vision and generosity she brought to Sladen throughout that journey.
Richard remains closely involved as an advisor, supporting our leadership team, contributing to strategic projects and continuing to work with clients.
Employee ownership ensures the values that shaped our past continue to shape our future.
How we work today
Today, we work with organisations around the world navigating complexity, scrutiny and constant change, particularly across healthcare and other regulated environments.
Our work is guided by a set of Guiding Beliefs that shape how we think, how we work and how we partner with our clients.
These aren't aspirational statements. They're the disciplines we rely on when conditions are complex.
Humanity, in practice
Humanity isn't separate from performance. It's one of the conditions that makes sustainable performance possible.
Over more than two decades of working with leaders, teams and organisations, we've seen the same thing repeatedly: performance doesn't happen in isolation. It's shaped by the human conditions around it.
Trust. Relationships. Curiosity. The quality of conversations. The confidence to challenge assumptions and make sound decisions when things aren't straightforward.
Today, The Humanity Formula™ gives us a way to explore those conditions more deliberately – helping organisations understand not just what's happening, but why.
It's a new expression of a belief that's been part of Sladen from the beginning.
Looking ahead
Sladen has never stood still.
Employee ownership gives us the freedom to keep evolving – investing in our people, our thinking and the ideas that will shape what comes next.
We're proud of what Richard and Julie began around a kitchen table more than twenty years ago. And we're equally excited about what the next generation of Sladen will make of it.
Our responsibility is simple: care for what we've inherited, keep challenging ourselves to make it better, and leave it stronger for those who come next.
Because sustainable performance isn't only about what we achieve today.
It's about what we make possible tomorrow.
We'd love to start a conversation.
If you'd like to learn more about Sladen or explore how we could support your organisation, we'd love to start a conversation.
