Our Story
Sladen Consulting. A name rooted in relationships.
A name rooted in relationships
Sladen Consulting takes its name from a place that matters to our founder's family. It reflects something fundamental about how we see our work.
That outcomes are shaped by relationships - by how people listen, challenge, decide and move forward together. That understanding has stayed with us as our work has evolved.
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 changed
Sladen Consulting was founded in 2005 by Richard and Julie Colley, initially working from a kitchen table in the UK. From the outset, the focus was on combining psychological insight with real organisational experience - helping leaders and teams navigate complexity, without oversimplifying it.
Sladen Consulting is founded in the UK
Early partnerships with Merck establish long-term work in healthcare
The first virtual Skill Bites are launched
Virtual delivery accelerates in response to COVID-19
German office opens
The Butterfly Fund launches, embedding sustainability and social impact into how we work
Sonja Skopp is appointed CEO
Sladen marks 20 years of work across an ever-growing global community
What hasn't changed is the nature of the work itself: supporting people to think clearly, make sound decisions and adapt well when conditions are demanding.
How we work today
Today, Sladen works globally with organisations facing complexity, scrutiny and constant change - particularly in healthcare and other regulated environments.
Our work is shaped by a small set of Guiding Beliefs that translate directly into how we show up with clients, how we design work, and how we behave under pressure.
"These beliefs aren't aspirational statements. They are disciplines that we rely on when conditions are complex."
Humanity, in practice
Humanity isn't a soft add-on to our work. It's how we protect trust, clear thinking and good judgement when it would be easier to default to speed, control or oversimplification.
That's what clients tend to notice most when they work with us - not a framework or a methodology, but a way of working that feels steady, proportionate and human.
If our story resonates, we'd welcome a conversation.
Let's explore what working together could look like.
