The Whitehall & Industry Group

What The Whitehall & Industry Group does

The Whitehall & Industry Group (WIG) is a UK-registered charitable company limited by guarantee, founded in 1984 as a joint initiative between the Cabinet Office and Marks & Spencer to place civil servants in industry. Operating from a single headquarters at 80 Petty France, London, with 11-50 employees, WIG convenes leaders from government, business, education, and civil society to facilitate cross-sector collaboration, operating as an independent, non-lobbying platform under Chatham House Rule. Its core offerings span eight product lines: over 100 annual policy dialogue events (briefings, roundtables, webinars, workshops, panel discussions), structured leadership development programmes (Advanced Collaborative Leadership, Senior Leaders, Step Up Step Across, Exchange, Women's Leadership, Bespoke), cross-sector mentoring, secondments including Charity Next, NED and Trustee recruitment, organisational raids, seven professional networks, and thought-leadership insights and publications. Its go-to-market is direct, sales-led through dedicated relationship managers, with member acquisition driven by events, referrals, and proactive outreach across public sector, FTSE-grade private sector, Russell Group education, and national charity segments.

WIG generates revenue primarily through annual corporate membership fees (standard £7,300+VAT for public, private, and education members; £3,750+VAT for charity and not-for-profit members for the 2026-2027 membership year) supplemented by professional services income from leadership programmes, mentoring (£2,600+VAT per mentee), organisational raids (£8,000-£10,000+VAT per cohort of up to 20), NED/Trustee recruitment commissions, and paid workshops. The customer base exceeds 250 member organisations, including every UK central government department, top FTSE companies (e.g., KPMG, Rolls-Royce, Airbus, AstraZeneca, Aviva), professional services firms (Accenture, Bank of England), Russell Group universities (Oxford, Manchester, Durham), and major charities (Cancer Research UK, Citizens Advice). WIG is governed by a Board of Trustees supported by a Membership Advisory Council, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or external funding rounds. The technology stack is non-proprietary and event/relationship-management-focused rather than product-led.

Name

The Whitehall & Industry Group

Legal name

The Whitehall & Industry Group

Website

https://wig.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Whitehall & Industry Group (WIG) is a UK-registered charity founded in 1984 that convenes leaders from government, business, education, and civil society through events, leadership programmes, mentoring, secondments, and NED/Trustee recruitment, serving 250+ member organisations with annual corporate memberships and programme fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cross-Sector Collaboration and Leadership Development

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Functional Summits (HR, Finance, IT, Marketing, Procurement, Legal) (THAHAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Sector, Education & Nonprofit Leadership Search (BPACAAAI), Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Cross-sector collaboration
• Leadership development programmes
• Membership organization
• Policy dialogue events
• Executive mentoring services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership Fees: Annual corporate membership fees provide primary revenue stream. Membership offers access to events, leadership programmes, professional networks, and cross-sector collaboration opportunities. Fees vary by sector.
2. Leadership Development Programmes: Revenue from leadership programmes including Advanced Collaborative Leadership Programme, Senior Leaders, Step Up Step Across, Exchange, Women's Leadership, and bespoke programmes. Programs delivered for individuals at all career levels.
3. Mentoring Programme: Cross-sector mentoring programme offered to organizations seeking to develop high-potential employees. Fee of £2,600+ VAT per mentee.
4. Organisational Raids: Bespoke cross-sector leadership visits where groups of 12-20 leaders visit host organizations from different sectors. Fees range from £8,000 to £10,000+ VAT for up to 20 participants.
5. NED and Trustee Recruitment: End-to-end recruitment service for Non-Executive Directors and Trustees. Since 1999, over 500 appointments made to public bodies. Services open to members and non-members with dedicated pricing.
6. Workshop and Event Fees: Most events are free for members; workshops (particularly 'Workings of...' series) are open to all for a small fee with discounts for members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Whitehall & Industry Group (WIG) is a UK charitable membership organisation that provides a platform for cross-sector collaboration among senior leaders from government, business, education, and civil society. Its core offering is delivered through corporate membership and includes over 100 annual policy dialogue events, leadership development programmes, cross-sector mentoring, secondments, NED/Trustee recruitment services, organisational raids, and professional networks designed to build collaborative leadership capabilities across sectors.

Product overview

The Whitehall & Industry Group (WIG) is a membership-based charity that provides a platform for cross-sector collaboration among leaders from government, business, education, and civil society. The offering consists of strategic dialogue through over 100 annual Events (briefings, roundtables, webinars, workshops, panel discussions), Leadership Programmes (Advanced Collaborative Leadership Programme, Senior Leaders, Step Up Step Across, Exchange, Women's Leadership, Bespoke programmes, and Collaborative Leaders Toolkit Masterclass), Mentoring services, Secondments including Charity Next, NED and Trustee Recruitment, Organisational Raids, Professional Networks, and Insights and Publications. These services are designed to build collaborative leadership capabilities and facilitate knowledge sharing across sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 5413 leaders engaged in cross-sector policy dialogue and events annually
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered founding and core.

• Cabinet OfficefoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984WIG was established in 1984 as a joint initiative between the Cabinet Office and Marks & Spencer, originally placing civil servants in industry to broaden experience. The Cabinet Office partnership remains fundamental to WIG's cross-sector mission, connecting government with business and civil society.
• Cabinet Office - Government Campus & Civil Service LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWIG is an approved supplier for Government Campus & Civil Service Learning, delivering impactful leadership programmes that meet highest standards of learning and development for the UK Civil Service.
• Marks & SpencerfoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal founding partner with Cabinet Office in 1984 joint initiative to place civil servants in industry and develop stronger cross-sector understanding.
• Membership Advisory CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished council comprising senior cross-sector leaders ensuring member insight directly shapes WIG's strategic direction, Board discussions, and programme development.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cranfield Trust: UK charity providing pro bono board recruitment and leadership support to charities — directly comparable in NED/Trustee recruitment service to WIG, and also a cross-sector leadership charity, though smaller in scale.
• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO): Membership body for UK charities providing events, training, and policy representation — comparable in charity-membership structure and convening, particularly on the Charity Next-style secondment programmes WIG runs into the sector.
• Business in the Community (BITC): UK membership organisation working with businesses on responsible business, D&I, and cross-sector partnerships — directly comparable in cross-sector convening and corporate-membership leadership development, especially on D&I and ESG themes where WIG has documented outcomes.
• Institute of Directors (IoD): UK membership organisation for business leaders, offering events, networking, professional development, and policy voice to senior executives — directly comparable in membership-driven convening model, though focused on directors rather than cross-sector collaboration.
• RSA (Royal Society of Arts): Fellowship-based charity convening leaders across sectors to drive social impact, with events, programmes, and thought leadership. Closely comparable cross-sector convening and ideas-to-action model, though operating via individual fellowship rather than corporate membership.
• Chartered Management Institute (CMI): UK chartered body for managers offering membership, leadership development programmes, and networking — comparable in membership-led leadership training and professional network offering, though focused on management credentials.

Regional players

• UKBAA (UK Business Angels Association): UK membership association convening angels, investors, and policy stakeholders through events and networks — comparable in convening-of-elite-stakeholders membership model, though focused on investment rather than cross-sector policy dialogue.

Broad incumbents

• Confederation of British Industry (CBI): The UK's most prominent business membership organisation, convening leaders across sectors for policy dialogue. Overlaps with WIG on events and policy influence, though CBI is a broader business lobby and substantially larger in scale.

Emerging players

• The Council for Sustainable Business: Cross-sector UK business council convening leaders on sustainability — comparable in convening cross-sector leaders for policy and practice dialogue, particularly on the Sustainability Directors network WIG runs.
• Association of MBAs (AMBA): International membership and accreditation body for business schools with events and leadership networks — comparable in business education and leadership convening, though more focused on academic accreditation than cross-sector policy dialogue.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wiguk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-whitehall-&-industry-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Whitehall & Industry Group