What National Centre for Diversity does

National Centre for Diversity (NCFD) is a privately-held UK company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Huddersfield, providing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) accreditation, training, and advisory services to organisations across the private, public, and voluntary sectors. The company operates a portfolio built around its proprietary FREDIE framework (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement), which underpins three core accreditation tiers — Investors in Diversity (IID) as the entry-level offering, Leaders in Diversity (LID) for deeper organisational commitment, and Masters in Diversity (MID) as a 12-month executive leadership programme — plus specialised tracks for schools (aligned with Ofsted requirements), small charities, and small businesses. Since its founding, NCFD states it has supported over 700 organisations and surveyed more than 100,000 employees, accumulating nearly two decades of UK EDI benchmarking data.

The product surface spans accredited memberships (valid for two years and functioning as a quasi-recurring revenue stream), a catalogue of at least twelve topic-specific training courses delivered via online, face-to-face, and practitioner-led formats, an EDI Health Check assessment tool, and the Personal Inclusivity Development Programme. NCFD's go-to-market is sales-led and consultation-first, relying on a UK phone line (0800 288 4717), enquiry forms, content marketing, and an annual FREDIE Awards ceremony that anchors the Top 100 Most Inclusive UK Employers Index (published continuously since 2016). Customer concentration is diversified across at least twelve sectors including housing, construction, railways, nuclear, further education, sports, and the charity sector, with logos ranging from enterprise-scale clients such as Programme and Project Partners at Sellafield (20,000 employees) down to small businesses with under 100 staff.

NCFD is led by founder and CEO Solat Chaudhry and operates with an 11-50 employee headcount. It is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, no acquisition activity, no international expansion, and no AI/ML product capabilities evident in the source data. Its economic engine is a hybrid of recurring accreditation renewals and project-based training and consulting revenue, with pricing undisclosed and determined on a consultation basis. The business functions as a niche, established services franchise in the UK EDI compliance and culture-change market rather than a venture-scale or technology-led platform.

Name

National Centre for Diversity

Legal name

National Centre for Diversity

Website

https://nationalcentrefordiversity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Centre for Diversity is a UK-based, private EDI accreditation and training provider, founded in 2005, that helps organisations benchmark and improve workplace fairness using its proprietary FREDIE framework across private, public, and voluntary sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

EDI Accreditation and Diversity Training Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion Compliance Reviews (EDADAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender (EDADALAF), Special Education / Intervention & Differentiated Instruction Content Development (EDAGAKAO), Basic Education Access & Quality (Primary/Secondary) (BPADAKAA), Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

Keywords

• EDI accreditation services
• Diversity training programs
• Workplace inclusion consulting
• Equality accreditation frameworks
• FREDIE methodology

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. EDI Accreditation Services: Providing Investors in Diversity accreditation (Silver/Gold/Bronze levels), Leaders in Diversity, Masters in Diversity programmes, and specialised accreditations for schools, small businesses, and charities. Accreditation valid for 2 years.
2. Diversity Training Programmes: Range of training products including online diversity training, face-to-face diversity training, practitioner-led online diversity training, and the Personal Inclusivity Development Programme. All based on real workplace scenarios.
3. EDI Health Check Services: Quick health check questionnaire helping businesses assess equality and diversity maturity and identify areas for improvement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

National Centre for Diversity provides Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) accreditation programmes, training courses, and advisory services built around its proprietary FREDIE framework (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement). Core deliverables include the Investors in Diversity, Leaders in Diversity, and Masters in Diversity accreditations, a portfolio of online and face-to-face diversity training, an EDI Health Check assessment, and the annual FREDIE Awards ceremony, sold primarily to UK employers across private, public, education and charity sectors.

Product overview

The National Centre for Diversity provides a comprehensive suite of EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) accreditation programmes, training courses, and advisory services built around its proprietary FREDIE framework (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement). The core offering consists of three accreditation tiers: Investors in Diversity (IID) as the foundational accreditation, Leaders in Diversity (LID) for deeper organisational commitment, and Masters in Diversity (MID) as an advanced 12-month leadership development programme. These accreditations are complemented by specialised tracks for Schools, Small Charities, and Small Businesses. Training products span online courses, face-to-face sessions, practitioner-led guided learning, and the Personal Inclusivity Development Programme. The company also operates the annual FREDIE Awards ceremony and publishes the Top 100 Most Inclusive UK Employers Index. An EDI Health Check assessment tool helps organisations evaluate their starting point. Together, these products form a progression pathway from initial EDI engagement through to award-winning organisational transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investors in Diversity (IID) Accreditation Foundational EDI accreditation programme helping UK organisations create fair and inclusive workplaces; involves diagnostic surveys sent to internal and external stakeholders, analysis by dedicated assessors against IID standards, and an award valid for two years upon successful completion. Available in Bronze, Silver and Gold levels.
• Leaders in Diversity (LID) Accreditation EDI accreditation for companies seeking to fully embrace EDI in the workplace and create inclusive places to work, sitting above the Investors in Diversity tier in NCFD's framework.
• Masters in Diversity (MID) Programme 12-month personalised Leadership Programme comprising 6 Master Classes, a 360-degree consultation, and approximately 14 hours of one-to-one personal development coaching per participant; organisations achieving 80% completion receive the Masters in Diversity accreditation valid for 2 years and participants are recognised as Fellows of the National Centre for Diversity.
• Investors in Diversity for Schools EDI accreditation tailored for schools, aligned with Ofsted requirements; includes equality impact review of policies, practices and procedures, and diagnostic surveys of internal and external stakeholders.
• Investors in Diversity for Small Charities EDI framework designed for small charities to review current approaches and plan further development, including culture/equality impact assessment.
• Investors in Diversity for Small Businesses EDI framework for small businesses to review current approaches and plan further development, enabling culture/equality impact assessment.
• Online Diversity Training Online diversity training courses with engaging, scenario-based content designed for staff to learn EDI principles at their own pace through the NCFD online platform.
• Face-to-Face Diversity Training Classroom-based diversity training tailored for specific organisations, built on the FREDIE framework and grounded in real workplace scenarios.
• Practitioner Led Online Diversity Training Guided online diversity training programmes led by NCFD practitioners, offering structured learning sessions supported by qualified EDI professionals.
• Personal Inclusivity Development Programme Individual development programme building personal inclusivity skills, knowledge and confidence for individual employees and managers.
• Specialist Diversity Training Courses Portfolio of structured EDI training courses covering Introduction to Diversity and Inclusion, Unconscious Bias, Cultural Awareness, Disability in the Workplace, Gender Equality, Inclusive Language, Inclusive Leadership, Inclusive Recruitment, LGBTQ+ Awareness, Mental Health, Neurodiversity and Race Awareness.
• EDI Health Check Quick health check questionnaire that helps businesses assess their current equality and diversity practices, maturity stage (Getting Ready to Pioneering), and priority areas for improvement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 700 organisations supported through EDI journey
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CEMVO (Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerChangeworks received training from CEMVO covering topics such as protected characteristics, conscious and unconscious bias, and recognising privilege as part of their Investors in Diversity journey.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei): UK membership-based organisation offering EDI training, resources, conferences, and benchmarking tools to employers. Closely comparable to NCFD's UK employer-focused EDI training and community-building activities, including its own awards and indices.
• Inclusive Employers: UK membership organisation providing EDI training, consultancy, and accreditation programmes to employers. Directly comparable as a UK-based provider of workplace inclusion accreditation and training competing for the same customer base as NCFD.
• EW Group: UK consultancy delivering EDI training, unconscious bias programmes, and inclusion strategy to corporate and public-sector clients. Closely comparable to NCFD's training and consulting services in the UK workplace EDI market.
• The Diversity Trust: UK not-for-profit specialising in EDI training, consultancy, and policy support for employers and public bodies. Comparable as a specialist UK EDI training and accreditation provider targeting similar employer segments to NCFD.
• Realise HR: Smaller UK consultancy offering bespoke EDI training, policy development, and inclusion audits to employers. Comparable as a UK-based specialist EDI training provider, although typically smaller in scale and lacking a proprietary accreditation framework.

Broad incumbents

• Business in the Community (BITC): UK royal-chartered business-led membership organisation running workplace campaigns on inclusion, race, gender and wellbeing. Comparable as a UK EDI thought leader with accreditation-adjacent programmes and a broader portfolio spanning responsible business topics.
• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD): UK professional body for HR and people development, providing training, qualifications, and resources that include EDI content. Comparable as a broader HR education authority that competes for the same organisational training budgets, though EDI is one of many focus areas.

Regional players

• Mindful Employer: UK initiative supporting employers around mental health in the workplace, providing guidance, training and a charter mark. Comparable to NCFD as a UK employer-focused accreditation and training scheme, but specialised in mental health rather than broader EDI.
• Opportunity Now (part of BITC): BITC's gender equality inclusion programme offering benchmarking, training, and employer resources in the UK. Comparable as a UK EDI accreditation and benchmarking programme competing for the same corporate EDI spend.

Others

• The Prince's Trust (King's Trust): UK youth and employment charity running inclusion, employability and workplace-readiness programmes. Not a direct competitor but adjacent as a UK organisation promoting workplace inclusion outcomes relevant to NCFD's employer audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 National Centre for Diversity