The Circle Partnership
The Circle Partnership is a UK-based talent development consultancy that runs the 12-month Circle Academy programme alongside bespoke coaching and mentoring services, helping mid-level women in the built environment build careers and supporting enterprise clients in construction, real estate, and engineering to retain female talent.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Circle Partnership does
The Circle Partnership is a UK-based talent development consultancy founded in 2020 by Vanessa Murray and headquartered in London, focused on retaining and accelerating mid-level women working in the built environment. The company operates three interconnected service lines: the Circle Academy, a 12-month integrated talent development programme combining leadership training, group coaching, 1:1 mentoring with senior female industry leaders, and peer networking; the Development Circle, a consultancy practice providing cultural improvement, emerging leadership programmes, allyship initiatives, and individual/group coaching to businesses; and the Mentoring Circle, a bespoke mentoring scheme design and delivery service for organisations. Pricing for the Circle Academy is tiered at £3,250-£3,750 + VAT per participant annually with discounts for volume purchases, and bespoke organisational cohorts require a minimum of 20 participants. The Circle Academy App extends the in-person programme with always-on digital learning resources for participants.
The company sells primarily through a B2B sales-led motion to enterprise clients across construction, real estate, engineering, and real estate services, with named customers including Laing O'Rourke, Berkeley Group, Kier Group, WSP, Multiplex, CBRE, Savills, Colliers, Ashurst LLP, Sir Robert McAlpine, Keltbray, and Lendlease. The mentor network comprises 100+ senior female industry leaders from 70+ companies covering 25+ sector specialisms, curated to deliver cross-company, cross-sector participant cohorts. The business reports having supported over 500 women across the UK and estimates it has saved client businesses over £2M in recruitment fees via improved retention. The company is privately held, has approximately 19 employees, and has scaled its 2026 cohort to 100 spaces (2.2x oversubscribed) with two annual intakes, while launching a pilot in Scotland in 2026 with partner organisations including EDF, SSE, and Brodies. No external funding rounds have been disclosed.
The Circle Partnership firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Circle Partnership
- Legal name
- Mentoring Circle
- Website
- https://thecirclepartnership.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Circle Partnership is a UK-based talent development consultancy that runs the 12-month Circle Academy programme alongside bespoke coaching and mentoring services, helping mid-level women in the built environment build careers and supporting enterprise clients in construction, real estate, and engineering to retain female talent.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Circle Partnership industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Diversity & Inclusion Consulting
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Employer-Led Workforce Partnerships & Sector Strategies (EDAAAOAB)
Keywords
Where The Circle Partnership is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Circle Partnership business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Circle Academy Programme Fees: Organizations purchase places for their employees on the 12-month Circle Academy talent development programme. Pricing tiers based on number of places purchased (1-4, 5-9, 10+). Also offers bespoke/organisational cohort programmes.
- Mentoring Circle Consultancy Services: Bespoke mentoring scheme design and delivery services for businesses across different sectors. Includes training for mentors and mentees.
- Development Circle Services: Cultural improvement and talent development solutions including emerging leadership programmes, individual and group coaching, allyship initiatives, and retention-focused initiatives for businesses.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | 1-4 participant places |
| Subscription | Annual | 5-9 participant places |
| Subscription | Annual | 10+ participant places |
| Subscription | Annual | Bespoke organisational cohort |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Circle Partnership product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Circle Partnership is a UK-based consultancy that develops and retains mid-level women working in the built environment sector. Its core offering is the 12-month Circle Academy talent development programme (combining leadership workshops, coaching, mentoring with senior female industry leaders, and peer networking), supplemented by bespoke organisational consultancy services delivered through its Mentoring Circle and Development Circle service lines.
Product overview
The Circle Partnership operates as a talent development consultancy offering three interconnected service products: The Circle Academy (the flagship 12-month talent development programme for mid-level women in the Built Environment), Development Circle (organisational consultancy for cultural improvement and talent development), and Mentoring Circle (bespoke mentoring programme design services). The Circle Academy App provides supplementary mobile learning resources for programme participants. All offerings are service-based rather than software products, focused on developing and retaining female talent through coaching, mentoring, and networking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Circle Academy: A 12-month talent development programme for mid-level women in the Built Environment, combining leadership development, coaching, mentoring, and networking.
- Development Circle
- Mentoring Circle
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% of participants report improvements to confidence, ability to make an impact, and career network
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Circle Partnership
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Circle Partnership technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Circle Partnership partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- EDFcoreScottish energy sector partner for the Circle Academy pilot programme launching in Scotland in 2026. EDF is supporting the initiative by providing mentors from their organisation.
- SSEcoreScottish energy sector partner for the Circle Academy pilot programme launching in Scotland in 2026. SSE is supporting the initiative by providing mentors from their organisation.
- BrodiescoreScottish legal services partner for the Circle Academy pilot programme. Brodies is providing mentors from their organisation for the Scotland launch.
- ArtuscorePartner supporting the Circle Academy Scotland pilot programme through mentor provision.
- RettiecoreScottish property consultancy partner supporting the Circle Academy Scotland pilot through mentor provision.
- ShoosmithscoreLegal services firm providing mentors for the Circle Academy Scotland pilot programme.
- Thomas and AdamsoncoreScottish property consultancy partner supporting the Circle Academy Scotland launch through mentor provision.
- Catriona SchmolkeminorCBE, FREng, Non-Executive Director supporting The Circle Academy Scotland launch. Known to have welcomed such a programme at an earlier stage in her career.
- Google AnalyticsminorThird-party service provider used for website analytics and tracking user activity on the website.
- MailChimpminorThird-party email marketing platform used for newsletter distribution and marketing communications.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Circle Partnership competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Women in Property: UK membership organisation for women working across the property and construction sectors. Direct peer because it serves the same target audience — women in the built environment — and operates programmes to advance and retain female talent in the same vertical.
- Real Estate Balance: UK real estate industry initiative focused on improving gender balance at all levels. Direct peer because it targets the same enterprise buyer (real estate organisations) and addresses the same mid-level retention and progression problem for women in property.
- WISE Campaign: UK organisation promoting women in science, engineering and construction. Direct peer because it operates in overlapping built-environment and engineering subsectors and runs programmes, mentoring and advocacy aimed at retaining and progressing women in those fields.
Emerging players
- Talking Talent: Talent consultancy specialising in gender diversity, returner programmes and family-friendly talent strategies. Emerging player because it overlaps with Circle's D&I talent-development value proposition but focuses on returners rather than mid-level retention in built environment specifically.
- The Pipeline: Global women's leadership pipeline programme combining mentoring, coaching and peer learning. Emerging player because it offers a comparable cohort-based, cross-company women-leadership proposition, but operates across industries rather than specialising in built environment.
- Everywoman: UK platform offering women's business and leadership development programmes, networks and awards. Emerging player because it overlaps on women-focused leadership development and networking products, though it serves a broader cross-sector audience.
Broad incumbents
- Inclusive Employers: UK membership organisation for employers focused on workplace inclusion. Broad incumbent because it offers D&I training, consultancy and benchmarking services to the same enterprise buyers, but as part of a wider inclusion portfolio rather than a sector-specific retention offering.
- Catalyst: Global non-profit focused on advancing women in the workplace through research, advisory and inclusion services. Broad incumbent because it tackles the same workforce gender-equality thesis with much larger scope and reach, but no built environment specialisation.
Others
- Pearn Kandola: UK D&I psychology consultancy providing training, assessment and advisory services. Adjacent peer because it competes for D&I consulting budgets at the same enterprise clients, but emphasises psychometric and behavioural interventions rather than cohort-based talent development.
- EW Group: UK D&I training and consultancy provider offering workshops, accreditation and inclusion strategy support. Adjacent peer because it serves overlapping HR and D&I buyers in the same enterprise accounts, but lacks Circle's cohort-led, sector-specialised talent retention model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Circle Partnership social profiles
Digital presenceThe Circle Partnership financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Circle Partnership leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Circle Partnership funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Circle Partnership M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Circle Partnership
What does The Circle Partnership do?
The Circle Partnership is a UK-based consultancy that develops and retains mid-level women working in the built environment sector. Its core offering is the 12-month Circle Academy talent development programme (combining leadership workshops, coaching, mentoring with senior female industry leaders, and peer networking), supplemented by bespoke organisational consultancy services delivered through its Mentoring Circle and Development Circle service lines.
Is The Circle Partnership a public or private company?
The Circle Partnership is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Circle Partnership founded?
The Circle Partnership was founded in 2020.
Where is The Circle Partnership based?
The Circle Partnership is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Circle Partnership make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Circle Academy Programme Fees are the primary driver. The others are mentoring Circle Consultancy Services and development Circle Services.
Who are The Circle Partnership's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Women in Property, Real Estate Balance and WISE Campaign. Emerging players are Talking Talent, The Pipeline and Everywoman. Broad incumbents are Inclusive Employers and Catalyst. Others are Pearn Kandola and EW Group.
Does The Circle Partnership have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Circle Partnership.
What industry is The Circle Partnership in?
The Circle Partnership's product category is Diversity & Inclusion Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAOAB, Employer-Led Workforce Partnerships & Sector Strategies. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8742.