The Pipeline

What The Pipeline does

The Pipeline, legally Executive Pipeline Limited, is a London-headquartered women's leadership development and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultancy serving UK FTSE350 enterprises and the UK Civil Service. Its commercial offering centres on four interlocking leadership programmes — Top Flight (a 12-month executive programme), Leadership Summit (a 3-day immersive), Leading With AI (a 3-week online AI-fluency programme delivered with partner Ivee), and Leading Diverse Teams — delivered either as open-enrolment cohorts or as bespoke closed programmes tailored to a single client organisation. Complementary services include the GENIE behavioural diagnostic tool (a SurveyMonkey-backed survey platform with a Data Consulting-built dashboard), one-to-one executive coaching, and inclusive leadership consultancy.

The company monetises primarily through enterprise programme fees, consultancy engagements, and coaching, with pricing held privately and accessed via direct sales contact. It also produces the annual Women Count research publication (now in its ninth edition), tracking FTSE350 executive committee gender dynamics using BoardEx data, which functions as both thought-leadership marketing and a credibility anchor. GTM is enterprise field sales targeting HR, diversity, and talent leadership at senior and ExCo levels; named clients include HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Aviva, Aon, E.ON, British Gas, BBC, British Airways, Microsoft, Bupa, HMRC, Home Office, MoD, MoJ, and Welsh Government, among more than 130 organisations cumulatively. The business was majority acquired by Create Impact Ventures in March 2024, with Professor Geeta Nargund (Baroness Nargund) appointed Chair and Liz Stanley appointed CEO.

Name

The Pipeline

Legal name

Executive Pipeline Limited

Website

https://execpipeline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Pipeline is a London-based women's leadership development and DEI consultancy that delivers executive programmes, diagnostics, coaching, and consultancy to FTSE350 enterprises and the UK Civil Service across 130+ client organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Development & DEI Consultancy

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

C-Suite & Senior Executive Coaching (EDABANAA), High-Potential & Succession Coaching (EDABANAC), Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA), Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH), Leadership Potential, High-Potential & Succession Assessments (BPACAMAH), Succession Planning & High-Potential (HiPo) Leadership Programs (EDABAAAL), Leadership Assessment, 360 Feedback & Development Planning (EDABAAAK)

Keywords

• Leadership development programmes
• DEI consultancy services
• Executive coaching services
• Women's leadership training
• Diversity diagnostics

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Leadership Development Programmes: The company offers world-class leadership development programmes for women and ethnic minorities at senior management level. Programmes include Top Flight (12-month executive leadership development), Leadership Summit (3-day immersive career development), Leading With AI (3-week online programme), and Leading Diverse Teams. These are delivered as either open programmes or tailored closed programmes for specific client organisations.
2. DEI Consultancy Services: Consultancy services helping global organisations and the Civil Service build, promote and retain ethnically diverse, gender-balanced teams from ExCo through to middle management. Includes needs assessments, data diagnostics, advisory services, and organisational-wide interventions.
3. Executive Coaching: One-to-one coaching services provided to programme participants, typically as an add-on to leadership development programmes.
4. GENIE Diagnostic Tool: Behavioural diagnostic tool used to pinpoint organisational blockages and measure diversity and inclusion metrics. Results inform targeted interventions and development programmes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Pipeline designs and delivers women's leadership development programmes and DEI consultancy for large organisations and the UK Civil Service. Core offerings include four cohort-based programmes (Top Flight, Leadership Summit, Leading With AI, Leading Diverse Teams), the proprietary GENIE diversity diagnostic tool, one-to-one executive coaching, and inclusive leadership consultancy that diagnoses organisational blockages and builds more gender-balanced, ethnically diverse leadership pipelines.

Product overview

The Pipeline is a women's leadership development and DEI consultancy offering a portfolio of interconnected programmes and services. The core offering consists of four leadership development programmes: Top Flight (12-month executive programme), Leadership Summit (3-day immersive programme), Leading With AI (3-week AI fluency online programme), and Leading Diverse Teams (inclusive leadership training). These are complemented by the GENIE Diversity Diagnostic Tool for organisational assessment, Executive Coaching for individual support, and Inclusive Leadership Consultancy for systemic solutions. The company also publishes annual Women Count Reports tracking FTSE 350 gender diversity. The programmes work together to take organisations from assessment through development to measurable outcomes in gender parity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GENIE: Behavioural diagnostic tool that helps organisations understand and measure who is included and who has opportunities to advance.

Products and services

• Top Flight Flagship 12-month executive leadership development programme designed for women looking to secure their place on the executive committee. Includes strategic leadership training, peer learning, and executive coaching components.
• Leadership Summit

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of participants on executive leadership development programme feel confident they will achieve a C Suite role
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Farrer Kane & CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative communications agency working with The Pipeline on PR and communications. Founded in 2013 by Beth Farrer and Alex Kane.
• Create FertilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Geeta Nargund founded Create Fertility, a pioneering fertility company. Following her appointment as Chair, there may be synergies in women's health and leadership development work.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• DDI (Development Dimensions International): Global leadership development firm specialising in assessment, training, and behaviour change systems for managers and executives. Comparable on leadership diagnostics and enterprise leadership programmes, with broader global delivery.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Global leadership development provider offering programmes, assessments, and executive education. Directly comparable product set (programmes + 360-style diagnostics), with broader scope and stronger international footprint.
• Korn Ferry: Global organisational consulting firm with a substantial leadership development and executive coaching practice serving FTSE 350 and global enterprise. Comparable buyer base and product overlap, but operating as a broad HR/executive search incumbent rather than a niche women's leadership specialist.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm offering leadership assessment, coaching, and development services. Comparable on assessment/coaching methodologies and enterprise buyer, though much larger and broader than The Pipeline.

Direct peers

• Catalyst: Global nonprofit focused on advancing women in leadership through research, advisory and benchmarking. Directly comparable to The Pipeline's Women Count reporting, advisory services, and FTSE 350-targeted gender analytics.
• Inclusive Employers: UK membership and consultancy body supporting employers on inclusion, with training, diagnostics, and advisory services. Direct UK peer on geography, buyer, and product mix of inclusion training plus organisational diagnostics.
• Pearn Kandola: UK-based D&I consultancy offering leadership development, inclusive leadership training, and psychological assessment for diversity outcomes. Closely comparable to The Pipeline on geography, buyer (HR/Diversity leaders), and product mix of programmes plus diagnostics.
• Seramount: DEI advisory and benchmarking firm (formerly Working Mother Media) supporting inclusive cultures and women in leadership, with proprietary research and corporate advisory. Comparable as a research-led DEI consultancy targeting enterprise HR leadership.

Emerging players

• BetterUp: Digital coaching and leadership development platform used by enterprises, with AI-enabled matching and analytics. Comparable on the executive coaching and leadership development use case, but operates at much larger scale via a platform-led model.
• ClearView Learning: Women-focused leadership development provider offering programmes and executive coaching for women in senior roles. Closely comparable niche specialisation on women's leadership development, with overlapping buyer personas and product design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/execpipeline
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@execpipeline
• Facebookfacebook.com/executivepipeline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/execpipeline
• Instagraminstagram.com/execpipeline

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Pipeline