Q and A with Project 23 Co-Founder, Gary Rayneau

Last week Turn the Talk hosted an online webinar session called Diversity in Discussion. We were delighted to be joined by Project 23 Co-founder Gary Rayneau. We took some time to hear more about Project 23 and the work they do.

Where did the idea of Project 23 come from, and what is your mission?

After many years of building and running high performing media advertising teams we wanted to turn our learnings and experiences into something bigger. We instinctively knew what made our teams great - the people. The more people feel included and the more they feel like they belong, the stronger the team. Culture is everything. The key component at the heart of culture for us is diversity. In diversity there is creativity, innovation and experiences that can’t be replicated.

We felt we built diverse teams but we could have done more, the media industry could and can do more, all businesses could and can do more. So Project 23’s mission is to help organisations build a fairer, happier and more productive workplace through a diverse and inclusive culture.

Can you tell us a bit more about the services that Project 23 offers?

We offer a range of bespoke consultancy, training and certified coaching services that are designed specifically to suit your needs. 

We can assist you at whatever stage of the journey you are at, from the initial ‘nerve wracking’ workplace conversations regarding diversity through to intrinsically embedding diversity and inclusion into the systems, processes and culture of your organisation. 

What is the most common challenge that businesses approach Project 23 to support them with?

So many organisations are fearful about ‘getting it wrong’ and being called out, so the perceived safer option is to do nothing. The fear stems from a lack of knowledge, confidence and experience with regards to so many dimensions of diversity. This is compounded by not wanting to appear tokenistic and performative in their actions. We help businesses get over this fear and become a more diverse and inclusive organisation.

If you could offer one piece of advice to businesses what would it be?

If you want to create a more diverse and inclusive organisation, treat the process like any other business priority - set objectives, assign accountability and measure progress.

If you or your organisation is interested in chatting to Gary about Project 23 please get in touch through gary@project23works.com.