Eugene Gilkes

CEO

t: +44 7956 133 364

e: eugene@includemeconsulting.com

Excellence, connecting, equity, diversity and inclusion have featured at the heart of all that I do; from my days as a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist in the decathlon, through my 30 years’ of experience in business, people and performance development, to now as the CEO of, Include Me Consulting.


Performing at elite level in sport honed my ability to be resilient, determined, goal oriented and focused on delivering excellence. It is this experience that has underpinned my leadership approach to inspiring and supporting others to achieve their very best.

In spearheading a diverse range of national projects and programmes, I’ve built successful strategic partnerships with brands such as ASDA, ING Barings, David Lloyd and Sky. I have also enjoyed broadcast roles with BBC TV and radio, ITV, C4 and Sky; the most stimulating being my time on LWT’s flagship show – Gladiators!

My commitment to supporting community and improving the life chances of our next generation has underpinned my service, over 24 years, as a school governor in one of London’s most diverse authorities. I have always recognised “culture” to include so much more than nationality, ethnicity and protected characteristics.

I have seen, throughout my career, across many organisational workforce settings, the cultural disparities the higher up organisations one looks, where leaders, often unwittingly, continue to perpetuate historical biases and cultural inequities. They do so oblivious of the damage being caused to not only their organisation’s effectiveness and productivity but also to the confidence of its workforce community and its customers.

Cultural Intelligence (CQ®) is the “capability to relate and work effectively across cultures”. As a certified CQ® facilitator I’ve witnessed first-hand the power of CQ® to change the most privileged, seemingly intransigent minds and as Head of Business Development and Projects at Above Difference Ltd, the UK’s first strategic partner to the Cultural Intelligence Center I developed a better understanding of what organisations need to embed inclusion into its future DNA. It is these that led to me starting the business, Include Me Consulting.

We work in partnership with like-minded people and organisations, desperate to do more than just tick a box. We coproduce and inspire not only “inclusive leaders” but also “leaders in inclusion” and help to create an inclusive infrastructure and home that provides a psychological safe haven for all of its workforce community.

In addition, though our work, I continue to support organisations’ Social Responsibility ambitions where sustainability, community wellbeing and health intersect, particularly to tackling the long-term effects of child obesity. Our clients get to better understand how they can positively impact their business’s growth and provide a long-lasting legacy for their brand, by tackling the health inequalities that exist for the most disadvantaged, thus better serving their communities.