As the Head of D&I (D&I) at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Stephen Frost witnessed first-hand the courage, creativity and talent of the diverse, 200,000-strong team that delivered the Games. They showed the world what real inclusion looks like. It was that impact Stephen wanted to capture, distil, and recreate when he founded Included after the Games.

Seen through a particular lens, the glow of London 2012 looks a long way away. We seem, in 2020, to inhabit a divided, damaged world. One beset by ongoing political strife, inequality, instability, as well as a global health crisis that has upended the way we live and work, perhaps permanently. In these chaotic times, inclusion has never been more important.

The stories featured in this report come from Wellcome, the Bank of England, the International Paralympic Committee, Music Masters, Cloudflare, and AlixPartners. They show us what is possible when we make the choice of inclusion and take the practical steps to embed it, using strategy, data, and the power of inclusive leadership to create tangible change. Benefits such as more equitable health outcomes, stronger risk mitigation for the public’s financial good, debiased and deracialised tech design, expanded opportunity in the arts for those who have been denied it, and much more. Benefits for individuals, organisations, and the wider world.

December 2020