Be Equitable (formerly, ‘Cook Ross’) is on a mission to build a more inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible world – starting with the workplace. Offering consulting, strategy and training services to clients like NASA, Nintendo, Oracle and Verizon, Be Equitable has helped businesses to realise the power of difference and cultivate workplaces where everyone can be. Over the past thirty years, they’ve developed a reputation as leaders in unconscious bias training; a program developed by their founders and favoured by clients across the country.
But by 2021, it was clear they could be doing more.
In the US and throughout the world, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement sparked conversations about equity. In this new political climate, businesses made public commitments to reassess their practices and restructure their organisations, while ESG standards were updated to include racial equity frameworks. The appetite for change was high. But if businesses were going to make meaningful progress, a one-off training session wouldn’t be enough. They’d need a long-term, strategic partner experienced at driving systemic transformations. Be Equitable was committed to taking on this role.
Guiding this new approach was Michael Leslie Amilcar – an Afro-Latina and Be Equitable’s new Owner and CEO. Having been with the company for over 15 years, Michael knew what would be required to build on Be Equitable’s history and redefine its future. To make this happen, she reached out to For The People to help evolve the business from a company named after two white practitioners and known for unconscious bias training, to one that celebrated a truly diverse and passionate collective of individuals, dedicated to doing the work.
With a new leader, a new mission and a new name, we set out on a collaborative journey to help Be Equitable become the leader the world needed them to be.