Meet The Start-Up Entrepreneur Using Tech To Disrupt Gender, Racial and Disability Bias in The Workplace
“Nobody should have to work twice as hard to achieve half as much!”
The Equal Group was founded by Mayokun ‘Mac’ Alonge in 2018 who has spent the last 10 years working for large multinational companies as well as smaller niche consultancies, primarily focused on market regulation and business strategy within the energy and utility markets. Throughout Mayokun’s career, he has observed a number of disparities in the selection and treatment of people from ‘atypical’ demographics within the workplace, with limited solutions being proposed to tackle the very real problem of discrimination and bias. Having worked extensively on cross-market initiatives, such as smart metering working groups and industry governance groups, Mayokun has observed first-hand the limited representation and participation across the energy and utility sectors. This inspired him to launch The Equal Group to make an impact across industries in the UK.
The Equal Group exists to resolve issues of bias within areas of employment primarily (including but not limited to) gender, race and disability. The company was born out of a frustration with the mechanisms within the work environment that allow elements of prejudice to remain and to some extent flourish – this has been made manifest in a lack of innovation in removing bias. Tech is improving globally and across all sectors, but the issue of bias remains unresolved at both a policy and operational level. The Equal Groups seeks to harness the power of tech in addition to providing consultancy services to help clients truly get to grips with their diversity and inclusion problems.
“I’m exhausted at the prospect of continuing to tell people of colour, women and those with disabilities that they have to work twice as hard to achieve half as much. The notion and rhetoric are unsustainable. I want to eradicate the prospect of there being any more ‘first woman / first person of colour / first disabled person to [insert normal achievement]”. I will continue to work towards making justice and equality the norm and ensuring that we leave a positive legacy for the next generation.” – Mayokun ‘Mac’ Alonge, Founder of The Equal Group.
In today’s world, we often hear a lot being said about diversity and inclusion, with many seeming to promote the idea of diverse and inclusive workplaces, without making any tangible strides beyond rhetoric. Recent years have seen a plethora of scandals crop up in the media, a large proportion of which can be directly or indirectly attributed to a lack of diversity throughout all levels of corporate, political and social life. The impacts of a lack of diversity at the upper levels of society and politics can be seen in a number of recent scandals, including, but by no means limited to the #MeToo Movement, Anti-Semitism and Racism in Politics and General corporate failings. With these and other cases, there is a clear need for greater levels of diversity at strategic and decision-making levels. Not tokenistic diversity, that considers only arbitrary proxies, but true diversity which includes those with different life experiences and heritage. So what is the answer? The Equal Group is the key to unlocking the solution using the provision of diversity and inclusion systems, consultancy and industry advocacy.
Mayokun is an experienced and respected business consultant with a passion for projects related to issues of equality, diversity and justice. With the Equal Group, Mayokun is set to disrupt the diversity and inclusion discussion in the UK.