Untapped:
The Leadership Accelerator for Hidden Talent.
An innovative, year-long programme that activates the high-potential talent you can’t afford to overlook.
In collaboration with Paul Scadding Limited
Talent is everywhere; opportunity is not.
39% of the UK workforce is from low income backgrounds - yet so few reach senior leadership. The cost of inaction? Leaving high-potential talent untapped.
The results speak for themselves with 1.4X higher profits for companies focused on social mobility and that’s not all.
MORE PROFITABLE
organisations in the top quartile for socio-economic diversity
Up to
REDUCTION IN
ATTRITION
with inclusive pipelines
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
through retention,
performance, and readiness
You are losing leaders before they are even seen.
Let’s be honest. You’re investing in diversity. You’re bringing in new talent. But your leadership team still looks the same.
The reason? High-potential professionals from low-income backgrounds aren’t progressing. They’re overlooked, stalled, or quietly sidelined - not because they lack capability, but because they lack access, visibility, and support.
- Great people leaving before they’re recognised - creating skills gaps and delivery risk.
- Diversity targets with no matching leadership representation.
- Disengagement, quiet quitting, and burnout.
- ESG goals approaching without a strong internal pipeline.
39%
of the UK workforce comes from low-income households.
10%
or less make it into higher skilled or professional roles.
12%
class pay gap for the same work.
£30k+
cost to replace one mid-level leaver.
Introducing Untapped.
Untapped is a 12-month leadership accelerator for high-potential talent from low-income backgrounds already inside your business.
This isn’t a tick-box exercise. It’s deep, transformative work that shifts culture, unlocks potential, and delivers measurable results.
- Strengthen your leadership pipeline.
- Drive internal mobility and progression.
- Improve retention and performance.
- Build inclusive, future-ready leadership at scale.
The Programme
Inside Untapped.
Four powerful modules. One clear mission: to help hidden leaders rise.
From confidence and clarity, to career capital and future-proof skills. Every step is designed to unlock potential, break barriers, and build leaders ready for tomorrow.
- The 12-month roadmap:
- A proven journey that blends workshops, coaching, mentoring, and live business challenges.
- Each stage delivers measurable progress - sharper skills, greater visibility, stronger leadership impact.
Module 1
Activate Untapped Potential.
We start with mindset, confidence, and cultural fluency. Participants learn to lead without shrinking, navigating bias, breaking silence, and building an authentic voice.
Module 2
Raise Aspiration, Remove Barriers.
Progression needs vision. Participants define ambition, challenge internalised doubt, and take purposeful steps forward.
Module 3
Build Career Capital & Visibility
Progression is as much about positioning as performance. Participants craft leadership brands, build networks, and surface their most promotable strengths.
Module 4
Future-Proof Leadership Capability
Potential isn’t enough on its own. We equip participants with business-critical skills, from commercial acumen to AI fluency, aligned to your needs.
Wraparound support that makes outcomes stick.
- Monthly 1:1 coaching and expert mentoring.
- Fortnightly prompts to deepen learning and reflection.
- Personalised skills frameworks and progress dashboards.
- End-of-module feedback and visibility reviews.
In short: Untapped becomes a fully integrated internal-mobility strategy, powered by personalised support, inclusive culture-building, and system-level change.
- Inclusive line manager training.
- Talent mapping and succession planning.
- Sponsorship frameworks for stretch roles.
- Internal communications and positioning support.
- Support to identify high-potential talent early.
- Communications support to embed success stories.
- Quarterly reporting and business insights.
- Executive debriefs to connect outcomes to strategy.
In short: Untapped becomes a fully integrated internal-mobility strategy, powered by personalised support, inclusive culture-building, and system-level change.
Download the full programme deck.
Want the nuts and bolts to share with decision-makers? Get the complete overview: module detail, roadmap, and ROI model.
Testimonials
What our clients have to say.
Posted on Google Nyambe SumbwanyambeTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I had the privilege of hosting Jo Whight for a masterclass with The Black Sherpa 29k Club, and the impact was immediate and lasting. Jo brings a rare combination of lived experience, clarity, and practical tools. She doesn’t just talk about authenticity or confidence... she shows people how identity is shaped by access, systems, and survival, and then gives them ways to act on their own terms. The session was honest, human, and thoughtfully challenging. It created real reflection, meaningful conversation, and practical shifts in how people see themselves and their careers. If you’re serious about social mobility, inclusive leadership, and helping people thrive without having to shrink or perform, I’d strongly recommend working with Jo.Posted on Google Craig CorriganTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We (The Social Recruitment Advocacy Group) booked Jo in order to deliver a keynote opening speech to over one hundred delegates at our in person event in Oxford. Our audience is mostly made up of senior professionals, social value delivery officers, charity CEO's and HR leads. Jo was extremely helpful in the lead up to the event, making sure that we all had an agreed brief and fantastic content. Jo took on board our ideas for what we thought would work well for our audience, whilst at the same time having the confidence and judgement to know that she would deliver quality content. We knew from our pre event discussions that Jo's personal story, about overcoming extreme adversity at a young age, would make a strong emotional impact in the room. This was most definitely the case. Jo spoke from the heart and delivers a truly knockout and thought provoking speech. But, what really set Jo apart was the shift in the focus to then getting the room to focus on the wider problem. Our group listened to practical tips and advice and then shared ideas and current practice with their networking tables. This opportunity to learn from the expert in the room (Jo!), check in with others, discuss, learn and reflect was truly impactful. Jo finished with key takeaways and every audience member left with actions to better measure, and support Social Mobility across the workforce. Our post event audience feedback reflects strongly for Jo, with an abundance of audience members highlighting Jo as the most memorable section of the day. We look forward to working with Red Lotus in 2026 and would not hesitate to recommend Jo to deliver a presentation again or for one of our SRAG members. Dr. Craig Corrigan SRAGPosted on Google Olly PeppiattTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Jo (Red Lotus Consultancy) is a phenomenon. As Chair of the PA Consulting Social Mobility Network I recently arranged for Jo to deliver a speaker event to members of our network. Her story, and the lessons she has taken from it, blew us away. In the words of one colleague "I don't often go home and tell my wife about a meeting I had at work but this really hit me and I had to share it." Attendees were inspired to think about the roles they can play in supporting colleagues and our communities to achieve their full potential and I've been inundated with requests from people to get more involved thanks to Jo's talk.
Jo is a tenacious leader with a strong desire to delivery great outcomes, as a leader she leads from the front helping to dive teams towards shared successes but is brilliant at lifting herself out of the detail when she needs to so she can put the work she does in context and demonstrate how it will make a difference for the individual, group, organisation and society.
Programme Director | Nationwide Building Society
Jo is a phenomenal leader who always seeks to uplift and empower those around her. Within the time I've worked with her, she has been instrumental in breaking down barriers and forging a pathway for colleagues to connect over a shared cause. Jo would be a valued asset to any company.
Business Support Manager | Nationwide Building Society
Jo is a hero. Hiring Jo will be the equivalent of having Michelle Obama in your team. Through Jo, I had the confidence to put myself forward for an acceleration programme Jo helped create, to help middle managers from lower socio-economic backgrounds progress to senior positions. I also applied for a promotion (and got it) which I wouldn't have done without her.
Jo is a formidable leader and has had a significant role in changing a culture of a large organisation.
UHS Reconciliations Delivery Manager | Nationwide Building Society
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