About Us

Sarah Rutherford PhD MSc LLB

Dr Sarah Rutherford is a widely respected figure in the diversity field and has over ten years' experience of research and consultancy. She has worked with many of the leading organizations on their diversity strategies. She combines deep academic knowledge with hands-on practical experience.

She has a strong business background, having been an investment analyst in an investment bank (Robert Fleming) and then a financial journalist on national publications (Sunday Times, London Standard). She was a non-executive director of bank Singer & Friedlander until its sale in 2005. She has a M.Sc. in Sociology of Employment and Research Methods and a PhD in the Impact of Organisational Cultures on Women Managers.

She has talked about diversity on various programmes on the radio (Nice Work, Women's Hour), and is experienced in talking about diversity issues at the highest level. and has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences on diversity. She has undertaken two years' training as a group analyst and is a skilled facilitator.

Associates

Alexis Walmsley

Alexis is an associate consultant for a number of organisations, delivering a range of services with an emphasis on research, cultural diagnostics and all equality and diversity issues. Her significant experience and highly practical skills add real value to any project that includes diagnostic elements either through quantitative survey instruments or qualitative 1-1 interviews. Many of these have been influential or ground breaking, often highly sensitive and always revealing.

She has worked with Dr Sarah Rutherford for the last twelve years on a wide range of projects which include supporting the development of the online version of the gender culture audit that is central to Rutherford Associates’ portfolio of services to providing research and analysis for an in depth gender project for an international law firm as well as the survey for 20,000 Servicewomen which was central to the report on the Nature and Extent of Sexual Harassment in the Armed Services for which Dr Rutherford was lead researcher.

In 2012, she carried out an extensive telephone interview programme across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa to develop material for Ernst and Young’s Annual Diversity Review. Working with Schneider~Ross, she has provided detailed data analysis, diagnostics and research for Vodafone, National Grid, the Money Advice Service and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Last year she contributed to the audit of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s equality and diversity strategy and she has regularly prepared monitoring reports and adapted strategic information into ‘Easy Read’ format for the Derbyshire County NHS Trust. As an associate with Walters McLellan she has co-developed and delivered equality training programmes and demographic research for The Mid- Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust and the Peninsula Community Health Trust.

Prior to 2011, Alexis was a full time consultant with Schneider-Ross Limited where her responsibilities included research and analysis across a range private and public sector clients; client and project management ; not for profit projects as well as business development, consultancy management and e- marketing. Alexis has written, researched and/or contributed to a number of publications in the public domain including:

• Effective equality surveys: Exploring the staff and student experience in higher education institutions. 2010 (Co-author with Robin Schneider);
• The Equality Duties at Work for the Government Equalities Office/Cabinet Office. 2009-10 (Co-author with Robin Schneider);
• The Equality Duties: Assessing the Cost and Cost Effectiveness of the Specific Race, Disability & Gender Equality Duties. 2009 (Co-author with Robin Schneider, Prof Paul Anand and Anjana Nathwani);
• The Public Sector Equality Duties: Making and Impact. 2007 (Co-author with Anjana Nathwani, Robin Schneider, Sue Ollerearnshaw, Susan Angoy and John McLellan);
• Quantitative and Qualitative Research into Sexual Harassment in the Armed Forces 2006 (Co- author with Dr Sarah Rutherford and Robin Schneider);
• Towards Racial Equality. 2003 (Co-author with Sue Ollerearnshaw and Robin Schneider);
• “I am sorry your son is deaf...” Parent to Parent on Special Needs – a Manual (Published by Positive Parenting).

She is currently Co-Chair and Trustee on the Board of Working Families (the UK’s leading work-life balance organisation) and is also Chair of her local business association in Hampshire.

Jo Battershill

Jo is a training and development professional and a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Jo has run her own business for twelve years assisting organizations in developing employee performance. Jo's passion is ensuring that employees reach their full potential through training interventions in managerial / leadership / diversity skills workshops. Clients include Wentworth Golf Club, Corney & Barrow Wine Bars, Kimberley Clark, Cisco Systems Inc and the Camelot Group Plc.

Susan Jackson

Sue Jackson is a qualified solicitor and works as a consultant with Darbys in Oxford, specialising in employment law focusing on seminars and in-house training for clients, on employment law and discrimination issues She also works as an employment law advisor for Citizens Advice, drafting law courses. In 2006, she wrote 29 on-line interactive training courses in employment law for the Citizens Advice web-site.

Sue has recently completed an LLM at Bristol University with a dissertation on gender equality and equal pay.