Ep. 159: The Consultancy Built Without Consultants with Gita Singham-Willis

What if your consultancy didn’t look like everyone else’s? What if it was built on values from day one, hired people most firms overlooked, and kept culture at the core as it grew? This month’s guest has done precisely that, and then some. Gita Singham-Willis is one of the three co-founders of Cadence Innova, a multi-award-winning transformation consultancy. From her early days running textile factories in Portugal to reshaping how consulting firms think about people, culture, and growth, Gita’s journey is anything but ordinary. In this episode, she sits down with Nick Synnott to share the entire story, from founding Cadence Innova with a mission to be different, to building a consultancy that said no thanks to traditional hierarchies and yes, please, to working parents, diverse teams, and radical inclusion. She also shares the thinking behind Cadence’s eventual sale, how they maintained their culture throughout the process, and what she has learned about leadership, DEI, and what truly matters in consulting. If you’re building a consultancy, scaling a team, or wondering how to keep your values alive as you grow, this one’s packed with practical insight and plenty of inspiration. We cover: ✅ Why Cadence started by hiring women returning to work and why it worked ✅ The “family model” that replaced traditional line management ✅ How to spot consulting potential outside of traditional CVs ✅ The truth about selling your firm and how to protect your culture in the process ✅ Why DEI isn’t a ‘nice to have’ it’s a business necessity ✅ The advice Gita would give to junior, mid-career, and aspiring partner consultants Enjoy the show!