About us
Little Orange helps us to share stories about the successes of inclusive leadership. Our name is inspired Antione de Saint Exupery’s book, ‘Terre des Hommes’, or ‘Wind, Sand and Stars’. Following a plane crash in the desert and in what he thought then were his final moments, Saint Exupery finds an orange in his pocket. Tasting that orange in his state of peril and uncertainty brought an unexpected, powerful and uniquely precious moment of joy. It keeps him going a little longer - and rescue follows. We want to share that same precious and powerful joy that keeps us going when we need it.
We work with leaders in politics, public service, social enterprise, education, and business to promote inclusive and supportive leadership. We help organisations to become rewarding workplaces and turn intention into action and positive impact. We provide practical tools and support and challenge kindly, tenaciously and bravely. We believe in bringing kindness to work and connecting people who can help each other.
Bringing kindness to work
Mondrem’s founding Chief Executive, Mike Astbury, and Senior Consultant, Lucy Gibbbs, believe in the power of bringing kindness to work. Our work with our colleagues, clients, and their customers reflects its transformational impacts.
Our approach
Nurturing graduate talent
Our approach builds on Mondrem Group's award-winning work employing, developing and supporting students and graduates from our base at Keele University, from Staffordshire University, and from other universities in the UK and the US. Learn more about our approach to “employerability” - shaping great workplaces where students and early-career employees can thrive.
Bringing kindness to work
Little Orange Director and Mondrem Group Chief Executive, Mike Astbury, sees every day what bringing kindness to work does for Mondrem Group colleagues, for their clients and for their clients' own customers. He founded Little Orange to share stories about the successes and experiences of leaders who practice inclusive, nurturing and supportive leadership, and to encourage and help others to follow them. Bring kindness to work, help others to shine, their brilliance will light your life - This simple poem guides everything we do.
Embracing diversity
We believe organisations face a collective challenge to embrace diversity. We see that people bring their best selves to work when they are given the support, time, and encouragement to thrive -not with special or unique arrangements for some, but special and unique arrangements for all. We try to work like this every day with our customers, colleagues, and ourselves. In our experience, it helps us build meaningful relationships with our customers and one another. It is a powerful recruiter of talented people and supports the growth of our businesses.
Our clients include
"Thank you Mike for a wonderful talk on mental health in the workplace. I totally related to the human connection, kindness, and trust - more important than anything!"
- Jacqueline Lavelle, sben Environmental Support Officer, Staffordshire County Council
We believe in creating an inclusive, purpose-driven team. We are experts in our fields, and often have lived experiences of the areas where we work. We work with local universities and other organisations to nurture graduate and early-career talent.
Our approach has earned us recognition in several local and national awards including, Keele University’s Breaking the Mould Awards, the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Business Awards, and the National Undergraduate Employability Awards.