Exceptional Individuals Announce New Executive Management Team
Exceptional Individuals, the UK’s first employment agency for the neurodiverse community, is pleased to announce the confirmation of Ruth-Ellen Danquah and Danny Ireland as their new Chief Management Team.
Ruth-Ellen and Danny will guide the organisation in its mission to promote and support neurodivergent individuals within the employment space. They replace founder Matt Boyd, who has served as CEO since creating the company in January 2015. Having secured these inspiring successors, Matt will take a new position as Chairman on the Board.
Matt launched E.I. with the mission of helping other dyslexic individuals like himself find work. From a team of one working at a single desk in a garage, to a central London office with 20 core staff and over 40 volunteers; with Matt at the helm E.I. has become one of the fastest growing social enterprises in the UK. It now supports people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autism, and is creating an ever-growing pool of corporate relationships to connect and support this diverse network of jobseekers.
The team is founded on lived experience – 80% of its staff are neurodiverse and have faced many of the challenges their beneficiaries encounter. This personal approach is what makes the company unique, and is preserved through the appointment of Ruth-Ellen. She has been recruited from within the organisation, having joined E.I. in March 2021, is neurodivergent, and brings ten years experience working in the neurodiversity space.. Within E.I. she has supported Exceptional Individuals neuro-inclusive programmes through delivery of assessments, training and coaching.
She will collaborate with Danny, who joins E.I. from a financial services background. He brings a commitment to drive the commercial potential and profitability of the organisation whilst supporting the existing team to further develop. Danny has taken this position following 40 years in senior leadership roles, working notably with the NatWest/RBS Group at senior levels across strategy, communications, human resources, Relationship Banking and Transformational Change Management. He has spent the last 5 years of his career helping lead smaller businesses to become more sustainable and profitable. He is the trustee and chairman of MyOtas, a charity which is helping and supporting families deal with the challenges from having neurodiverse children. He is a keen football coach having a number of neurodiverse children and youths within his squads.
Matt Boyd, founder, outgoing CEO and incoming Chairman of the Board of Directors, said:
“We have the opportunity to grow our social impact and understanding of neurodiversity internationally. Creatively, now is the time to put the reigns in the hands of those who can help us scale with fresh scope. Under Ruth and Danny’s joint leadership we create a synergy between the impact and the corporate – an equal drive towards E’I’s profitability and outreach. These two factors must work symbiotically for the bright and flourishing future of E.I. and for the ever-expanding community which we support.”
Ruth Danquah, incoming Chief Innovation Officer, said:
“I am keen to drive E.I’s great vision by continuing to improve on our neurodiversity services through innovation. My aim is to create even more impact within the organisations we are supporting so that more employees have safe spaces to advance in their career. I am continually gathering insights from the people we serve everyday that can make huge transformational employee experiences for not only neurodivergent individuals but also the world of work as we know it.”
Danny Ireland, incoming Chief Executive Officer, said:
“Scaling up is not just about the size of the Exceptional Individuals business. It’s more about the volume and type of support that we can offer the neurodiverse community, aiming through innovation, expansion and the expertise of the current team to help as many people and organisations as we possibly can.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Press contact: kinga@exceptionalindividuals.com
Exceptional Individuals is a social enterprise providing consulting, inclusive recruitment, and employment support to individuals with neurodiversity.
