Upton Consulting Group
CPD Standards Office Provider Number: 51133
Upton Consulting Group is a CPD-accredited training provider, accredited by The CPD Standards Office, an independent CPD accreditation body. Learn what CPD accreditation means and how to get your course CPD accredited.
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Category: Business Consulting, Diversity & Inclusion, HR & Recruitment, Leadership and Management
Description:
Inclusive Leadership, Change Management, and Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Certification for HR and Inclusion Leaders.
Upton Consulting Group offers the CPD-accredited Propel+Thrive Certification. It's an immersive train-the-trainer program that equips HR professionals, people and culture leaders, and inclusion leaders to lead organizational change that lasts.
Who it's for and what you gain
Propel+Thrive is designed for HR and people leaders, inclusion and belonging leads, organizational development and change practitioners, and consultants.
These are the people responsible for turning inclusion goals into everyday practice. Participants leave able to:
- Apply a proven 3-phase, 8-step framework to design and lead inclusive change
- Recognize and navigate resistance using evidence-based cultural intelligence strategies
- Facilitate confidently in high-stakes, complex workplace conversations
- Move teams from awareness to accountability and measurable outcomes
- Use AI responsibly as a tool to support inclusive leadership and change work
- Teach, embed, and scale the methodology across their own organizations
Common questions
What is inclusive change management?
It means using proven change management principles to make inclusion part of how an organization actually operates, instead of treating it as a one-off initiative. Propel+Thrive is grounded in Kotter's and Lewin's change models, so the work is practical, structured, and built to last.
How can HR leaders handle resistance to inclusion work?
Resistance is predictable, and it can be worked with. Participants learn to spot common resistance patterns and respond with cultural intelligence, which keeps people engaged rather than defensive.
What does a train-the-trainer certification offer my organization?
Instead of relying on outside facilitators, your organization builds its own internal capability. Certified graduates receive licensed access to the Propel+Thrive methodology and a Facilitator Manual with ready-to-use session templates for executives, managers, and frontline teams.
Does this program count toward my CPD?
Yes. Propel+Thrive is accredited by the CPD Standards Office, so participants can record it as part of their continuing professional development, including for CIPD membership. The program is also approved for SHRM and HRCI recertification credits.
What is the learning experience like?
Cohorts are kept small for real practice and peer learning. Over 16.75 hours of structured learning, participants take part in interactive labs, live facilitation practice, and structured peer feedback, ending with a DEMO Day where each participant teaches part of the framework to the group.
Can the program be delivered inside my organization?
Yes. Upton Consulting Group also delivers Propel+Thrive in-house for organizations that want to build shared language and capability across their teams.
Experience and Recognition
More than 150 leaders have completed Propel+Thrive programs, including in-house cohorts within large organizations. The certification is accredited by the CPD Standards Office, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). Upton Consulting Group has partnered with organizations across the U.S. and U.K., including the NHS, Corewell Health, SSP International, the IG Group, Kohls, Willis Towers Watson and Harvard University.
About the Facilitator: Dr. Sandra Upton
Dr. Sandra Upton is the Founder and Chief Inclusion + Change Management Strategist of Upton Consulting Group. She helps organizations move beyond intention to measurable impact. Her work is grounded in research-based change management and Cultural Intelligence (CQ), and focuses on embedding inclusive behaviors and systems that drive sustainable business outcomes.
Before founding UCG, Dr. Upton was Vice President of the Global Diversity Practice at the Cultural Intelligence Center, where she provided strategic leadership to Fortune 500 companies and leading academic institutions worldwide. Across her 30-year career she has partnered with organizations including the NHS, Amway, Corewell Health, Starbucks, McDonald's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvard University, Cornell University, and MIT.
She is the author of Make It Last: A Roadmap and Practical Strategies for How to Do DEI Work. She is a sought-after speaker, known for reframing inclusion as a discipline of leadership, cultural intelligence, and accountability, and her insights have been featured in Forbes, NBC, and podcasts across the U.S. and U.K. She was named a Crain's Grand Rapids Business Notable Leader in DEI (2023) and received the inaugural Dr. Rhae-Ann Booker Inclusive Excellence Award (2024).
Learn more at https://uptonconsultinggroup.com
Accredited Activities:
Who Should Attend:
The Propel+Thrive Certification is ideal for HR professionals, people and culture leaders, and inclusion and EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) leads who want practical, CPD-accredited training in inclusive leadership, change management, and cultural intelligence (CQ). It is also well suited to organizational development and change management practitioners, talent and culture teams, and consultants who want to lead lasting culture change. Leaders who are responsible for inclusion and belonging strategy, and who want a proven framework to move from good intentions to measurable results, will benefit most. This program is especially valuable for anyone who needs to handle resistance to change, facilitate difficult workplace conversations, or build inclusion capability across their organization. As a train-the-trainer certification, Propel+Thrive prepares you to go beyond leading the work yourself and teach it to others. Participants leave with: