Why has ANS Group Won a Global Sustainability Award in D&I?
ANS Group, a UK-based digital transformation specialist, has been named winner of the Diversity & Inclusion Award at the Global Sustainability Awards 2025, with Vedanta Aluminium Limited and deugro both highly commended.
The award highlights organisations that demonstrate an exceptional and embedded approach to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) within their workforce and beyond.
About ANS Group
Founded in 1996, ANS Group delivers hybrid cloud and managed services to a broad range of industries including financial services, manufacturing, defence, healthcare, retail and the public sector.
Its portfolio spans cloud, cybersecurity, business applications, AI and low-code platforms, alongside enterprise-grade data centres.
The company’s mission is to make technology accessible for all organisations, whether large or small and it is driven by values that emphasise teamwork, accountability and inclusivity.
At its core, ANS fosters a culture of openness through values such as "Be you", "All in" and "Give a damn", reflecting its commitment to people as much as to technology.
“We are absolutely delighted,” says Toria Walters, Chief People Officer for ANS upon receiving the award.
“There's a lot of care, effort and heart that goes into this strategy to make sure that it's an inclusive workplace.
“To win the award is just unbelievable.”
Why ANS won the award
ANS secured the award for its holistic and embedded approach to DE&I, which goes beyond compliance to shape culture, operations and community impact.
Key achievements include:
- Employee-led communities: ANS has many support groups such as ABLE, Diversity and Beyond, Women in ANS, Rainbow Alliance, Parents, Military Support, Menopause Support and even the ANS Squirrel Club – ensuring all employees feel represented and supported.
- Inclusive policies: The business champions neurodiversity and disability support, offers flexible working arrangements and provides benefits that meet diverse needs.
- Talent development: Apprenticeship programmes and outreach initiatives help create opportunities for underrepresented groups while strengthening the company’s skills pipeline.
- Community engagement: ANS extends its DE&I commitment externally through partnerships, volunteering and pro bono innovation that deliver positive impact for customers and wider society.
“We set off on a mission a couple years ago to make sure that our workplace was inclusive and that everybody who came to work with us, could be themselves and really authentic," says Toria.
"One of our values is to be you unapologetically.
“We work really hard to listen to feedback and make sure that everything we do has D&I in its DNA.”
This integrated strategy has enabled the company to embed inclusivity into both business performance and community outcomes, setting a strong example for its sector.
The award criteria
The Diversity & Inclusion Award recognises organisations that excel in four key areas:
- Cultivating DE&I within the workforce: ANS demonstrated a strong, embedded culture that drives organisational transformation and outstanding inclusion outcomes.
- Workforce feedback: Employees consistently highlighted positive experiences and deep engagement, showcasing strong cultural improvements.
- Development through diversity: The company has clearly benefited from diverse perspectives, with cultural, operational and strategic improvements visible across its operations.
- External advocacy: Through partnerships, volunteering and industry engagement, ANS promotes DE&I beyond its own workforce, showing leadership across wider networks.
On each criterion, ANS scored strongly, reflecting exceptional leadership and measurable cultural transformation.
The award underlines ANS Group’s commitment to creating a workplace where people can thrive by being themselves.
“I would say this award is for all of our people at ANS group,” says Toria.
“We've got an incredible bunch of DE&II leads who run some incredible and active community groups, at ANS.
“This is for them really because they're such a huge piece of what we do.”