About Belonging Co
Mantej Singh is the Founder and Principal Consultant for Belonging Co. He founded Belonging Co in 2025 to raise the capability, confidence, and understanding of senior executive leaders, organisations, and practitioners to drive inclusion, belonging, and community participation outcomes.
Vision
Belonging Co was founded from a simple belief: belonging is not a ‘nice to have’ - it is foundational to thriving communities, effective institutions, and meaningful social impact.
Founder story - A lifelong commitment to belonging, inclusion and community impact
Mantej Singh, based in Sydney, is the Founder and Principal Consultant for Belonging Co. His commitment to belonging has been shaped by both personal experiences and more than two decades of work across government and community settings at the intersection of inclusion, engagement, social outcomes and placemaking.
Long before Belonging Co existed, Mantej was asking the same question that forms the principles of Belonging Co today:
“Who gets to belong — and who is being left out by the way our systems, spaces and organisations are designed? How do we increase community participation and engagement?”
The journey that led to Belonging Co
For more than 20 years, Mantej has worked across inclusion, community outcomes, arts and placemaking space. The journey brought recognition and success, but also failures, hard lessons and periods of burnout.
From 2020 onward, Mantej received recognition for his on the ground impact, thinking and approach and ability to drive tangible outcomes through a community-centred lens.
Corporate Award for establishing the first Town Team in NSW for community led placemaking
IAP2 Community Development Engagement Award for engagement on Disability Inclusion Action Plan
NSW Planning and Public Spaces Daring Values Award for innovative Placemaking approach
Selected for the NSW CALD sponsorship program
Nominated on the NSW Public Service Commission Inclusion Council
Led the development of the staff network best practice review
Nominated on the NSW Disability Cross Sector Working Group
Led the development of the NSW Disability Communication guidance
Developed the Anti-Racism and Cultural Inclusion training for senior executive leaders
2025 Social Impact Fellow
Noticing common barriers to belonging
While Mantej was grateful for receiving recognition for the work, he also saw similar patterns of barriers around social and cultural inclusion across the sector and across different organisations. Key amongst these were tokenism, compliance and symbolism, resulting in social and cultural inclusion becoming secondary to operational or business priorities.
“These barriers were embedded in structures, systems and leadership thinking – not always visible, not always consciously practised, not always acknowledged.”
Consequently, diversity, engagement, and community often became something to manage and contain rather than a strength to build with. This reinforced that one-off initiatives (e.g., training, events, campaigns, and grants) are not enough. Belonging needs a systemic, community-centred organisational approach led by executive leaders who take pride and accountability in delivering it.
The search for solutions and a greater impact
These experiences became formative. They showed what is possible when organisational systems and structures are designed for and aligned to support inclusion and community participation. It has also shown the impact when this does not occur.
Over time, Mantej started reflecting on how we change and disrupt these patterns and barriers. He also extensively engaged with leaders, colleagues and peers in the inclusion, engagement and community sectors - listening for what was really getting in the way, and what courageous inclusion and belonging practice looks like.
“These conversations shaped a conviction that inclusion and belonging must be embedded into how organisations think, decide and lead — not added on after the fact.”
The inception of Belonging Co
These personal experiences, practitioner conversations, and the desire for having a greater impact have led to the establishment of Belonging Co in August 2025 and the development of a Belonging Co Framework approach comprising the Belonging Shift, Belonging Lens, Leadership Capability and the Community Perspective.
Read LinkedIn post on the launch of Belonging Co
To learn more about Mantej’s background see below.
Partner with Belonging Co to make belonging a measure of success in your organisation or community?
About Mantej Singh
Mantej brings to this work 20 years experience across community engagement, social outcomes, placemaking, arts, and diversity and inclusion. As part of this he has managed community and cultural facilities, curated community programs and exhibitions, and led place activation projects. He has driven complex inclusion and community participation outcomes and won awards and recognition for his work. Mantej also brings to this work his own personal and observed experiences of bias and exclusion, and how it manifests in workplaces and communities.
For Mantej, inclusion and belonging are not abstract concepts or professional buzzwords. They are values that have guided career choices, partnerships and ways of working for many years.
Education and training
Masters in Arts Administration, UNSW - Hons Thesis: Community Cultural Development, UNSW
Social Impact Fellow, SIH
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, MRWED
Community Engagement Certificate, International Institute of Public Participation (IAP2)
Certification in Action Learning Facilitation, School of Social Entrepreneurs
Communities Foundation Course, Green Building Council of Australia
Elevating Equity, Josh Bersin Academy
Human Centred Leadership, Josh Bersin Academy
Winanga-li Aboriginal Cultural Capability Training, DPHI
Community Coaching Certificate, Max Potential
Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace Course, MHFAA
These credentials are not ends in themselves. They are tools and experiences used to:
translate theory into practical frameworks
help leaders navigate complexity with confidence
bridge organisational systems with lived community realities
For more information on Mantej’s professional background visit linkedin.
What people are saying
“I really enjoyed working with Mantej Singh (Belonging Co) on a review of UNSW’s work in anti‑racism and cultural inclusion. Mantej brings a thoughtful, grounded approach to complex issues and offers recommendations that are evidence‑based, practical, and genuinely useful. He thinks deeply about inclusion and belonging, while always keeping an eye on what will actually work in practice. Colleagues consistently valued the quality of conversations he created.”
“Mantej is a highly respected leader in diversity and inclusion in the dept. His work with me in Crown Lands helped deliver authentic, pragmatic and insightful training for staff and executive to deliver improved customer experiences for diversity of customers. Mantej has been an authentic champion for diversity and inclusion in NSW Govt”
“Mantej is an authentic leader driven by a deep commitment to community, equity, and principled leadership. Mantej doesn't just talk about kindness—he actively models it in how he collaborates and leads. He brings a pragmatic, solutions-focused mindset, grounded in humility, curiosity, and empathy. His ability to influence and connect with stakeholders is strengthened by his integrity and genuine respect for others.”
“I had the pleasure of working with Mantej on the co-design of two training sessions focused on addressing bias in relation to CALD staff. Mantej was instrumental in leading this work, consistently driving the project forward even during challenging moments. One of the sessions, specifically tailored for people leaders, became a cornerstone of our workplace learning.”
“Mantej has demonstrated leadership and strategic thinking abilities across many projects including the HOMIFY place active program in Sydney Olympic Park. HOMIFY was recognised for innovative community outreach using a human-centred approach to pioneer placemaking with local residential and small business communities. Mantej's role as Project Director included coordination of the engagement team using a deep-listening approach to better understand critical stakeholder needs”