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.
A lifelong commitment to belonging, inclusion and community impact
Belonging Co was founded from a simple but deeply held belief: belonging is not a ‘nice to have’ — it is foundational to thriving communities, effective institutions and meaningful social impact. For founder Mantej, this belief did not emerge overnight. It has been shaped over many years through lived experience, professional practice and close work with communities, public institutions and leaders grappling with complexity, diversity and change. Long before Belonging Co existed, Mantej was asking the same question that still drives the work 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?
From observing exclusion to designing for belonging
Mantej has worked across inclusion, community outcomes, arts and placemaking space over 20 years. During this time, he has experienced both successes and failures in driving inclusion and community outcomes. This experience has shown what is possible when organisational systems and structures are designed for and aligned to supporting inclusion and community participation. It has also shown the impact when this does not occur.
He witnessed firsthand, perhaps unintentionally, how:
🔸community diversity was often treated as a challenge rather than a strength
🔸engagement processes prioritised compliance over connection
🔸social outcomes were framed as secondary to operational goals or business impact
These experiences became formative. They shaped a conviction that inclusion and belonging must be embedded into how organisations think, decide and lead — not added on after the fact.
What led to Belonging Co?
In 2020, Mantej won the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Community Development Engagement Award for developing an innovative community-led approach to a Disability Inclusion Action Plan at Sydney Olympic Park Authority. In 2021, this was followed by the NSW Planning and Public Spaces Daring Values Award for innovative approach to community-led place activation including a community development action plan and a community engagement strategy.
Between 2023-25, Mantej led the development and delivery of the cultural diversity and anti-racism training for staff and senior leaders amongst other projects. He also participated in a cultural diversity leadership program; was nominated for the NSW Office of Public Service Commissioner Inclusion Council and the Disability Cross Sector review working group. In August 2025, he participated in a Social Impact Fellowship program.
During this time, he extensively engaged with leaders, colleagues and peers in the inclusion, engagement and community sectors to further explore and understand the barriers everyone was experiencing. These conversations showed that many were facing very similar challenges and that it was having an impact on realising social and cultural inclusion outcomes.
These personal experiences and practitioner conversations have led to the establishment of Belonging Co. This work is not new. It is the continuation of a long‑held commitment to social impact, community outcomes and the belief that when belonging is built in, everyone benefits.
To learn more about Mantej’s background see below.
What are the common barriers to inclusion and belonging?
🔸Leadership capability, confidence and understanding
🔸Systemic and structural barriers which cannot be resolved without executive intervention
🔸Accountability with positions with limited authority, budget and resourcing
🔸Limited understanding of engaging lived experience and cultural perspectives
🔸Lack of clear pathways and measures for social and cultural inclusion outcomes
🔸Narrow scope of social and cultural inclusion impact
What is the impact of the above barriers?
🔸Compliance and risk, rather than vision and belief, driving this work
🔸Policies and strategies not influencing day to day decisions
🔸Activity and events replace impact and outcomes
🔸Inclusion work running largely on passion and goodwill, resulting in burnout
🔸Inclusion outcomes sitting disconnected in separate workplace and social outcome categories
🔸Full potential of social and cultural impact not being realised
How does Belonging Co aim to address this?
🔸Develop inclusion as a core strategic capability for Senior Executive leaders, CEO’s and Boards
🔸Broaden understanding of inclusion - from just workplace experience to social and cultural impact
🔸Develop clear pathways and success measures for inclusion and belonging outcomes
🔸Improve understanding of engagement with lived experience and cultural perspectives
🔸Build understanding of inclusion and belonging as good for business
This is the #Belonging Shift
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”