meet dian small

The cultural architect

Architect. Culture Change & DEI strategist. transformational leadership coach.

Dian brings over 25 years of built-environment experience together with behavioural design, coaching ethics, and cultural intelligence to help leaders and teams make culture visible — and transform it with intention.

“I came into this world with one eye closed… The medical term is strabismus amblyopia, but I call it my IRIE Eye. Growing up, that difference taught me to see the things others often miss — patterns, undercurrents, tensions, and unspoken dynamics. ”

The IRIE Eye

An architectural lens that reveals the invisible systems shaping how we work, collaborate, and create.

badges and receipts

When I was a Brownie, I collected badges with real pride — not for the patch, but for what it meant: learnings you could earn and carry forward. I was a Pixie, too — always helping.

Today, my “badges” are my professional qualifications and certifications. They underpin a practice that is ethically grounded, professionally aligned, and designed specifically for the built environment — and they support my work to make culture visible, measurable, and workable.

My motto has evolved too: from “Lend a Hand” to … LIVING IRIE

  • I keep culture work delivery-real—grounded in practice pressures, project teams, and how work actually gets done in the built environment.

    Credentials:

    • RIBA Parts 1–3 (Architecture), University of Birmingham

    • RIBA London Regional Director (2016–2024)

  • I keep culture work delivery-real—grounded in practice pressures, project teams, and how work actually gets done in the built environment.

    Credentials:

    • ILM Level 5: Innovation & Change

    • ILM Level 5: Understanding Leadership / Becoming an Effective Leader

    • SOAS: Black Business Initiative

  • I design diagnostic-led culture change that’s measurable, accountable, and credible under procurement, EDI, and wellbeing scrutiny.

    Credentials:

    • CMI Level 7: Leading Cultural Change

    • CMI Level 7: Strategic Approaches to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

    • Cambridge Business School: DEI Strategies for Business Impact.

  • I build practical cross-cultural capability, so teams work across differences with less friction, more trust, and clearer leadership signals.

    Credentials:

    • The Cultural Intelligence Centre: CQ™ Certified Trainer & Facilitator

    • Veritas Culture: Diversity-to-Belonging Facilitator

  • I turn culture into evidence—combining psychometrics, access insight, and lived experience to pinpoint risk and target action.

    Credentials:

    • Saville Consulting™: Certified Psychometric Talent Assessor

    • CAE: Access Auditing and The Equality Act.

  • I make the “invisible” visible—surfacing patterns safely, mapping the system, and helping teams co-design change they can sustain.

    Credentials:

    • Serious Works™: Advanced Certified LEGO® Serious Play Facilitator

    • IDEOU: Human-Centred Systems Thinking.

  • I support leaders in real moments—building reflective capacity, braver conversations, and behaviour change without shame or performative compliance.

    Credentials:

    • Institute for Coaching Innovation: Professional Diversity Coach Certification (Dec 2025)

    • Halford 2000 Ltd: NLP Master Practitioner, NLP Coach, Hypnosis Master Practitioner.

  • I design and deliver learning that’s structured, outcomes-led, and credible for professional audiences and CPD buyers.

    Credentials:

    • CPD Standards Office — British Certified Trainer.

My role as The Cultural Architect™

I partner with built-environment leaders and teams as a guide — helping you see what’s been hidden, name what’s emerging, and build what’s possible. My mission is simple:

make culture visible

so you can shape it with intention.

Ready to begin?

Start with the IRIE Cultural Assessment™ and see your culture clearly