About Us
Agulhas
[uh-guhl-uhs]
Noun
from the Cabo das Agulhas [ˈkaβu ðɐz ɐˈɣuʎɐʃ], “Cape of the Needles”; It gives its name to the Agulhas Current, a key driver of the global climate.
Our History
From our beginnings in 2003, Agulhas Applied Knowledge has become a leading provider of evaluation, learning, and knowledge to improve strategy. From our canal side headquarters in central London, we work across the world in support of international cooperation on global challenges. Agulhas is an Employee-Owned Trust. We are owned and run by those who know Agulhas and our values best – our people. Our team is diverse and close-knit, all driven by common values that seek to build a better, more sustainable future. Our success is based on our agility, our focus on what matters and our simple commitment to excellence.
Click through our history below to see how we’ve evolved
Our Principles
Commitment
We will continue to work to harness knowledge and learning for sustainable development.
Effectiveness
We will strive to deliver the best quality work we can in the areas where we can use our skills to make the greatest impact. We will continually look for ways to do better: individually; together; and with clients, contractors and communities.
Openness
We will share ideas and good practice. We will raise concerns quickly and deal with them fairly.
Integrity
We will conduct ourselves in a way of which we can be proud. We will be honest with each other, our clients and ourselves. We will provide challenge where it is needed and praise where it is due.
Respect
We will treat each other and our clients, communities and supply chain with respect. We will take the time to listen to others, look for the best in people and strive to empower others to be their best.
Our Work
At Agulhas, we bring a unique perspective to our work. We offer a deep understanding of ideas and evidence and are able to distil the key elements needed to guide practical action. We are value driven, working for a more sustainable world. Our outlook is strategic: we have extensive experience working on policy and strategy to inspire positive change.
At the core of what we do is an understanding of how knowledge is transmitted into practice. We present our analysis and advice in ways that are meaningful to policy makers and decision makers. We focus on the elements that matter most to our clients. We know that to be influential, knowledge must be supported by processes that facilitate learning and application, and lead to change. All of our work sits on a foundation of honesty, rigour and commitment to building a sustainable and safe world.
Responsible Business
Agulhas takes its responsibilities seriously, as recognised by the UK government when we achieved the highest initial rating of any supplier (96%) for adherence to its code of conduct. We are accredited members of the Living Wage Foundation and signatories to the Prompt Payment Code. Agulhas walk the talk on sustainability, using clean energy and recycled products as standard. With a small green office and a long history of remote working, we minimise our impact. When we have to fly we offset our carbon emissions through Pure Leapfrog, a charity that enables communities to take power over their clean energy future, supporting SDGs 7 (clean energy) and 13 (climate action). We are signatories to the UN Global Compact.
Where we work
With headquarters in canal side East London, Agulhas has a network of experts across the globe working on the most challenging issues in international development and sustainability. Find out more about where we work.