My name is Reef Moghul, and I’m the Founder of Monolith Consultancy, Scotland’s first DEI-led recruitment firm focused on placing diverse talent into meaningful legal and professional roles. But my story didn’t start in boardrooms or strategy calls. It began with rejection, exclusion, and the deep discomfort of being “the only one in the room” too many times to count. I’m a proud Northern woman, born in Newcastle and now raising a family in Scotland. My background is in Criminology and Law, with a strong academic foundation yet, despite my qualifications, I faced constant roadblocks when trying to progress in traditional legal settings. I was told I didn’t “fit the culture.” I was made redundant. I was overlooked. I was bullied. I was hired for diversity optics, but not for my voice.
Eventually, I stopped trying to fit into systems that were never built with someone like me in mind and decided to build my own. Monolith was born from this need to create something better. I wanted to build a company where people from underrepresented backgrounds weren’t just an afterthought but the priority. I combined my experience in legal account management with my passion for equity to launch a consultancy that challenges how companies hire, retain, and uplift diverse talent.
We do more than recruitment; we educate. We create space and we provide DEI coaching and strategy as a value-add to businesses who want to genuinely change, not just tick boxes. We champion talent that has often been underestimated. And we do it all while keeping our operations lean, self-funded, and rooted in lived experience.
I started Monolith as a one-woman mission, driven by a desire to be the change I wish I’d had in my own career. I’ve never taken outside funding. I’ve learned everything from scratch: CRM systems, digital marketing, sales outreach, legal compliance. I’ve turned my pain into purpose, and every client win is a small act of justice for the version of me that was told to dim her light.
Since launching, I’ve supported legal candidates into roles where they feel seen. I’ve collaborated with Scottish startups and social enterprises to rethink inclusive hiring. I’ve used social media to share raw, honest reflections on DEI, motherhood, mental health, and business ownership and in doing so, built a community of people who finally feel represented. I’ve also done this as a mother to two daughters. They are my why. I want them to know that you don’t need to compromise who you are to be successful. You can build a legacy from love, not survival.
Being nominated for this award means the world because inclusion is not a trend for me it’s a way of life. It’s every decision I make. It’s the people I fight for. And it’s the reason Monolith exists at all.
