Last May Purple, with KPMG, launched Leading from the Front: The role of the Board. See here. The aim was to engage Boards on disability issues from their responsibilities for staff, customers, work with supply chains and wider stakeholders.

The report was well received across the business sector as the first comprehensive over view of disability and included a recommendation for disability to become a standing Board item at least once a year. 

On the platform for the launch was Caroline Case, the dynamic and passionate leader of #Valuable, and whose mission was to get disability on the Board Agenda of 500 worldwide companies.

On 24 January in Davos – the annual World Economic Summit – she achieved her objective. But it’s more than just that. The valuable 500 seeks to tackle the trend for businesses to claim they are diverse but in reality exclude disability from their definition of disability. As Caroline has commented: 

“Businesses cannot be truly inclusive if disability is continuingly ignored on leadership agendas.”

“The Valuable 500 will be the tipping-point for change, and unlock the business, social and economic value of disabled people across the world. We also need brands that are already great examples of inclusive behaviour to show other businesses how it’s done and help us end a la carte inclusion – because the potential of 1.3 billion should not be ignored.”    

Purple is currently working with Vistage – the leading forum for over 1800 CEO’s and senior leaders – to promote the value of disability to the business world. 

Mike Adams, CEO of Purple, is delighted to see the increasing prominence of disability in business area’s.

“The first couple of months of 2019 has seen a real lift off, and raised awareness, of disability as a business leadership issue. The role of Purple, and others, is to support a level of momentum and to ensure everyday practice reflects intent.”

Purple is intent on leading from the front.