The Valuable 500 Gain Further Momentum with ‘Generation Valuable’ on the Anniversary of ADA.

32 years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and 16 years after the adoption of the U N Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), too many disabled persons are still unemployed, and not contributing their talents, intellect, and insights in competitive, integrated employment. Once again, Caroline Casey and the Valuable 500 have opened a new pathway for people with disabilities to be fully included in the workplace, not just on the “shop floor,” but in the corporate structure and boardrooms. The “Generation Valuable” mentoring program is so needed and timely to start having persons with disabilities in managerial and corporate decision-making positions.

The talent and the insight of the younger generation never fails to motivate me. This initiative proves that there is an array of disabled talent within businesses, and that they are more than capable of occupying positions of power and leadership. Enabling disabled talent to flourish and reach their full potential by shattering glass ceilings is a game changer. The Valuable 500 is striving to radically change the awful results of research conducted by Tortoise Media that found that ‘no FTSE company had a senior leader or above who identified as having a disability.’ We know that cannot possibly be true – the fact that no one is comfortable identifying as disabled is part of the systematic problem that Generation Valuable is aiming to dismantle.

Atos is excited to take part in the launch of Generation Valuable. We have long recognized that disability inclusion drives innovation and still, we also know from research for the Valuable 500 that leadership positions around the world are not fully representative. The next generation of business leaders needs to have a diverse range of backgrounds & lived experience, including disability. To develop they require executive mentors who can share their insights. Of course, mentoring is not a one-way process. We know from our experience of running mentoring programs that mentors also gain important knowledge and insights from their mentees. We expect that this along with our wider commitment to the Valuable 500 will have a reinforcing positive impact on the inclusivity of our culture. In that respect, the Generation Valuable initiative closely aligns with the key themes of our Accessibility Program in Atos:Inclusive Business Growth, Operational Excellence, and our belief in a Connected Ecosystem to drive positive change.

As a member of the Valuable 500, AXA continues to be committed to making disability inclusion a priority and we are excited to be part of this innovative program. I am personally committed to this effort because I believe that AXA is for everyone, and there is a moral, social and economic imperative to inclusion of persons with disabilities. I am grateful for the opportunity to support and develop talent as Executive Mentor. Over the course of the next year, I hope to gain a greater understanding of the experiences and perspectives of persons with disabilities and examine the ways that we can improve disability inclusion for our employees, customers and society.

Diversity and Inclusion strategies don’t work when they’re led from the top by people who don’t understand what it means to be part of an underrepresented group – to be successful diverse voices and representation from across the organisation are needed. So, it’s hugely important to the way we operate at Centrica, and to me personally, that everybody has a voice and is heard.

I’m excited and proud to be part of the ‘Generation Valuable’ Programme, in partnership with the Valuable 500. It’s truly a first-of-its-kind and will create development opportunities and elevate the voices of people who have disabilities, have lived experience, or care for someone with a disability.

The mentoring programme enhances the great work the Diverse-ability network is doing to support the delivery of our People and Planet goals, so that the company will ultimately reflect the full diversity of our communities and customers.

We know that as an industry we have a serious lack of disabled people in senior decision-making roles. Generation Valuable will be a ground-breaking opportunity for disabled talent who are already established to be supported by some of the best executives across industry to progress to the next stage in their careers.

At Channel 4, home of the Paralympics, as well as The Last Leg and Born to Be Different, we are very proud of our track record in supporting disabled talent, both on and off screen as well as within our workforce. We are committed to acting as a force for good in the industry and are delighted to be able to support talented people of all backgrounds and lived experiences to progress.

Inclusion sits at the heart of Clifford Chance and if we want to bring and keep the best talent at our firm, it is imperative that we remove the systemic barriers that many people with disabilities face in their careers and elevate those driving disability inclusion and accessibility efforts. We have seen through other areas of our organisation, that bringing together our colleagues from underrepresented groups with senior leaders can have significant positive impacts which cascade across every level of firm. We are grateful to be part of the inaugural Valuable 500 supporting our disability leaders and disability-connected champions, and we look forward to listening, learning and growing as a truly inclusive business.

At Coles, accessibility and disability inclusion is a key priority and our aim is always to build a team that’s representative of the diverse local communities we serve. We’re proud to take part in Generation Valuable to provide an important mentoring and development opportunity to our talented team members with disability and support them to become future leaders at Coles. This program is an exciting next step in Coles’ commitment to provide meaningful employment and career pathways to people with disability.

We at Enel see disability as a source of inspiration for innovation and an incredible opportunity for filling gaps in the market by creating social and economic value. This is the idea that Enel Group has put at the centre of its action to leverage the full potential of people with disability. In 2020 we launched the global project Value4Disability™ with ambitious targets: to promote, through concrete actions, the full inclusion of people with disabilities and, above all, their empowerment. Therefore, joining Generation Valuable is both an honour and an occasion to learn even more; not only to provide mentorship, but to gain a first-hand insight on what we can do better.

EY’s co-founder Arthur Young was trained as a lawyer, but couldn’t practice after losing his hearing. Needing to leverage his talents in new ways, he started an accounting firm, creating many of the core accounting principles still used today. On the anniversary of the ADA, we are proud to honour his legacy of driving innovation through diversity by joining Generation Valuable. Through executive leadership mentorships, we will accelerate disability inclusion and long-lasting change. I am excited for EY to be part of this first cohort, and for the invaluable personal opportunity to serve as a mentor.

At ISS, it is all about our people and we have a 121-year long history of diversity, belonging and inclusion. However, we still need to learn as an organisation and to foster management talents from all parts of our company. That is why it is only natural for us to take part in the Valuable 500 Generation Valuable programme. We believe that this mentoring programme offers a unique opportunity not only to gain further insights into the challenges that upcoming leaders with (dis)abilities face but also to make sure we foster a truly diverse and inclusive leadership culture. We can’t wait to get started with this great initiative.

ITV is excited to be a part of the inaugural Valuable 500 Generation Valuable programme. Employers cannot ignore the striking under representation of d/Deaf, disabled and neurodiverse people in their workforce, and we at ITV are committed to taking steps across multiple fronts to ensure our culture is inclusive, attractive and accessible to the best talent out there. Senior leaders play an important role in culture, so leadership programmes such as this can have powerful ripple effects.

Nielsen is proud to be part of the first cohort of the Generation Valuable program, which we hope will help lead to systemic advancement for people with disabilities across the corporate world,” said David Kenny, Nielsen Chief Executive Officer. “A disability- inclusive workplace won’t happen without meaningful engagement from the C-Suite. With this program, both the mentor and the mentee will be actively creating change. Our people are our biggest assets. Building an inclusive culture where everyone can bring their full selves to work ensures we can get the best out of every person. There is a very clear and consistent link between inclusion and business performance.

At Reach, we were very proud to be one of the Valuable 500’s first partners. The team here has made tremendous strides in making Reach a more welcoming place for disabled people and we’ve also seen this commitment reflected in our editorial coverage, for example with this month’s series from the Mirror: Disabled Britain: Doing it for Ourselves, guest-edited by writer and activist Rachel Charlton-Daily. Generation Valuable will be an exciting next step to unlocking even more talent, perspectives and leadership across the business.

We want everyone at Springer Nature to contribute their best and thrive, by together creating a diverse and inclusive culture with structures that support equitable opportunities. Representative leadership is key to this ambition and integral to the content we produce: representation results in better research, it reflects the communities we serve and the knowledge they need.

We’ve made progress in our representation through our Valuable 500 steering group and by developing a new internal mentoring scheme to include disabled colleagues as one of three targeted groups, but we need to do more. We’re therefore delighted to be a part of Generation Valuable. By joining at the earliest stage we intend to learn how we can continue to progress disability inclusion and champion the empowerment of people with disabilities into leadership roles.

For Telefónica, contributing to providing opportunities for people with disabilities is not only an ethical imperative, but also a question of talent and business. In the current context, no company can afford to do without any valuable professional. Diversity allows us to better understand the real needs of customers, to connect with society, and to be more innovative and productive. Together, we need to empower people with disabilities to humanise technology and break down barriers with digitalisation. Thank you to the Valuable 500 for promoting such an innovative initiative as ‘Generation Valuable’.