Alain Klein’s twenty-year career journey at UBS, culminating in his role as Disability Advocate, demonstrates his long-standing commitment to inclusion and highlights the challenges and opportunities in driving disability inclusion within a major financial institution. Here, Alain shares his insights and experiences as a Generation Valuable mentee.
The Path to Advocacy
I’m 38 years old, a wheelchair user myself, and I’ve always been passionate about disability inclusion. But it wasn’t until I became involved with the Generation Valuable programme that things really started to change.
This year, I celebrate my 20th anniversary with UBS. I started on the business side of UBS and then moved into IT, supporting client advisors in their daily business. I have always been part of the disability employee network in Switzerland, and between 2020 and 2023, I took on the role of Co-chair and am currently part of the core team of the network.
When our firm joined the Valuable 500 initiative in 2021, we gained a lot of traction to move things forward. In line with our commitment to put disability inclusion on the leadership agenda and take action, we established a group wide approach, formed working groups and began to annually report to the Group Executive Board on progress made and objectives for the year ahead.
Fast forward to 2023, and Generation Valuable was a huge boost for these discussions. We had live sessions and recordings that were really interesting from a content perspective, and I saw the real value in the exchange and collaboration in speaking with our senior leaders.
I had an internal mentor as well, and we had brainstorming sessions about having a dedicated, official role to work on the topic. I’m now working directly under the Group Operations and Technology Office Chief of Staff, with the title of Disability Advocate. I never thought back then that this would happen so fast, but here I am!
My role is not limited to digital accessibility. I am brought in to advise teams across the bank, some examples include looking at our branches, our office spaces, and recruitment practices. In my view, recruitment is the starting point. If organizations recruit more people with disabilities, other topics will automatically come to the table.
Engaging for change
One of the most valuable things I gained from the Generation Valuable programme was opportunities to effectively communicate with senior leadership. I learned that if you can be authentic, tell your story, and be honest with people, you’ve done 80% of the work. When you do this, decision-makers can feel your passion for the topic and see that you have the intention to help support solutions that bring about positive change.
My participation in the Generation Valuable programme emphasised to me the importance of the “nothing about us without us” principle. It’s not the same when people without disabilities talk about disability issues. You can dive deep into a topic, but it’s not the same if you’re not experiencing it yourself.
While my professional journey has been incredibly rewarding, it hasn’t been without its challenges, but that also fuels my determination. It reminds me why my role is so important and why programmes like Generation Valuable are crucial. We need to continue strengthening the engagement of leaders and colleagues to drive real, meaningful change.
Looking to the Future
I’m optimistic about the future in this space. While I won’t be saying “my job is done” anytime soon, every conversation, every small victory, brings us closer to true inclusion.
For anyone considering participating in the Generation Valuable programme, I would say: make the most of the opportunity to exchange ideas with senior leaders and other participants. Be prepared, know what message you want to convey, and don’t be nervous – remember, leaders are humans too!
The programme can open doors and create opportunities you might never have imagined. It certainly did for me. I’ve been able to turn my passion into a career and drive real change within my organisation. The journey is far from over, but I’m excited to see where it leads next.
