Global Conference 2023 (online): Better Together – Creating an accessible and inclusive world

This event has now passed. Members and Partners can watch the 2023 Global Conference on our Knowledge Hub.

Join our online Global Conference: Better Together – Creating an accessible and inclusive world, kindly sponsored by HSBC.

To accommodate contributions from around the globe, the conference will take place online and run twice, 10am – 1pm GMT and 2pm – 5pm GMT. Join the conversation wherever you are in the world.

This year’s global conference, chaired by our CEO, Diane Lightfoot, will celebrate the power of partnerships. At Business Disability Forum we’ve created a global community where organisations of all sizes who want to get better at disability inclusion come together to learn and share best practice. Innovative ideas for inclusion come from collaborating with others who bring a fresh and different perspective, including disabled people, and from sharing expertise to create a more accessible and inclusive world for everyone.

Sessions include:

Sponsor’s Address

• Carolanne Minashi, Global Head of Inclusion, HSBC (UK).

Working together to tap into disabled talent

It has long been accepted that recruiting people just like ourselves results in teams that all think alike and ultimately stagnate. Difference in background, race, ethnicity, gender and disability brings vibrancy and fresh thinking to an organisation, enabling it to innovate and thrive in an ever-changing world.

Businesses often talk about tapping into the best talent, but how can they best do that? The answer might lie in working with partners.

Panel discussion with:

• Rendar Mahardhika Putra, Head of Contact Center, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (Indonesia). (AM only.)
• Danielle Meadows, Executive Director and Head of the Business Solutions Team – BeST, JPMorgan Chase & Co (USA).
• Lara Partridge, Head of Talent Acquisition for Asia Pacific, HSBC (Hong Kong). (AM only.)
• Vineeta Raghuwanshi, Associate Director, EY (India). (AM only.)
• Monika Jankowska-Rangelov, Global Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Head in EMEA, GIDE Consultancy, Vice President at State Street (Poland). (PM only.)
• Joanne Austin, Global Co-chair Ability Network, HSBC (UK). (PM only.)
• Melissa Bosch, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, EY (Ireland). (PM only.)

Better together with tech

Innovation in technology can turn science fiction into fact at breathtaking speed. Fears about the future abound. Will AI become an unruly ruler over our lives? Will disabled people or anyone different from the creators be excluded from the virtual world? It’s right to ask these questions, but it’s also true that technology giants have been competing to create the most inclusive and accessible technology to improve the lives of disabled people. Learn what they have been doing, what’s possible and how they have been able to be so innovative. The answer might lie in who they employ and choose to work with. Hear too from a smaller company using AI in innovative ways to help bring people together around the world.

Panel discussion with:

• Dr Nasser Siabi OBE, CEO, Microlink (UK). (AM only)
• Sally Chalk, CEO, Signapse (UK).
• Lauren Lobrano, Head of Disability Inclusion, Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Amazon (USA).
• Hector Minto, Director of Accessibility, Lead Technology Evangelist, Microsoft (UK).
• Christopher Patnoe, Head of Accessibility and Disability Inclusion for EMEA, Google (UK). (PM only.)

The conference will be chaired by:

• Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum
• Bela Gor, Head of Legal and Content, Business Disability Forum

Download the agenda (Word)

Download the agenda (PDF)

If you require this content in a different format, contact enquiries@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk.