Disability Smart Awards 2025: Winners announced
Ofgem won the inclusive workplace experience award
Organisations and individuals who are working to remove barriers and make the world more inclusive for disabled people were celebrated at Business Disability Forum’s Disability Smart Awards 2025 in London last night (29 April), sponsored by Freshfields.
Now in its 11th year, the Disability Smart Awards is an annual event open to organisations of any size across all sectors. Evidence and learnings from finalists and winning projects are shared during the awards, and throughout the year. The aim is to help increase business understanding around diversity and inclusion and deliver positive outcomes for disabled people.
Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum, said:
“Congratulations to all this year’s Disability Smart Award winners and finalists. 2025 is a landmark year as it is 30 years since the Disability Discrimination Act and 15 years since the Equality Act came into force. Although we have a long way to go to be a truly inclusive global society, our Disability Smart Award winners and finalists show how innovation around disability inclusion can drive positive change for everyone.
“In our experience, a fear of getting it wrong is often one of the biggest barriers that has to be overcome, but our winner stories demonstrate what can be achieved when organisations make disability inclusion a priority on their agenda.”
Disability Smart Awards 2025: Winners
Thirteen organisations or individuals won Disability Smart Awards this year.
Disability Smart Leader Award
Winner: Georgina Colman, Founder and CEO, Purpl Discounts, for founding the UK’s first disabled discount site which aims to improve the lives and finances of every disabled person in the UK.
Disability Smart Diversity and Inclusion Professional Award
Winner: Neil Eustice, Digital Accessibility Manager, KPMG UK, for a lifelong career of driving disability inclusion through his work in various roles at KPMG, the IAAP and sharing his expertise externally through forums such as the Business Disability Forum Technology Taskforce.
Disability Smart Accessible Built Environment Award
Winner: Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), for their London Headquarters project pioneering the new PAS 6463 national standard to become a beacon of accessibility for their workforce, volunteers and customers.
Disability Smart Technology Award
Winner: Unilever, for making their packaging accessible for everyone through a new scanning technology and accessible QR code solution that can be scanned from a distance and voices the information written on packs.
Disability Smart Procurement Award
Winner: Arts Council England, for transforming how the creative and cultural sector can remove barriers and improve experiences for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people.
Disability Smart Inclusive Workplace Experience Award (250+ employees)
Winner: Ofgem, for their digital workplace adjustment passport, the ‘Optimal Working Passport’, the first of its kind in the Civil Service, which streamlines how employees request accommodations, ensures quick approvals and maintains robust data security.
Disability Smart Inclusive Workplace Experience Award (up to 250 employees)
Winner: Inkfire, for their commitment to championing accessibility and inclusion through their internal flexible working framework, their mentoring of other small businesses and their inclusive output and practices.
Disability Smart Inclusive Recruitment Award
Winner: Enterprise East Group CIC, for their supported employment ‘Inclusion and Thrive’ programme, which includes well-rounded training for disabled individuals and a placement in one of their social businesses.
Disability Smart Inclusive Communication Campaign Award
Winner: London Borough of Lambeth, for their ‘Accessible Lambeth: Blue Badge Awareness & Action’ campaign focused on promoting and protecting the mobility of disabled motorists within Lambeth and nationally, by working with disabled people to tackle growing Blue Badge crime.
Disability Smart Inclusive Customer Experience Award (250+ employees)
Winner: Alexandra Park and Palace, for revolutionising the way they engage with the disabled community to make their Victorian Grade 2 listed building a hub of accessibility to all.
Inclusive Customer Experience Award (up to 250 employees)
Winner: Mobility in Motion, for transforming automotive accessibility through an innovative, customer-first approach offering tailored solutions and expert advice to ensure that travel is safe and accessible for all.
Disability Smart Global Disability Inclusion Award
Winner: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, for their ‘Accessibility Matrix’ tool, which improves workplace accessibility via accessible guidelines, an intuitive self-assessment and strategic planning and communication tools.
Disability Smart Inclusive Product Design Award
Winner: Cambridge School Classics Project and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, for creating a new edition of a beginner’s Latin course in different formats, designed to be representative of lived experiences and accessible to learners with varying learning needs.
Support for the Disability Smart Awards 2025
Global law firm, Freshfields, sponsored the Disability Smart Awards 2025 and BDF ambassador and TV personality, Simon Minty, co-hosted the ceremony.
Helen Ouseley, Global Head of Culture & Community for Freshfields, said:
“We are delighted to have sponsored the Disability Smart Awards this year, supporting Business Disability Forum in honouring some of the fantastic work being done in this space by organisations and individuals. We would like to congratulate all the 2025 winners. It is great to see so many different sectors being represented and the positive difference their work is making to the lives of disabled people.”
Simon Minty, long-standing Ambassador of Business Disability Forum, trainer, consultant, and TV personality, said:
“It is always a pleasure to co-host the Disability Smart Awards. This is my third year now and it is exciting to see how much these businesses and organisations value disability inclusion and the innovative work they are putting in to make it a reality. I always love to hear about new ways of doing things that I’d never thought of before.
“An award is just a snapshot but it’s also an important moment for all of us to pause, reflect and to be encouraged to work harder and to do even better. This year’s winning entries show just what can happen when people commit to working together to achieve change.”
Disability Smart Awards 2025: Winning stories
Go to Business Disability Forum’s Disability Smart Awards 2025 page to find out more about all the awards and winners.