Global Conference 2026: Delivering disability-inclusive change in global organisations

Our Global Conference, kindly sponsored by HSBC, will be held online on Tuesday 7 July 2026 between 10 am – 4 pm BST.

About the conference

Wherever in the world you are operating, harnessing the talent of disabled employees and reaching disabled customers is good for business. To make the most of these opportunities, businesses are striving to achieve change in systems, processes and culture across their global operations. Delivering disability-inclusive changes on a global scale can be a challenge, particularly if this needs to happen at pace, but by taking the right steps businesses can succeed.

Business Disability Forum’s Global Conference 2026, kindly sponsored by HSBC, will consider how to achieve meaningful and practical change and what that means for leaders and practitioners.

For this year’s keynote, our CEO Diane Lightfoot will be joined by Lyn Lee, DEI strategist and author of Tiny Rice Grains, a Straits Times non-fiction bestseller. Diane and Lyn will talk about why organizations struggle to implement and embed DEI in the workplace and how small actions can help deliver meaningful change.

Programme information

10:00 am – Welcome

Diane Lightfoot (Business Disability Forum) and Carolanne Minashi (HSBC UK) will open the conference, setting the scene for the day ahead and introducing the key themes that will be explored throughout the event.

• Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum
• Carolanne Minashi, Global Head of Inclusion at HSBC (UK)

10:20 am – Keynote: Tiny Rice Grains, the power of every gesture in furthering a disability-inclusive culture

For this year’s keynote, our CEO Diane Lightfoot will be joined by Lyn Lee, DEI strategist and author of Tiny Rice Grains, a Straits Times non-fiction bestseller. Diane and Lyn will talk about why organizations struggle to implement and embed DEI in the workplace and how small actions can help deliver meaningful change.

• Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum
• Lyn Lee, DEI Strategist, Speaker and Author, Tiny Rice Grains Consulting (Singapore)

10:50 am – Break

Take a short break to recharge and reflect on the discussions so far before the next session begins.

11:00 am – Knowing where you’re starting from: understanding inclusion on a global scale

It’s one thing to aspire to be more inclusive of disabled people, but when you’re working across a multinational organisation, where do you begin? Developing a strategy that spans multiple markets, each with its own legal frameworks and cultural contexts, can quickly become complex.

In this session, experts from HSBC in discussion with BDF’s Adrian Ward, will consider how global organisations can evaluate their current situation for disability inclusion. They will reflect on the challenges they encountered during their most recent global assessment, and how they navigated these across diverse cultural contexts.

Attendees will gain practical insights into how to evaluate their current position and why understanding where you are is an essential first step toward defining where to go next.

• Adrian Ward, Operations Director, Business Disability Forum (Chair)
• Joanne Austin, Global Inclusion Delivery Support Manager, HSBC (UK)
• Sweety Kandekar, Senior Vice President and People & Change Consultant, HSBC (India)
• Victoria Harker, Head of Content, Business Disability Forum (UK)

11:50 am – Break

Take a short break to recharge and reflect on the discussions so far before the next session begins.

12:00 pm – How organisational change is happening around the world

A great deal of progress has been made on disability inclusion in recent years but there remains more work to do both in the UK and globally.

This panel brings together Business Disability Forum with some of our peer organisations from around the world to consider how disability inclusive change is happening in our various countries, and what more we can do to support businesses in making that change.

• Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum (Chair)
• Murteza Khan, CEO, Bangladesh Business and Disability Network (Bangladesh)
• Agata Robińska, President & Founder, YES to Disability Foundation (Poland)
• Max Simpson, CEO, Thailand Business & Disability Network / Steps (Thailand)

12:50 pm – Lunch

Take some time away from your screen and return refreshed for the afternoon sessions.

1:40 pm – Breakouts – Discussion sessions

Choose from two simultaneous interactive sessions held on Zoom led by BDF experts. These sessions are an opportunity to explore challenges facing global businesses alongside your peers.

1. Are you using employee resource groups the right way?

Employee resource groups are hugely valuable in shaping your organisations approach to disability, but what is reasonable to expect? Is the expertise of ERGs being used as an alternative to appropriate resourcing and dedicated roles? How can they be appropriately valued and resourced for the role they play?

• Katie Coates, Lead Senior Disability Business Partner, Business Disability Forum
• Rebecca Elliot, Lead Disability Business Partner, Business Disability Forum

2. Accessible globetrotting: Managing travelling adjustments and accommodations

Adjustments and accommodations enable people with disabilities to perform at their best in the workplace. In global organisations, ensuring a consistent experience for employees travelling around the world can present additional challenges. This session will explore the challenges for disabled people working across global businesses and what more employers can do to support them.

• Emily Jackson, Senior Disability Business Partner, Business Disability Forum
• Lucy Allison, Disability Business Partner, Business Disability Forum

2:20 pm – Break

Take a short break to recharge and reflect on the discussions so far before the next session begins.

2:30 pm – Stories of change for disability inclusion: Presentations

In this session we will hear stories from organisations which have worked to implement disability inclusive change across their global operations, whether that be intended to benefit their disabled employees and customers.

Our speakers will share how they sought to overcome the challenges of enacting change and how that change is making a positive impact for their business. The discussion panel after the break will bring together all the speakers from this session to take your questions.

• Dan Cadey, Senior Disability Business Partner, Business Disability Forum (Chair)
• Anahi Lafon, Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Impact Director, L’oreal (France)
• Heidi Small, Global Disability Affairs Regional Lead, JPMorgan Chase (UK)
• Julie Thomas, Director – Inclusion, Diversity & Equity, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (UK)

3:10 pm – Break

Take a short break to recharge and reflect on the discussions so far before the next session begins.

3:20 pm – Stories of change for disability inclusion: Q&A

Following the presentations, join our speakers for a live question and answer session exploring the practical lessons, challenges and successes behind their disability inclusion journeys.

• Brooke Mauro, Senior Disability Business Partner, Business Disability Forum (Chair)
• Anahi Lafon, Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Impact Director, L’Oréal (France)
• Heidi Small, Global Disability Affairs Regional Lead, JPMorgan Chase (UK)
• Julie Thomas, Director – Inclusion, Diversity & Equity, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (UK)

3:50 pm – Final thoughts

Join us as we reflect on the key themes and insights from the day and look ahead to the opportunities for continued progress.

4:00 pm – Close

Thank you for joining us. We hope you leave with new ideas, insights and practical actions to take back to your organisation.

Meet the Speakers

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