Annual Conference 2025 – Disability inclusion: Business as usual?
Sponsored by Microlink.
Co-hosted by EBRD.
Sign language interpretation provider: Sorenson UK.
Learn from disability inclusion leaders on what “business as usual” means today.
The conference was chaired by our Taskforce Manager Lucy Ruck.
Sessions
Chair
Lucy Ruck, Taskforce Manager, Business Disability Forum.
Sponsors welcome
Dr. Nasser Siabi OBE, Chief Executive, Microlink PC (UK) Ltd.
Keynote address – Where are we now?
Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum.
Thirty years ago Business Disability Forum, or the Employers’ Forum on Disability, as we were then known, brought employers, policymakers and disabled people together to help shape the first disability rights legislation in the UK, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. We said then, and say still, that social legislation is only effective if it is credible and workable for business, employers and disabled people. How do we focus, in these changing times, on what works and genuinely improves the lives of disabled people?
Rules and Regulations – soon to be business as usual?
Chair, Bela Gor, Director of Legal and Content, Business Disability Forum.
Speaker:
Angela Matthews, Director of Public Policy and Research, Business Disability Forum.
Many new regulations (some likely and some maybe) will affect disabled people and employers. What is going to become business as usual in the near future, what is up for debate and how can you get involved and influence the debate and Government policy?
What works? Making disability inclusion easy.
Chair, Natalie Leister, Head of Practice, Business Disability Forum.
Speakers:
- Dr Nasser Siabi OBE, Chief Executive, Microlink PC (UK) Ltd.
- Chantel Emery, Senior Advice Service Advisor, Business Disability Forum.
- Fiona Daniel, CEO and Founder, FD2i.
The panel addressed the most frequently asked questions of our advice service such as:
- How can we get the balance of hybrid working right?
- How do we make sure reasonable adjustments work?
- When is performance management appropriate?
- What key practical things should a line manager be thinking about when it comes to inclusion?
This session cut through the noise with pragmatic best practice advice and took questions on what really works.
Business as usual – keeping Britain working
Chair, Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum.
Speaker:
Charlie Mayfield, Lead Reviewer, Keep Britain Working Independent Review
We talk to Sir Charlie Mayfield, who is leading the independent review investigating how government and businesses can work together to support disabled people into work, boost living standards and grow the economy as part of a Plan for Change. How will all the current proposals work together to help disabled people get and stay in work, and what further support is needed for employers and disabled people to keep Britain working?
Ministerial address
The Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, Minister for Social Security and Disability.
Disability Smart Showcase
Chair, Lucy Ruck, Taskforce Manager, Business Disability Forum.
Speakers:
- Sally Chalk, CEO, Signapse.
- Caroline Bristow, Director, Cambridge School Classics.
- Debbie Gorman, Associate, Health and Safety Adviser, EBRD.
- Esra Fanoscu, Managing Director, Corporate Services, EBRD.
Be inspired into action by hearing disability inclusion stories from businesses of all sizes. From living with life changing injuries after gladiatorial contests in Ancient Rome, to the challenges of a delayed train or difficult medical appointment. Hear how disabled people have always been and are still part of society and how inclusion should always be business as usual.
Pursuing the Purple Pound
Chair, Rebecca Hitchings, General Merchandise Director, Boots UK & ROI.
Speakers:
- AJ Nanayakkara, D&I Director – Disability Inclusion, LEGO Group.
- Georgina Colman, Founder and CEO, Purpl Discounts.
- Kathryn Townsend, Head of Customer Vulnerability & Accessibility, Nationwide Building Society.
The Purple Pound or spending power of disabled people is estimated to be £274 billion each year in the UK alone. Businesses are actively seeking disabled customers by being inclusive, accessible and representative. Find out why they have chosen to differentiate their brand in this way and the challenges and lessons learnt along the way.
Stepping Up – Leadership in today’s challenging world
Chair, Bela Gor, Director of Legal and Content, Business Disability Forum.
Speakers:
- Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum.
- John McCalla-Leacy, Head of Global ESG, KPMG International and Vice Chair for ESG, KPMG in the UK.
- Katy Talikowska, Valuable 500.
- Mark Hodgkinson, Chief Executive, Scope.
It is when times are challenging economically, and wars, actual and cultural rage, that leaders need to step and ensure that the most marginalised in society are not left behind. Leaders in the inclusion and diversity space discuss how to stay resilient and kind and ensure that the inclusion of disabled people stays at the heart of what they do and is reflected in Government and Business strategies.
Gallery
Recordings of all the conference sessions are available to Members and Partners on our Knowledge Hub.
Privilege to sponsor Business Disability Forum’s Annual Conference
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