PurpleSpace

Networking is not an event. This morning, members from Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Environment Agency, HSBC, WTW, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Zain Group, PwC, BBC, East London NHS Foundation Trust, Sanctuary, Microsoft and Janus Henderson Investors joined our first November Peer Leadership Roundtable to explored our big question on this topic - ❔ How can you cultivate your network/personal connections in a way that benefits your disability ERG/Network and community of disabled colleagues? We talked about - ▫️ The importance mapping our network ▫️ How collaboration can be a quick win in extending our networks ▫️ Having 'one shot at a long shot' - reaching out to new, high level connections ▫️ Building safe spaces to enable our disabled employees to naturally develop their own networks Thank you to our #Leaders Fiona Weightman Carrie Pawley Kylie McGavin Suzie Austen Fay Brooks Johny Cassidy FRSA Waad Al-Azmi Yvonne Thomas Christophe Desproges (He, Him, His) Norbert Lieckfeldt Kim Lee Claire Fenech Members can register for our next Peer Leadership Roundtable on 19 November 16:00 GMT / 11:00 EST ID: Designed image showing a still from the virtual session, with 12 attendees smiling to camera. Text reads Networking is not an event - PurpleSpace Peer Leadership Roundtable, powered by the Futurists.

As part of the 2024 #PositivelyPurple movement sponsored by Novartis, Tesco and Motability Operations Ltd we are inviting disability ERG/Network leaders to raise their professional profiles. Less 50% of the disability ERG/Network Leaders who attended our June 2024 #PositivelyPurple Strategic Forum said they referenced their ERG/Network role in their professional profiles. This is an excellent opportunity to frame leading an ERG/Network as the leadership position it is – representing up to 20% of both the workforce and customer base. Why? Because: ☑️ It makes it easier to articulate the purpose and impact of networks, which in turn can make it easier to access the resources needed to run a successful network. ☑️ Disability ERG/Network leaders will be better able to network and learn from each other and inspire the next generation of disability ERG/Network leaders. ☑️ Accelerate your career by showcasing the skills you've demonstrated as an ERG/Network leader. Will you commit to updating your professional profile for #PositivelyPurple this year? PurpleSpace members can find out more through our Member Support Pack, available here

Novartis are driving the next phase of global disability culture change. Through our enhanced strategic membership, Futurists accelerate their own internal progress and invest in PurpleSpace’s capacity to expand the global growth of disability ERG/Networks. Futurists choose to invest in their own home-grown change agents, because they know they want their organisation to succeed. Futurists understand that the ONLY way to build disability confidence is from the inside out.    At Novartis, Disability ERG’s are in place in Switzerland, USA, India, Mexico, Slovenia and Czech Republic. They provide a safe space for discussion of topics around disability and Neuroinclusion whilst raising important awareness for Novartis employees and assisting in the design of global Disability Equity and Neuroinclusion policies.   ”PurpleSpace are leading the way to create inner-confidence for Disability ERG’s around the world. Joining the Futurists is a natural evolution for Novartis as we seek to deeply involve our ERG’s in every step of our Disability Equity and Neuroinclusion journey, promoting inclusion and providing a working environment where people with disabilities can thrive and enjoy fulfilling careers. Working together, across companies and sectors, we can accelerate that journey for everyone.” – Stephie Elms, Head Disability Equity & Neuroinclusion. For more information on Futurist membership, please visit our website Futurists pathway (purplespace.org) ID: header shows a free flowing shape made up of purple and jade green interconnecting triangles on a white background, with text reading FUTURIST in purple text. Accompanied by Novartis’ simple text logo in navy blue.

We thank each and every one of you who joined our first ever Global Disability ERG Summit sponsored by Financial Times, Motability Operations Ltd and MSD at Bracken House on 15 October, whether you came in-person or joined us online. As a reminder, the global PurpleSpace community of disability ERG leaders has identified that they want their organizations to prioritize: 1. Improving policy and practice by routinely learning directly from their own employees and customers with disabilities. 2. Investing in a visible and effective workplace adjustment/accommodation service. 3. Normalizing the experience of disability by routinely delivering storytelling campaigns (that includes the experiences of senior executives with disabilities). As we dive into evaluation mode, we will assess the extent of our reach an impact. Some early numbers include: ☑️ Convening nearly 200 disability ERG leaders at Local Hub events in 12 locations (from New York to Nairobi, Hong Kong to Hyderabad, Mexico City to Melbourne). ☑️ Welcoming over 100 disability ERG Leaders, champions and allies at our in-person Summit anchor event with a further 150 joining virtually. ☑️ Sharing messages about the Summit and the impact of disability ERGs with the Financial Times’ 21 million readers (32% being C-Suite leaders). ☑️ 10.7K Summit-related post impressions on LinkedIn over a 7-day period. We are carrying out a thorough evaluation with all key stakeholders and will publish a summary impact report and video by the end of November 2024. 📆 For now, you can register your interest in attending, hosting or sponsoring our Global Disability ERG Summit on 15 October 2026 here https://lnkd.in/eDYKPx_g ID: All in person attendees and speakers squeeze into four lines on the stage after the summit, offering their best smiles for the camera. The tallest of the guests in the back row skim the low ceilings! In the foreground are two of the delegate tables, surrounded by chairs from the day's event.

Our co-Managing Director, Brendan Roach joins the panel of Business Disability Forum's Global Conference next month. Register now to hear from Brendan and PurpleSpace members Renee Anastasi from HSBC and Amber Singsayachack from SLB

#PositivelyPurple 2024 is sponsored by Novartis and Motability Operations Ltd, in association with Tesco. 🌏 The global #PositivelyPurple movement celebrates the contribution of employees with disabilities around the world every 3 December 2024. PurpleSpace has been leading this movement since 2017: our mark of respect to the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) held annually on 3rd December. In 2024 #PositivelyPurple will: ☑️ Publish new guidance and case studies on how disability ERGs can extend their reach and impact to disabled colleagues working in ‘operational’ roles from warehouses to contact centres to ambulances to off-shore oil rigs and beyond. ☑️ Coordinate global action in the run up to 3 December so that organisations, ERG/Network leaders and executive sponsors talk about the role and impact of their disability ERG/Networks in a consistent and powerful way, on organisation websites and in professional profiles. PurpleSpace members can access more information about how to participate in the global #PositivelyPurple movement in our 2024 Member Support Toolkit available here https://lnkd.in/eN_JZUsT

A pleasure to host the PurpleSpace #GlobalDisabilityERGSummit last week at the Financial Times HQ last week. The day was filled with insights, panel discussions covering ‘How disability ERGs are providing a disability lens to strategic priorities and Developing the inner confidence of employees with disabilities’ and more. A huge thank you 🙏🏽 to PurpleSpace and Kate Nash OBE 💜 for trusting us to host this day and biggest thanks to Jacqui Dobson for bringing this partnership to life! #PositivelyPurple 💜#Disability #ERGs #DisabilityERG #Inclusion #Accessibility

This week I had the honour of participating in a panel discussion for PurpleSpace Gloval Disability ERG Summit #GlobalSummit , discussing reasonable workplace adjustments and accommodations with Diane @Rosie Momanyi and Andy Garrett Such a great event with so much enthusiasm and energy in the room. I met some wonderful people and look forward to continuing to grow blue light ERGs. Thank you to Reena Parmar for being such a wonderful person and giving me a fab pep talk! (and for some great photos!) - a genuinely lovely, kind spirit, I hope our paths cross again soon. Belinda May, it was a pleasure to meet you in person and I hope to have the opportunity to meet again soon for a longer conversation. Mohammad Koheeallee and Daniel Wiles, thank you for your company and sharing some of the wonderful things you are doing to support our community. looking forward to seeing the LinkedIn updates of the great work. Well done to Brendan Roach, Sally Owen and Kirstie Wilson and the PurpleSpace team for a fabulous event 💜 And Kate Nash OBE 💜, a pleasure as always and I promise not to cry the next time we meet! 💜

It’s been a crazy week speaking at an event and connecting with so many inspiring people, I just wanted to stop a take a few moments to reflect on an amazing week.   This week I attended the inaugural Accessible Learning Foundation (ALF) event, first listening to a great presentation by Sabrina Menasria about how #organisations can better #support colleagues with #neurodiversity, taking away some interesting stats I can use to support the work we are doing here at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB (CCEP). Also joining a panel discussion with Ben Corbridge and Dan Harris FRSA hosted by Matt Hancock, discussing what organisations can do practically to support their colleagues.

I was then extremely privileged to attend the first ever PurpleSpace Global ERG Summit, I had the honour of listening to some great talks and conversations, around #disability in the workplace, listening to stories from executive leaders with a disability and how they navigated the space. It highlights the importance of the #representation of #senior and #executive leaders with a disability in #businesses. An event that left me feeling energised and inspired to keep pushing forward with some of the great work we are continuing to undertake here at CCEP.

Thank you to Kate Nash OBE 💜 Brendan Roach Sally Owen & Kirstie Wilson for giving me the opportunity to connect with other disability #ERG #leaders, it’s reassuring when talking to others that we are all seemingly facing similar challenges, but by connecting and working together we can ensure those problems are just speed bumps in the road that we’ll no doubt navigate together.

This week really shows me, that everyone in is this space is making a true difference, though we still have a way to go but we are absolutely on the right path. #WeAreCCEP #CCEPGB #DisabilityConfident

Today’s post continues on the theme of community - the disability community. In fact, this is perfect timing because on Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending the first PurpleSpace Global ERG Summit 2024, and also had the honour of speaking on a panel about the next phase of change (a nice easy topic - not!). I’m still processing everything I heard on the day - I will come back to that in a future post. The energy in the room was electric. And the people - oh the people! Welcoming, engaged, empathetic, inspiring and supportive people - each and every single one of them is a hero, working each day towards a better future for disabled people. The organisations represented in the room represented some of the biggest names in business. And their disability ERG leaders are helping those organisations build disability inclusion and confidence inwards and externally. These role models are the future of business - and the future is looking like it will be a beautiful shade of purple. Kate Nash OBE 💜 has created a beautiful community, one that I am so grateful to be part of. One where I feel heard, valued and understood. I had the pleasure of meeting some extraordinary people there: *Christophe Desproges (He, Him, His) (immediately gave me a hug when he heard that I was a bit nervous about speaking on my panel) *Dave Russell (gave me pep talks throughout the day) *Dawn Poulson Whelan MSc, BA (Hons), DipEd, FSET (who was nervous about her speaking slot but absolutely smashed it. And she gave me a beautiful purple pin from the ambulance service after we had a great conversation about nerves) *Phil Whaite (I feel like we are now kindred spirits. He is doing great things on disability at A&O Shearman) *Jacqui Dobson (a powerhouse on all things D&I at the FT) *Belinda May (this lady and I have a soul connection. She is beautiful inside and out, and she embodies compassion and humanity. The room was riveted when she spoke because her presence is so powerful. I’m incredibly fortunate to have her as a mentor and champion) *Jean Co (funny, tells it like it is, and their energy is contagious) And so many others! I also want to echo a point made by Giles Barker BEM, about celebrating our unsung heroes. This is so important. Sharon Grennan, sorry (but not really) for giving you an unexpected shout out as my unsung hero yesterday 🙏🏽. You deserve this for all the meaningful work you do behind the scenes. Thank you to Brendan Roach and Sally Owen for inviting me to be part of this truly brilliant day. I am humbled by your trust and faith in me 🙏🏽 Together, this community of warriors is going to turn the world purple! #Community #DisabilityInclusion #DisabilityAtWork Image descriptions in the comments below.