prabhuDeloitte UK, KPMG UK and PwC UK have today announced that they have signed up to The Valuable 500 – the global initiative striving to place disability inclusion on the business agenda.
EY has already pledged to The Valuable 500 at a global level.
This collaborative move from the leading professional services organisations places the sector at the forefront of creating better inclusivity in business.
It follows the large number of banks that recently committed to The Valuable 500 including Barclays, HSBC, Bank of England, RBS and Lloyds Banking Group, signifying a huge step forward for the financial sector as a whole.
WEForum initiative
The Valuable 500, launched at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Summit in Davos earlier this year, is seeking 500 global business leaders to place disability on their board agendas, and will hold each accountable for disability inclusion in their businesses by ensuring it is discussed at leadership level and action is taken.
To date businesses employing well over two million employees globally have signed up to put disability inclusion on their board agendas.
Inclusion at work
The Big Four all have a history of taking action to improve inclusion in the workplace, with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC working with Auticon, to make the most of the cognitive strengths of autistic individuals through targeted hiring.
KPMG is also working alongside the Department for Work and Pensions as a Disability Confidence Leader.
Deloitte recognises that disability has a wider impact than just its own workforce and is proud to be supporting Scope as one of its One Million Futures charity partners, including its #workwithme pledge.
EY was recently named on Fortune’s ‘Change the World’ list for its work to recruit neurodiverse candidates. The London-headquartered company also collaborated with #valuable in 2018 to publish research which highlighted the scale of disability exclusion in business.
Digital focus
Similarly, with a focus on digital upskilling and inclusion, PwC is working with a wide range of assistive technology providers and have a team dedicated to ensuring their technology is accessible and to raising awareness of the specific tools available.
The announcement comes just one week before KPMG is set to host a disability focused event in association with its Board Leadership Centre, building on its work from 2018 with disability organisation Purple.
The event, ‘Leading from the front – disability and the role of the board’ will bring together business leaders and influencers to help build further confidence on disability inclusive leadership.
“Deloitte UK, EY, KPMG UK and PwC UK, the big four professional services organisations have the national power to make a difference in their sector, and therefore the responsibility to really make a difference”, Caroline Casey, founder of The Valuable 500, commented.
“It is fantastic that they are standing up together to speak for those who have been routinely ignored in business and society.
Momentum is building for disability inclusion and it is fantastic to see global competitors come together to collaborate and solve global inclusion issues. Undoubtedly this is a sign that the world is waking up to the current inequality crisis.
We applaud the big four for taking a definitive stand on inclusion and giving a voice to disabled people through their boardrooms, and encourage other business leaders and brands to follow suit in committing to The Valuable 500.”
