Mission
The Valuable 500 was, at the outset, a campaign which called on 500 businesses to commit to putting disability inclusion on their board agendas. Hundreds of global organisations including Microsoft, Bloomberg, WPP, the Bank of England, American Express and EY, have joined the movement, as well as leaders such as Sir Richard Branson, Carolyn Fairbairn (CBI) and Peter Grauer (Bloomberg).
The milestone of 500 was reached in just two years and The Valuable 500 campaign now aims to increase awareness of the 1.3 billion people across the world who live with some form of disability, and to support and empower its 500 members as they systematically transform their businesses for better disability inclusion
Campaign
Seven Hills supported Caroline Casey with the creation of The Valuable 500 campaign in 2019 and has since been at the heart of its global communications and press activity. This includes identifying platforms for Caroline to raise awareness – through thought leadership, commentary and profile opportunities – and proactive campaigning to make the case for disability inclusion in mainstream national and international business media.
In May 2021 it was announced The Valuable 500 campaign had achieved its goal. 500 major global companies, with 22 million employees, in 64 sectors and across 41 countries, had committed to taking action on disability inclusion at a board level, igniting a historic global movement for a new age of diversity in business. In celebration of this major milestone, the Seven Hills team secured a series of high-profile media opportunities including an exclusive in The Guardian, coverage on BBC News Online, and an announcement that resulted in more than 1,000 pieces of coverage across 37 countries.
“It’s no longer good enough for companies to say ‘disability doesn’t fit with our brand’ or ‘it’s a good idea to explore next year’. Businesses cannot be truly inclusive if disability is continuously ignored on leadership agendas”. – Caroline Casey, Founder
Momentum
The Valuable 500 is the leading global campaign for disability inclusion in business. Seven Hills’ sustained media campaign has driven coverage across national and international publications and elevated the issue of disability inclusion in the business media, within thousands of pieces of coverage across 89 countries. Caroline is now widely acknowledged as the leading commentator on disability inclusion in business.
The Valuable 500 has attracted investment from The Nippon Foundation, enabling it to scale the global impact of the movement. The Valuable 500 continues to break down barriers and reach new milestones by introducing new initiatives to spotlight the lack of representation in business for persons with disabilities.
The Valuable 500’s members include 500 global CEOs and companies who will be spearheading the programmes and services within Phase 2 of the campaign, being activated through global disability surveys, disability trend reports, an executive disability resource hub, C-Suite stories and reverse mentoring with persons with disabilities.
