Diane Lightfoot

Diane Lightfoot is CEO of Business Disability Forum, a not-for-profit membership organisation that supports businesses of all shapes, sizes and sectors to recruit and retain disabled employees and to serve disabled customers. Business Disability Forum’s 600 members employ over 20% of the UK workforce and range from FTSE 100 companies and central Government departments to technology, transport and construction companies, retailers, higher education providers and public services bodies. Business Disability Forum supports them via its Advice Service, events, learning & development courses, consultancy and a growing range of networks.

Diane joined Business Disability Forum as in February 2017 after 13 years as Director of Policy and Communications at United Response, a leading national learning disability charity. Whilst at United Response, Diane took on the leadership of the organisation’s employment services as a whole and saw first-hand how getting a job often for the first time – transformed disabled people’s lives.

Diane is also co-chair of the Disability Charities Consortium, a group of nine major national disability charities in the UK and vice chair of the Disability Confident Business Leaders Group. She engages with Government to seek to effect positive change, using the rich evidence base of what works and what does not that comes from working with Business Disability Forum Members.

Diane also sits on the steering board for the Lilac Review, the CMI Everyone Economy Advisory Committee and the Steering Group for the Global Business Disability Network, hosted by the International Labour Organisation. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is part of the Steering Group for the RSA Inclusive Work, Disability and Ageing Network.