This week on Impact Expert QT, we are joined by the incredible Kate Nash OBE! As the founder of PurpleSpace, Kate is an influential impact leader. PurpleSpace is the world’s only global network of disability employee resource groups, comprising an empowered community of leaders who employ disabled talent.
In this session, Kate opens up about the mission behind PurpleSpace, how she stays impact-driven, as well as her personal commitment to act following her ActionAble 2025 panels! Kate also reflects on her journey, sharing key milestones in her career and the importance of making the ask.
What is the biggest thing you have done to drive social impact?
Creating PurpleSpace has been my joy and mission. Established in 2015, it is now a social business supporting over 5,000 disability employee resource groups and executive sponsors across 175 employer brands in 56 countries – reaching 1.5 million employees with disabilities worldwide!
These leaders are the masters and drivers of internal systemic change when it comes to building an equitable working world for disabled employees. Their leadership has created an unstoppable positive narrative about human potential and the necessity for businesses to create easy-to-use workplace adjustment processes.
If you were the Prime Minister, how would you improve the UK for everyone?
The role would stifle me so I would need to elegantly resign and do what I am doing now in order to improve the UK for everyone. I believe deeply in the democratic machine in the UK, for all its faults and the challenges. I spent the first half of my career in Westminster and Whitehall lobbying for equalities legislation but I would not go back.
You now find me writing book number three in the best coffee shops in Mumbles, South Wales. And I still shout at the Telly Box on a Thursday night during Question Time. My readers tell me that what I write holds great impact.
What is the most significant work lesson?
Ask, ask, ask. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
My ‘signature’ description when I created PurpleSpace was “you can’t say no to Nash”. And very proud I was to wear that description.
In short, it described (I hope) my ability to paint a clear and tantalising description of a new future when you create leadership paths for employees with disabilities. I excited others, I networked hard, I offered time generously and freely and I bounced into rooms with optimism. The reality was and is, plenty of people have said no to Nash! However, if you can find the win-win in shared visions and dreams and be generous to a fault, people will more often than not gravitate to your cause, align with shared goals and purchase your products and services.
You have to make the ask.
Can you share some key milestones or proudest moments in your career?
The two that stick out are about firstly about being recognised and secondly about noticing when it is time to pivot to your next role.
I was supremely proud to be offered a leadership bursary made possible by Julia Middleton, former CEO at Common Purpose. And then a second leadership bursary made possible by Susan Scott Parker, founder of Business Disability Forum. Both were remarkable social impact change agents (still are) so their ‘noticing’ really mattered. I learnt much from their words of wisdom as well as gaining access to the in-house leadership know-how of some of the most imaginative UK and global companies. They were exhilarating days, though the pride came from being noticed.
I am also very proud to have recently navigated the ownership of PurpleSpace to Scope, the organisation where I first started my lobbying career. Having stood down as CEO in 2024, I am now enjoying leading the PurpleSpace Confident Conversation film series with disabled C-Suite leaders such as the indefatigable Sara Weller.
What is your most embarrassing moment at work?
Tough question! I have done plenty of mediocre speeches on the paths to great ones. I have upset a few politicians on the path to equalities legislation. I have irritated the heck out of most of the amazing people with whom I have worked and laughed.
Though I cannot say for certain I have a ‘most embarrassing moment’ – though I do recall being completely nervous when speaking to David Clutterbuck, one of the pioneers in the field of mentoring and an extraordinary writer of some fantastic books about the art of mentoring. I was writing a guide for mentors of people with disabilities and wanted to get to know him, perhaps secure a quote. When I finally got my long awaited telephone meeting (this was years before Teams!) I blurted out “I have written everything you have ever read”. I meant the opposite – let us just say he was very gracious!
What is the thing that brings you the most #WorkJoy?
Writing, writing, writing.
What is one of your pet hates at work?
Working with people who are working on emails when they are supposedly engaging in a meeting. One minute of your undivided attention enables people to feel seen, heard and valued and equivalent to one hour of your unfocused mind.
What goals should Employee Resource Groups set for the Boards of FTSE 100 companies?
One key goal stands out that could make an incredible difference: deliver an internal easy to use, visible, centralised workplace adjustment process.
This process needs internal service level agreements. One where the length of time to deliver an adjustment is monitored and holds people accountable. In having a centralised process, workplace adjustments are established as a priority and are more likely to be carried out efficiently and transparently.
What did people in 1995 believe the Disability Discrimination Act would fix? How has it performed compared to expectations?
This ties into my previous point. The fact we are still seeing disability employee resource group leaders having to ‘lobby’ for the introduction of elegant, geographically consistent and time-monitored adjustment processes is beyond me.
Parental leave policies are a given. Far more expensive. Yet taken as expectations. 30 years after the original Disability Discrimination Act and the provision is still patchy. What’s the problem here? It really isn’t difficult if a Board commits to sign off the end-to-end process and monitor output.
What inspires you to continue pushing the boundaries of ethical and impact-driven business practices?
American executive orders about diversity, equity and inclusion harden my resolve to remain optimistic and focused on impact-driven action. As Mel Robbins would say “Let Me”.
What is your favourite quote?
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjust the sails.” William Arthur Ward
I love it because we can do nothing without hope and the next most logical action.
What is your commitment to act?
Following ActionAble 2025, I will bring new written content into the world about HOW to build inner confidence and make it easier for CEOs and C-Suite leaders with disabilities to do so.
Kate Nash OBE
Author, international speaker, optimist, founder PurpleSpace
