What’s the most meaningful contribution you’ve made to drive social impact?
The Maltesers campaign in 2016 changed everything for me. We were responding to Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award, which revealed that less than 1% of protagonists in UK ads were disabled people – often played by non-disabled actors. When 22% of the UK population lived with a disability, this was staggering.
My team partnered with Scope to create advertising that genuinely featured disabled people telling their own stories. A key moment was realising my brilliant creative team couldn’t authentically represent disabled experiences without lived experience. So we brought in focus groups with young disabled women who simply shared their lives.
We weren’t trying to create victim narratives or superhero stories – we just asked women to talk about what makes them laugh, cry, what turns them on. That approach shattered stereotypes and showed everyday reality.
We won Channel 4’s competition and a million pounds of airtime. More importantly, it became Maltesers’ most successful campaign ever, boosting sales by 8%. The campaign demonstrated that being disability inclusive enhances creative work, makes people feel genuinely included, and makes good business sense. Even today, people quote it because it was the first time a UK brand genuinely brought disabled voices into authentic advertising.
If you were the Prime Minister, what would you do to improve the UK for everyone?
If I were Prime Minister, I’d start by actually listening to people about what holds them back in their daily lives. Too often, governments think they’re helping without understanding the real barriers people face.
I’m a huge advocate for equity over equality. As the saying goes, “Equality is buying everybody a pair of shoes. Equity is buying a pair of shoes that fit.” Governments often stop at equality, failing to provide the nuanced support needed for everyone to truly thrive. We all want to run our own race, but the problem is that many people can’t even get to the starting line.
When we strip back the jargon of DEI, we’re quite simply saying we want to create a fairer world for everyone, and that needs to be baked into the fabric of society. My approach would be a national audit of barriers, leading to systemic rather than departmental changes.
What is your biggest work lesson? And why?
One of the biggest work lessons I’ve learned came from a deeply humbling experience. I’m naturally a pleaser and have always believed in vulnerability as a leader. During a brutal period in my advertising firm, I went away on a two-week holiday – my first in ages! I didn’t want to leave my team feeling abandoned, so I kept checking in, driven by this intense desire to help and be there for them.
On the third day of my holiday, the most junior person on my team called me. She said, very directly, “Katy, I’ve thought long and hard about this, but I need to tell you to stop.” She explained that my constant checking in was actually teaching them I didn’t trust them to get on with things. She emphasised that I needed to be a role model for self-care – and that my desire to help could even come across as undermining.
I was taken aback but also completely enlightened. This taught me the crucial difference between intent and impact. My desire to help was genuine, but its impact was undermining both my team’s confidence and my own well-being. This lesson transformed my approach to leadership and work-life balance. I’m also incredibly proud that I’d created a team where they felt empowered to give me such direct feedback.
What is the thing that brings you the most #WorkJoy?
What brings me the most joy at work? Tackling really big, seemingly impossible challenges. Like everyone, I have those “oh f***” moments when I honestly don’t know the way forward. But there’s immense satisfaction in bringing diverse teams together to solve complex problems.
As CEO of Valuable 500, I see firsthand the power of disability and neurodiversity in the workplace. Disabled people are natural innovators – constantly having to navigate and problem-solve in a world that isn’t designed for them. Those skills translate into incredible workplace assets when you give people the right environment to thrive.
Everyone in the workforce has something valuable to bring, and the best leaders find and nurture that potential in everyone. For me, the real joy is in solving big problems by knowing the team well enough to bring in the right people at the right time.
What is one of your pet hates? Why?
My biggest pet peeve is outright lying, especially taking credit for someone else’s work. But good leadership is about empowering others and celebrating their contributions. For me, the best feeling is being able to say, “I have the most amazing team around me!” I take immense pride in giving credit where it’s due because it creates a mutually beneficial environment.
I once had a colleague who only felt he had won if someone else had lost. I think this behaviour stems from insecurity, and it’s isolating. For me, leadership is about connection, not isolation. I’m not the kind of leader who charges ahead expecting everyone to follow. I need to feel connected to people to lead effectively. While it can be tough, I’ve never found it lonely. The truth is, my greatest joy comes from creating an environment where others can be happy and productive, and you simply can’t be selfish or dishonest in those environments.
Who or what inspires you to continue pushing the boundaries of ethical and impact driven business practices?
My answer to this question comes straight from the heart: my husband.
I’ll be honest, I often battle with impostor syndrome. What I’m doing now is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s also the best. There are moments when I feel like I can’t do it, and that’s when my husband steps in as my ultimate cheerleader.
He believes deeply in my work and capabilities. Both his parents are disabled, so he truly understands the importance of what I’m doing. He’s also my harshest critic, which is equally important. His honesty comes from a safe, trusting relationship, and his perspective from outside the daily grind is invaluable.
What is your favourite quote that you would like us to include?
The most important decision you can make today is to be in a good mood. – Voltaire
