Sodexo is supporting The Valuable 500 initiative for organisations committed to putting disability inclusion on their business leadership agenda.
Following the announcement, the French multinational foodservice and facilities management services provider has made a commitment to introduce a "non-discrimination" policy for people with disabilities and launch dedicated communication channels to support greater inclusion of disabled employees.
Sodexo has also announced the forthcoming appointment of a new disability champion who will be selected from the company's existing employees, and a partnership with the International Labor Organization's (ILO) Global Business and Disability Network which will supports disability inclusion by providing opportunities to learn from, and share, experiences with other leading brands - in addition to access to country-specific information.
According to The World Bank, more than 1.3 billion people around the world live with some form of disability.
To address this, The Valuable 500 was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2019.
Their goal has been to sign 500 national and multinational, private sector corporations and unite them to serve as role models for change on this vital issue.
To date, more than 200 global businesses have signed up.
Welcoming Sodexo's inclusion on the programme, The Valuable 500 co-founder, Caroline Casey, said:
"It is extremely promising to see global companies like Sodexo who are from all four corners of the globe and operate across a vast array of sectors, continuing to pledge to join our disability inclusion movement nearly twelve months on from its launch.
"The Valuable 500 will be returning to Davos and bringing into the focus our progress in tackling 'diversity' attitudes in the workplace over the past year.
Denis Machuel, Sodexo Chief Executive Officer, added:
"I am certain Sodexo will be instrumental in ensuring disability inclusion becomes the norm in working life globally."
