Joanne Austin works at HSBC as a compliance assurance manager. Jo is a passionate advocate for disability inclusion and has been the driving force behind tangible change that has benefited a number of disabled and neurodiverse people within the organisation.

Jo’s passion for inclusion is driven by her own personal experience and being a carer for her son and son’s girlfriend. Jo has epilepsy, her son is neurodiverse and his girlfriend is a full-time wheelchair user. Jo’s drive for inclusivity has been a lifelong endeavour. She was told that both her son and his girlfriend would not be employable but, defying all odds and down to Jo’s sheer tenacity, they are both now in full time employment.

She has brought this passion into the workplace. She is the Co-Chair for HSBC UK’s Ability network. This group represents 3,000 staff who are either themselves disabled, neurodiverse, carers, parents or line managers to disabled and neurodiverse individuals.

Jo has championed change in the virtual workplace to cater for the needs of individuals who have epilepsy. As a result, the bank has made all its screen savers for 250,000 employees across 40 countries fully accessible. Jo is also collaborating with Zoom to ensure that safeguards are built to ensure that video and other content can be shared without triggering an individual’s epilepsy.