Celia Chartres-Aris

Disabled Founder and Investor, Multi-Award Winning Campaigner and Policy Designer

Politics and Law

Celia Chartres-Aris is a multi-award winning campaigner, lobbyist, investor and policy designer, having also founded several disabled-led organisations focused on the development and advancement of policy, ensuring that disabled people are at the heart of legislation. This year Celia has been named on the 2023 Global Diversity Leaders list.

Celia works closely with organisations, charities and the Government, advocating, designing new legislation and policies, and amending existing legislation and policies, for the improved equity of representation, inclusivity, accessibility and opportunities for disabled people. Over the years this has included working with brands such as; Cola, Apple and Linkedin, and partnering with national and international Governmental bodies such as; The House of Lords, The European Union, The United Nations, Westminster and Downing Street.

Alongside being an advocate for inclusive law and policy, Celia is also an active campaigner for diversity, intersectionality and inclusion, regularly speaking with organisations and charities around the world, such as; Virgin, Amazon, BHF and British Banking. She also regularly models for adaptive fashion and is the first person to walk London Fashion Week whilst having a blood infusion and is a regular volunteer with charities close to her heart. Celia is also the Co-founder of the first policy unit in the UK which focuses on putting disability at the heart of Westminster, and Access2Funding which brings together the global investment market and is implementing inclusive practices across the deal flow, which is significantly improving opportunities and participation for disabled entrepreneurs. Her work has been featured by organisations such as Forbes, The Financial Times and AwareNow.

Celia was born with multiple disabilities including Loeys-Dietz Syndrome, Marfans, POTS and intestinal failure, currently due to multiple organ-failure she lives with a permanent central line in her chest receiving daily blood infusions and complete artificial nutrition. Celia has never known her life without her disability, and takes pride in her disabled identity, working hard to breakdown discrimination.

“I am extremely grateful to be featured alongside this incredible group of individuals whom make up The Disability Power 100. Each of them are a testament to the talent, capabilities and potential of disabled people, across every sector and I am so glad that the Disability Power 100 is able to highlight their work. I am disabled and incredibly proud to be so.”

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Disability Power 100 2023 profile information has been self-submitted by the profile subject. Shaw Trust understands and respects that disability and impairment descriptors and language use varies from person to person. Shaw Trust assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or discrepancies in the content of this, or any other, profile page.

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