Kate Nash OBE

Kate is an award-winning writer, founder of PurpleSpace, storyteller and optimist.

In 2014 she published Secrets & Big News: the research was the first to examine the ‘disclosure’ or ‘declaration’ of disability at work involving 2,500 disabled employees across 55 employers. Her second book Positively Purple, was published by Kogan Page in 2023 which won Business Book of the Year 2023 (DEI).

In 2024 she transferred ownership of PurpleSpace to Scope and began evidence-based research for a series of four new books. She is currently writing 52 Habits To Get On At Work and Out The Purple C-Suite Closet.

She hosts the Confident Conversation Podcast Series for PurpleSpace interviewing CEO/C-Suite leaders with lived experience of disability.

She is a member of the London Stock Exchange Group EDI Global Advisory Council, a judge for the Scope Awards for Disabled Champions and a judge for the Creo Awards for disabled and neurodivergent leaders.

She was awarded an OBE for services to disabled people in 2007.

Pledge

I have proudly accepted the role of an Age Irrelevance Ambassador because I believe that age should never define our potential, our worth, our contributions to society nor access to services.

Throughout my work to raise the profile of disability, I’ve seen firsthand how deeply rooted biases - whether about ability or age - limit opportunities and diminish life chances. This role aligns with my commitment to challenge outdated narratives and champion a more inclusive and empowering perspective on aging and disability.

As we grow older, the likelihood of acquiring a disability increases, making it even more vital to reshape how society views both aging and disability. These are not weaknesses to be hidden or pitied - they are natural parts of the human experience that deserve respect, visibility, and celebration. By embracing age irrelevance, we recognize the value, resilience, joy and capability that exist at every stage of life, and we commit to building a world where no one is excluded or underestimated because of how old they are or the presence, or absence, of disability, mental ill health or neurodivergence.