Kate Headley
Director, The Clear Company
A qualified HR leader whose career began at Marks and Spencer, followed by senior roles at Manchester City Council and Capita; Kate is driven by her belief in the importance of breaking down barriers to employment and allowing unseen talent to shine.
Kate co-founded the Clear Company in 2003. It is now a successful global business whose clients include Lloyd’s of London, HS2, Ofcom, The Civil Service, the Co-op and DWF.
In 2011 Kate founded and continues to chair the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI), a successful voluntary movement to increase disability confidence in the UK recruitment industry. Since its creation, RIDI is estimated to have positively influenced the lives of more than 60,000 disabled job seekers.
Kate regularly speaks at prominent conferences and events. Kate is also a government adviser on disability and diversity and serves on the external ‘Panel of Experts’ to the Cabinet Office. She is a founder partner of the government’s Disability Confident campaign and a member of the Civil Service Disability Inclusion team. In 2019 Kate joined the steering group of the Manchester Ability Network and following her delivery of disability confidence in recruitment to network members, has accepted a place on the Accessibility Engagement Group for the Glade of Light Memorial for victims of the Manchester Arena bomb.
Kate has Lupus, an auto immune condition requiring regular medication and extra care. The condition has caused significant sight loss during the last five years but not brought a stop to her level of professional influence and activity.
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“2020 has been a challenging year for us all but for those with a disability it has been a roller coaster of highs and lows as our diversity is mirrored in the impact of Covid-19 on our daily lives. For some, technology has increased accessibility and the removal of travel to work has been a phenomenal bonus. For others this experience has been isolating and debilitating. For me it has been humbling and empowering as the most incredible network of colleagues, neighbours and friends sprung into action. Still running a business, still making change happen but definitely not doing so alone”