Mike Adams OBE
Chief Executive Officer, Purple
Mike Adams is Chief Executive Officer of Purple, an organisation changing the disability conversation with disabled people and businesses.
Purple sees disability as a value opportunity and Mike is leading the development of products and services which are beginning to transform the landscape across all business sectors. This includes Purple Tuesday, which has achieved national acclaim for its contribution to changing the customer experience for disabled people, including online accessibility.
Purple supports more than 4,500 disabled people to access direct payments and offers a range of employment related support programmes.
Mike’s previous working track record includes being one of the senior management team at the Disability Rights Commission, Director of the National Disability Team for higher education and co-director of a disability research centre at Coventry University.
In 2013 Mike chaired the national Access to Work Expert Advisory Panel which produced more than 20 recommendations to modernise the Government’s flagship disability employment programme.
Mike has a substantial track record both in the UK and abroad and has presented keynote speeches at major international conferences. In 2019 he was a co-author of a seminal report, Leading from the Front – the role of the Board. He has recently received acclaim for his leadership on inclusive recovery plans in a post Covid-19 world.
Mike was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his services to disability.
“Mike has turned disability convention on its head making disability a commercial opportunity for business and in turn starting to move the dial on the stubborn inequality that exists for disabled people.”