A mentoring programme for more people with disabilities on company boards

Australian Network on Disability's Directing Change Scholarship: A three-year program creating pathways for persons with disabilities in directorial roles. In 2022, received 226 applications, awarded 22 scholarships, and engaged over 300 directors.

The Australian Network on Disability, a national employer-led NGO, launched the Directing Change Scholarship, a three-year educational programme that creates a unique pathway for persons with disabilities in Australia to join company boards. The programme works in two key ways: (1) by preparing persons with disabilities for directors´ jobs; and (2) by making directors and boards more disability-confident – for example, by developing a toolkit that helps directors to foster accessibility. In its first year (2022), the project received 226 applications, awarded 22 scholarships, and engaged with over 300 company directors.

Problems Targeted

The low representation of persons with disabilities on company boards is mainly due to a lack of relevant qualifications as well as a lack of awareness.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

The Directing Change Scholarship is designed to support persons with disabilities who are in leadership roles, report to a board, or want to be on a board. The eight-month tailored mentoring programme matches participants with experienced board members, which has a twofold impact: (1) the participants receives practical and relevant guidance and create new networks; and (2) the director (i.e., the company mentor) is exposed to the challenges and barriers that persons with disabilities face in regards to joining a company board. One aspect of the project is the development of a comprehensive toolkit for directors, offering practical guidance on fostering accessibility within boardrooms. Additionally, a series of briefings about disability inclusion on boards has been implemented. By partnering with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), the Directing Change Scholarship creates a pathway and pipeline for people with disabilities to join boards. In addition, the programme raises awareness in the Director network about the untapped talent they may be overlooking. As part of the practice, the Australian Network on Disability has supported the AICD to become a disability-confident education provider. As a result, AICD has seen an increase in the number of people who self-identify as having a disability enrolling in their programmes and requesting adjustments to participate.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

The Directing Change Scholarship is fully funded by an Anonymous Trust. The project will spend 555,886 AUD (approximately US$367,000) over a three-year period. This money will provide financial support for 57 people with disabilities to participate in the programme. The AICD has also received a grant from the Commonwealth Government to make its educational content more accessible. (Awardee 2024)

Pictures

The Directing Change Scholarship prepares people with disabilities for leadership roles.

The Directing Change Scholarship prepares people with disabilities for leadership roles.

Select this picture Select this picture

THE STORY OF JAMES ATKINS, MENTOR TO ADAM STORMONT AT THE AICD COMPANY DIRECTOR’S COURSE

“Being a mentor, I have learned as much as I feel I have given.”

My name is James Atkins and I am the principal of the consultancy firm Vantage Strategy. I mentored Adam Stormont as part of the Directing Change Scholarship programme. Getting to know Adam, who has mental health challenges, has been about gaining an insight into who he is and the value he can contribute. His disability is very much in the background, as it should be, and our conversations have all been around where he is going and his options to get there. Through being a mentor, I have learned as much as I feel I have given. Adam’s experiences and perspectives are different from mine, which makes it a fruitful experience for us both. Adam’s undertaking of the AICD Company Director’s Course was a real catalyst for some interesting conversations and helped frame both what we discussed and where he is headed. It’s great to see that he has found his first board role as Senior Programme Manager for Community Hospitals while completing the Directing Change programme.