About this item
If you discovered a new market comprising 53% of the world's population, would you act to invest in it? There are 1.3 billion people around the world who identify as having a disability. When you include friends and family, the disability market touches 53% of all consumers. It is the world's largest emerging market. Unleash Different illustrates how companies like Google, PepsiCo, and Nordstrom are attracting people with disabilities as customers and as employees. Replacing "nice to do" with "return on investment" allows market forces to take over and the world's leading brands to do what they do best: serve a market segment -- in this case, the disability market. Business managers will come to understand how taking a charity-oriented approach to people with disabilities has failed, what action is required to capitalize on the world's biggest emerging market, and how their organizations can grow revenue and cut costs by attracting people with disabilities as customers and talent.
About the Author
Rich Donovan is CEO of The Return on Disability Group and is a globally recognized subject matter expert on the convergence of disability and corporate profitability. Rich created the Return on Disability concept and model. He has spent more than 10 years focused on defining and unlocking the economic value of the disability market. The Barclays Return on Disability ETN listed on the New York Stock Exchange on September 11th, 2014 under the ticker RODI.On September 4, 2018 Rich launches his first book Unleash Different via ECW Press.He has been named one of the Top 50 Most Influential People with Disabilities in the world by UK-based Powerful Media and Shaw Trust in October 2016.Mr. Donovan was appointed to Chair of Ontario's Accessibility Standards Advisory Council by the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure in January 2016.Rich provides corporate and government clients with insights and tools to frame disability as a global emerging market. His proprietary and proven process translates disability success factors into specific actions that create sustainable value.Rich founded Lime (2006) , the leading third party recruiter in the disability space, where he worked with Google, PepsiCo, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, IBM, TD Bank and others to help them attract and retain top talent from within the disability market. Identified as a best practice by the U.S. Department of Labor and featured in the Wall Street Journal, Lime does one thing very well--find great talent. Rich has a combined 20 years of experience in portfolio and investment risk management. As a Proprietary Trader and Portfolio Manager at Merrill Lynch, Rich delivered consistent performance results focused on macro strategies with an event-driven overlay, using equity indices as a primary tool.Rich holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BBA from Schulich School of Business at York University. Rich is an avid sailor and proud father of his son, Maverick, along with his wife, Jenn. He also happens to have cerebral palsy.
