The initiative was spearheaded by the PLC’s chief executive, Jim Mullen. 

He said he was proud that the group was making the commitment: “Our strategy at Reach comes to life when people feel empowered to make big ideas happen, so anything we can do to help all our colleagues realise their full potential will put us in an even stronger position going forward,” he said. 

Reach head of diversity and inclusion Dr Julie Humphreys said the business had already begun making its commitments a reality, with the launch of the ‘ReachAbility’ network earlier this month. 

The network is focused on supporting and raising awareness of visible and invisible disabilities across the business, to help identify priorities and target change.

“We have also kicked off our data collection campaign which will not only inform our Inclusion strategy, but help us to robustly measure our progress as we continue to make Reach a place where everyone can thrive.”

The Valuable 500 is a global business-to-business initiative involving 500 national and multinational private sector businesses. It now has 500 members in 36 countries, encompassing some 20m employees. 

Many household names are part of the initiative, as well as a raft of firms with an industry connection. Adobe, Apple, the Bank of England, Close Brothers, BASF, DuPont, News UK and Whistl are among the existing members.