Nimbus Disability, the Derby-based social enterprise run by disabled people for disabled people, has appointed two new non-executive directors.

Lisa Sturley and Dr. David Gordon will join the established Board of Non-Exec Directors which oversees the organisation’s operations including the award-winning Access Card which simplifies and improves disabled people’s access to a wide range of venues and events.

Lisa Sturley has more than 30 years’ experience in financial services including roles at RBS and Credit Suisse. She is currently Head of Market Intervention, Insurance at the Financial Conduct Authority - supervising retail and wholesale general insurance providers and intermediaries, life insurers and funeral plan providers.

She is also an experienced school governor – supporting schools which ‘require improvement’ and building governance frameworks to support and challenge leadership.

Lisa said:

This is a great opportunity to support Nimbus Disability as they continue their work to break down the barriers faced by disabled people who are seeking fair access to venues and experiences.

I am proud to be part of the organisation and look forward to providing strategic oversight, working with the Nimbus Disability team to identify future opportunities to improve the lives of disabled people and supporting the team as it expands.

David Gordon, who is Associate Professor of Marketing at the De Montfort University’s Leicester Castle Business School, has also joined the Nimbus Disability Board – bringing a wealth of business knowledge and lived experience as a wheelchair user

He said:

As a full-time wheelchair user, I face the challenges of access in my daily life and can guide and advise Nimbus Disability from both a commercial, academic, and lived experience perspective.

Nimbus Disability’s Access Card is held by more than 350,000 disabled people and is recognised by more than 1,600 venues and events across the world who offer accessible tickets.

The Access Card is the first accessible ticketing scheme of its type in the world - offering a universal and consistent way of disabled people evidencing and communicating their needs to providers quickly and discreetly.

Powered by ‘NOS’, Nimbus Disability’s bespoke software, the system translates its holder’s disability/impairment/access requirements into symbols and when booking online, informs providers quickly and discreetly about the access requirements that individuals need.

It is already widely recognised at major venues including West End theatres, The London Eye and the O2 Arena to venues in the USA, Europe and New Zealand.

Martin Austin MBE is the founder and Managing Director of Nimbus Disability. He said:

Since gaining The Queen’s Award for Innovation, we have grown rapidly both in terms of colleagues and in the volume of disabled people who hold the Access Card.

Strong governance is key for social enterprises such as ourselves whose ultimate aim is to provide a high quality service that generates profits for the benefit of charitable causes – in our case @disabili.

We regard ourselves fortunate to continue to attract highly experienced and knowledgeable non-executive directors to provide guidance, governance and to be our critical friend. We look forward to welcoming Lisa and David to our Board in the coming weeks.