The Accessible Hospitality Alliance (aha) is proud to announce the appointment of Richmal Maybank to its Advisory Board. A recognised leader in inclusive employment, neurodiversity, and disability advocacy, Maybank brings over a decade of strategic experience in designing and delivering employment and retention programmes that create real opportunity for under-represented talent.
Her appointment marks a significant step forward in aha’s mission to make the hospitality industry not only accessible to all guests, but inclusive in its workforce too.
Maybank’s work has always centred on one essential idea: everyone deserves a career where they can thrive, and every workplace is richer for its diversity. She has led groundbreaking employment programmes that place people living with disability, neurodivergent talent, and individuals with mental health conditions into roles where they are empowered to succeed.
What sets Maybank apart is not only her specialist knowledge in neurodiversity, disability inclusion, and mental health, but her deep commitment to co-production, designing initiatives with, not just for, the people they are intended to support.
Reflecting on her new role Maybank explained: “The hospitality sector is built on human connection. If we want to deliver truly great experiences, we need to make sure everyone, whether a guest or a staff member feels they belong. I’m proud to join the Accessible Hospitality Alliance as an Advisor. It’s an opportunity to challenge outdated systems, champion universal design, and work alongside people who not only care about inclusion but are committed to action and lasting change.
Her expertise in programme design, stakeholder engagement, and influencing across all levels of leadership, from frontline teams to C-suite executives and government departments, positions her to make a powerful impact at the aha.
Maybank leads employment work at Autism Action, where she holds the primary role of Employment Lead. Alongside this, she runs her own neuro-inclusive consultancy, Seats at the Table. She sits on the Accessibility Board at The O2, one of the UK’s leading entertainment venues, and has recently joined the Regional Stakeholder Network for the Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit. In both roles, she works alongside access and diversity specialists to champion best practice as a standard across sectors including hospitality, entertainment, and events.
Her ability to connect policy-level advocacy with real-world impact is central to aha’s goal of creating sustainable career pathways for people living with disability within hospitality. Not one-off placements, but long-term, supported, and meaningful career journeys.
Robin Sheppard, co-founder and Chair of Accessible Hospitality Alliance, welcomed Richmal’s appointment saying: “We’re delighted to have Richmal joining our Advisory Board. Her work in inclusive employment, her influence across government and industry, and her commitment to co-designed solutions aligns perfectly with our purpose. Richmal doesn’t just talk about change, she builds it. Her guidance will help us open more doors to enrich the hospitality workplace with the diversity it so urgently needs.”
While accessibility is often associated with physical spaces and guest experience, the aha takes a broader view, one that recognises that authentic hospitality includes employment, representation, and belonging.
