I am a FTSE-100 board member with a disability. It's time for others to speak up

Whenever I explain why my experiences should matter to British business, I hope it's the last time I have to do so.

- Sara Weller

That maybe someone else will be inspired to pick up the baton and explain why they, too, need to be heard. But so far, nothing.

Almost a quarter of the population has some kind of physical, mental or neurological condition that means they navigate the world in a different way. Who knows how many of my fellow FTSE-100 board members are living with a disability? It could easily be 150 yet only one is talking openly about it. Me.

Why the wall of silence? What happened to "authentic leadership"? Do leaders fear that shareholders will suddenly view them as ill-equipped to do the job? And what message does leaders' silence send to their employees? Role models are crucial in business, so if leaders hide this part of themselves, employees will fear they must do the same.

This is what I call the "Great Veil of Secrecy", where no one inside the company talks about disability and many customers see an organisation that, at best, doesn't understand or, at worst, doesn't care about their needs.