This week, CEOs and C-suite leaders from across the globe are gathering in Tokyo for the world’s first accountability summit on disability inclusion in business – SYNC25. Not a conference. Not another forum for good intentions. An accountability summit.

For the 1.3 billion people living with disabilities worldwide, there’s been no shortage of corporate commitments over the years. Beautiful statements. Ambitious pledges. But commitments without accountability don’t move the needle for the people who are waiting for real change.

It’s no coincidence this summit coincides with International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). Across social media, individuals and organizations will share powerful messages advocating for disability rights and inclusion – advocacy that’s both genuine and necessary. But systemic change requires something more than advocacy: business leaders willing to leverage their power and platforms to drive transformation at scale.

That’s what distinguishes SYNC25. These aren’t companies making statements. They’re demonstrating measurable progress and accepting accountability for what comes next.

But this moment isn’t only about the Valuable 500 companies in Tokyo. It’s about every CEO reading this and asking themselves: Where does your organization stand? If you were asked to report on your disability representation data, accessibility improvements and leadership commitments, what would your organization have to show?

Leadership when it’s hardest

This has been a complicated year for inclusion work. Budgets tightened. Priorities shifted. The discourse around diversity initiatives became politicized in ways that made many organizations retreat. The easy path has been to delay, to keep quiet, to wait for a more favorable moment to show up and push for change.

But some companies chose differently. What that looked like varied enormously – and rightfully so. Some organizations made bold public commitments despite political headwinds. Others focused on internal transformation, building foundations that will enable future progress. Regional contexts shaped what was possible: what represents courageous leadership in one market might be standard practice in another.

The companies at SYNC25 span this entire spectrum. Some are at the beginning of their disability inclusion journeys. Others are years ahead, leading the way and learning from their mistakes. All of these positions are valid. None of these companies have it all figured out – and they never will.

That’s the uncomfortable truth about disability inclusion that we don’t talk about enough: there is no finish line. This work doesn’t end with a policy implemented or a target met. It’s an ongoing commitment to learning, adapting and being held accountable for continuous improvement.

The missing ingredient for systemic change

Somewhere between commitment and transformation lies a chasm that individual heroism cannot bridge. I’ve watched brilliant disability inclusion champions within their organizations work tirelessly, often in isolation, to drive change. Their efforts matter. Their impact is real. But systemic change requires something more powerful than individual acts of courage.

What’s been missing is ‘Synchronised Collective Action’ – the power of focusing our collective might to do the same thing, at the same time, in the same way.

Think about what happens when 500 of the world’s largest companies – representing trillions in combined revenue and millions of employees – decide to move together on disability inclusion. Not competing. Not working in isolation. Moving in synchrony toward shared goals with transparent accountability.

That’s the multiplier effect being demonstrated at SYNC25 – and available to any organization willing to embrace the same principles of transparency and accountability. When business aligns its collective power toward change, the impact doesn’t just add up – it compounds.

Of course, Synchronised Collective Action only works if leaders see why disability inclusion deserves their attention.

The business reality

Moral imperatives alone rarely shift corporate strategy. So let’s talk about what disability inclusion actually delivers for business performance.

The global disability market represents as much as US$18 trillion in annual spending power. When you factor in family, friends and allies, disability touches 63 percent of the global population – all making purchasing decisions influenced by which brands demonstrate authentic inclusion.

But these financial implications, as compelling as they are, represent just the beginning of what’s possible. Our conversations with 33 global C-suite executives reveal that disability-inclusive leadership drives innovation in unexpected ways.

Leaders who embed disability inclusion into their strategic vision don’t just create more accessible workplaces – they create environments where diverse perspectives fuel innovation. They tap into talent pools their competitors overlook. They develop products and services that serve broader markets because they’re designed with accessibility from the start, not retrofitted as an afterthought.

One telecommunications executive we interviewed demonstrated this perfectly. By leading with vulnerability – openly discussing their own connection to disability and becoming a vocal advocate – they helped raise disability disclosure rates in their organization from three percent to 15–16 percent.

That shift didn’t just improve representation metrics. It unlocked insights that transformed how the company approached product development and customer service.

This example highlights something crucial about disability-inclusive leadership: visibility at the top matters. Yet when we look at C-suite representation more broadly, a troubling pattern emerges.

Only three percent of C-suite leaders currently disclose their disability or caregiving responsibilities. Yet 78 percent of the disability-inclusive leaders we interviewed have personal connections to disability through family members.

This gap between private experience and public leadership creates a fundamental problem. When disability remains invisible in leadership ranks, it signals to the entire organization that this isn’t a priority that reaches the top.

Of course, lived experience of disability isn’t a prerequisite for inclusive leadership. What matters is the willingness to be vulnerable, to learn and to hold yourself accountable for creating environments where disabled employees can thrive.

The decade ahead

For Valuable 500, SYNC25 marks the beginning of a decade of accountability that will fundamentally reshape how business approaches disability inclusion. But this moment extends far beyond the companies in Tokyo.

What happens over the next decade depends on every CEO asking themselves a simple question: Where does my organization stand?

The companies at SYNC25 are proving what’s possible when business accepts its responsibility to drive real change rather than simply managing perception. But you don’t need to be at a summit to embrace accountability. You need to be willing to measure what matters, report progress honestly and hold yourself to the same standards you apply to other strategic priorities.

Most importantly, it means understanding that disability inclusion isn’t an optional add-on to business strategy. It’s fundamental to building resilient, innovative, successful organizations in today’s business landscape.

Let’s be clear about what this accountability actually means – and whom it serves. Not accountable to consultants or inclusion officers, rather accountable to the disabled employees in your organization who deserve environments where they can contribute fully. Accountable to the disabled customers in your market who deserve products and services designed with them in mind. Accountable to the broader disability community who have waited too long for business to move beyond good intentions.

This is the decade when that accountability becomes real, when we prove that Synchronised Collective Action delivers transformation at scale and when we demonstrate that business can be a genuine force for equity, not just profit.

Opinions expressed by The CEO Magazine contributors are their own.