- Meet Joshua Wintersgill, CEO of ableMove, revolutionizing travel accessibility for wheelchair users.
- Discover his journey from personal struggle to founding a company dedicated to inclusive aviation solutions.
- Inspired by Simon’s concept of The Golden Circle, Joshua’s mission is to empower disabled individuals worldwide.
At first glance, Joshua Wintersgill, CEO of the UK-based company ableMove, seems like a pretty normal guy. He enjoys coffee and tea, likes hiking in the Malvern Hills near his UK home, and shares his space with a cat named Larla. Despite his ambition to compete as an air-rifle Olympian for Team GB in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, if you were to ask about his surprising talent, he would proudly tout his ability to (almost) wiggle his ears. His favorite piece of advice, given to him by his Nan, is: “Put ‘can’t’ in your pocket and pull out ‘try’.”
Josh is also a visionary. He is an entrepreneur and a staunch advocate for accessibility and inclusivity in the aviation industry. Driven by personal challenges as someone who uses a wheelchair, Josh sought to find solutions to his own struggles and extend them to others who faced similar difficulties when traveling with disabilities. When asked about the catalyst for his career path, he recalled, “After reading Simon’s book Start with WHY over a bottle of Corona back in 2017, while on holiday in Tenerife, I reflected on a particularly bad experience traveling by air as a wheelchair user.”
“After that holiday,” he says, “I decided to design a product that would aim to improve the way wheelchair users are transferred on and off an aircraft, and that’s how it all started.”
Josh founded ableMove the subsequent year. Following his recognition with the Stelios UK Disabled Entrepreneur Award and securing an investment from entrepreneur Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, he propelled his venture forward, initially concentrating on enhancing the flying experience for wheelchair users worldwide with innovations such as the Airport Bag. Today, ableMove has broadened its product range to encompass various affordable accessories aiding wheelchair users not only in travel but in everyday life, including straps, harnesses, and slings for convenient and comfortable transport.
Josh attributes much of his inspiration to the teachings of our founder and Chief Optimist, Simon Sinek, experiencing a profound shift in his life upon grasping Simon’s concept of the Golden Circle. Through delving deeper into his WHY, Joshua embarked on a remarkable journey that not only provided him with a clearer purpose but also motivated him to assist others and make a meaningful impact.
For more information on the work he and his team are undertaking, you can visit ableMove’s website here.
