Keely Cat-Wells

At 17, Keely Cat-Wells faced a major health crisis that resulted in her acquiring a disability. She later experienced disability discrimination, which cost her a job. Recognizing her struggles were not unique, she founded C Talent, a talent agency representing disabled artists. The agency grew to a roster reaching more than 50 million, including Academy Award- and Emmy-nominated talent. It placed creatives in projects such as "The Hunger Games," "Avatar," and "The Last of Us," and was acquired in 2022, marking the largest known acquisition of a company specializing in disabled talent.

Cat-Wells is now the founder and CEO of Making Space, a talent and learning platform closing the disability employment gap. Making Space connects disabled professionals to good jobs, higher incomes, and long-term economic opportunities through a suite of tools built for their community. Members have free access to a curated job board featuring disability-forward employers, a free library of accessible self-paced courses, and a peer community where disabled professionals can connect and share opportunities. The platform also includes a Skill Translation tool that helps members translate their lived experience of disability into recognized, transferable professional skills, alongside an AI-powered public benefits navigation tool.

Making Space supports a growing network of more than 50,000 disabled professionals and works with organizations including Microsoft, Salesforce, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, and Netflix to build more accessible workplaces. Through its Ascend Fellowship, the organization has generated more than $220 million in projected lifetime economic impact and achieved a 75% job placement rate, while training more than 200,000 employees through enterprise partnerships.

In partnership with Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine, Cat-Wells co-produced the critically acclaimed documentary "Fight To Fly," which premiered on Channel 4 and triggered policy reform on accessibility in air travel. Cat-Wells is a 2026 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, a 2025–2026 Obama Leader, a Presidential Leadership Scholar, and a Gloria Steinem Inaugural Fellow.