What is Social Investment?
Biographies
Chris Burt, South West Investment Group
Chris currently works for South West Investment Group – a not for profit company that manages a number of loan funds across the South West aimed at businesses that have been unable to secure all of the funding that they require from conventional sources. He had previously spent more than 28 years in retail banking.
Sue Cooper, St JohnsHospital
Sue Cooper is Head of Social Investment at St JohnsHospital, a leading almshouse charity based in Bath and originally established in 1174.St Johns provides almshouse accommodation to over 100 residents on sites in central Bath and a purpose built development at CombePark. The charity has made small grants to individuals in need for many years and more recently grants to organisations working with people in need in and around Bath; grants total around £450,000 a year.
Sue is now developing a social impact investment programme to compliment these activities. Prior to joining St Johns Sue worked as CEO of Prometheus Finance a social banking group in Wellington, New Zealand. She has extensive management, banking and social lending experience. Sue worked in Barclays Bank for over twenty years before joining Triodos Bank in 1999 and leading the development of it’s lending to charities and social enterprises.
Chris Dadson, Social Investment Business Group
Chris is a social investment policy adviser in the Social Investment and Finance team in the Office for Civil Society (OCS). He manages the Government's £10 million Investment and Contract Readiness Fund, he also project manages Cabinet Office's Charity of the Year partnership with the British Heart Foundation, and leads on OCS's strategy on EU Structural Funds.
George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol
George Ferguson, past President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, was co-founder of Ferguson Mann Architects in 1979 and founded the national UK wide network of practices, Acanthus, in 1986. A co-founder of the Academy of Urbanism, he writes, broadcasts and lectures extensively on the environment, planning and architectural matters at home and abroad. He is amongst many other things a Trustee of Bristol’s Arnolfini art gallery, recently of the London based ‘think tank’ Demos and is an Academician of the Royal West of England Academy. He is also founder of the Bristol Beer Factory.
Having studied at BristolUniversity (three degrees including an honorary degree), Mr Ferguson has lived in Bristol for 47 years. He became the first independent mayor to lead a major city in Britain and was officially sworn in at a ceremony held at Brunel’s Passenger Shed, TempleMeads on 19th November 2012.
Sarah Forster, Big Issue Invest
Sarah Forster is Deputy CEO and Development Director of Big Issue Invest where she leads on business strategy, new product design, social impact measurement and investor relations. Sarah has a strong track record in social investment and economic development. She previously worked for the World Bank and the New Economics Foundation.
Dan Gregory, Social Enterprise Consultant
Dan has been working to support social enterprises for the last ten years, developing policy at the highest level and delivering in practice at the grassroots. He has worked for the Treasury, Futurebuilders, the Cabinet Office, and delivered the Department of Health's SEIF fund.
Over the past few years he has been working under the banner of Common Capital, developing policy work for SEUK, NCVO, ResPublica, ClearlySo, 3SC, NCVYS, the Big Local Trust and the British Council, among others. Dan also specialises in support for social enterprise 'spin-outs', as well as 'pop-up' businesses, helping to run Pop-Up Bristol and Pop Shop Wiltshire - a social enterprise selling local, ethical, social and green products.
Paul Harrod, Bristol Together
Paulis the founder and CEO ofThe Together GroupCIC. The group has two active social business ventures, one in Bristol and one in the West Midlands. Paul set up Bristol Together CIC, a social enterprise that creates jobs for ex-offenders through the repair and refurbishment of empty properties. During the past two years they have created jobs for over forty ex-offenders. Paulis also a director of Midlands Together CIC, which, under the leadership of CEO Richard Nicol, has recently completed a £3 million bond issue.
Paulco-foundedAspire, which was set up in 1999 to create full-time employment for homeless people. During his time as chief executive,Aspireexpanded to eight city operations, and helped over 200 homeless people off the streets and into work. More recentlyPaulhas worked at theUniversityofBristolwith a particular emphasis on new research collaborations and the development of early-phase technology businesses. He has non-executive director experience at theBristolEnterprise Development Fund, Counterpoint International, the Restore Trust and the Matthew Tree Project. He was also a member of the UK Government'sSmallBusinessCouncilfor five years.
Chris Head, West of EnglandRural Network
Chris has been actively involved with the third sector and in community development work for over eleven years, in and around the Bristol area, and through that time has specialised in sustainability and rural issues.
Through his role as Executive Director of the West of England Rural Network, he is able to use his experience and knowledge of the concerns faced by communities to actively champion and campaign at all levels throughout the West of England, the South West and even nationally.
Currently Chris is working with the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and is currently Chair of the Rural Economy Sector Group and a member of the Civil Society Infrastructure Partnership.
Daniel Oliver, BristolBath Social Enterprise Network
Daniel is passionate about businesses that creates both economic and social value. The focus of his work is scaling grassroots enterprise through partnership projects and practical research. He is Co-founder and Director of Bristol & Bath Social Enterprise Network Bristol & Bath Social Enterprise Network ( supports social enterprises to access new opportunity, connect with each other, get the information they need and to develop new partnerships with a range of sectors. Daniel has also worked expensively with the Local Enterprise Partnership in the West of England
Geetha Rabindrakumar, Big Society Capital
Geetha leads on engagement with the voluntary and social enterprise sector at Big Society Capital. She was previously Finance Director at the disability charity Scope, where she led the set up of Scope’s listed social investment bond programme. She has worked in a range of finance roles in the not for profit sector.
Ed Rowberry, Backing our Bristol
Ed is Director at John Pontin Trust. Originally trained as Chartered Accountant, Ed has over fifteen years combined experience in the commercial property, financial services and affordable housing sectors. Ed is a trustee of the homelessness charity Julian House and a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Influence Board. Over the past year Ed has been testing the concept of how a Bristol Bond might link with a Local Impact Fund enabling new sources of funds to be channelled into the city and wider region.