If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a member of the network then click here.
Gareth Hart
Director & Network Manager
Gareth Hart – Gareth is the founder and director of Iridescent Ideas and has been a champion of the social enterprise movement in Plymouth and the South West. He was the elected chair of PSEN for seven years 2013-2020 and chairs Plymouth’s Inclusive Growth Group. Gareth led our successful bid to become the first ‘Social Enterprise City’ in the UK and has a history of working successfully with a range of social enterprises from tiny start-ups to national organizations on issues such as governance, social investment and social impact
Why is Social Enterprise the best way to do business? Social enterprise needs to become the default for all business in the world
Ed Whitelaw
Director
Why is Social Enterprise the best way to do business?
Business can have the power to heal. Heal the deep inequalities of our society, through the better distribution of power and wealth; and the power to heal our environment, through being generative, not degenerative. Social enterprise understand this and that is why it is the best way to do business.
Pat Patel
Director
Pat has been the director of Tamar View Community Complex for over 20 years. He is also a City Councillor and is the Shadow Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Culture, Leisure & Sport. He lives in and works hard for St Budeaux; for the past 20 years he has brought about many positive changes, such as the Co-op store and a nursery owned by the community, and he runs a community youth club, toddler groups and a food bank to support residents of his community.
Jon Blyth
Director
Why is Social Enterprise the best way to do business?
Social Enterprise is the best way to do business because it has solutions to inequality
Esther White
Director
Esther works with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) as a venue manager at Quaker House on Mutley Plain, providing hire spaces for charities, support groups and socially minded organisations. Her working life has included working in corporate, public and charitable businesses covering event management, AGMs and conferences, arts administration, broadcast journalism for local radio and researching for BBC Radio 4 documentaries. She has also been a press officer promoting academic research at the University of Exeter.
Why is social enterprise the best way to do business?
Historically Quakers have been involved in social enterprise business practice, with the likes of Cadbury and Rowntrees and Clarks Shoes who were recognised for their fairness and ethical business approach. Quaker owned companies were also long term advocates for improving the lives of their employees by putting some of the profits back into the local area via education, environmental and or improved housing. This approach continues today through the way Meeting Houses conduct their business and how Quaker Friends are involved in many aspects of diplomacy and conflict resolution around the world.
Charles Thornton
Director
Charles Thornton is a Lecturer in Service Operations Management and Business Strategy at Plymouth Business School. Before working in Higher Education, Charles had a career in commercial banking. His research interests are focused around the use of resources in product diversification strategies and resource identification. He was a School Governor for 9 years and sat on the Academy Trust Audit and Risk Committee and is currently a member of the Executive of the British Academy of Management.
Why is Social Enterprise the best way to do business?
Social enterprises not only provide investment, growth and strong business ethics but also put money directly back into communities and society in general.
Saqlain Raza
Director
Saqlain is a Lecturer in Business and Data Analytics at Plymouth Business School. He has taught in diverse educational settings, with experience in the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Pakistan. He is a Fellow of Advance HE (UK). His teaching and research focus on social enterprise, digital social innovation, women’s entrepreneurial success, and sustainable firm performance. Saqlain regularly publishes in internationally recognised journals and actively participates in community development workshops and academic events.
Why is Social Enterprise the best way to do business?
The purpose of business is not just to make a profit, but also to make the world a better place. Social enterprises demonstrate that it is possible to create positive social and environmental impact while maintaining financial sustainability.