Social Ecomomy Counts

Social Economy Counts

Social Enterprise - From Imagination to Implementation

Date: Friday 16 November

Venue: Clifton House, Belfast

Time: 10.00am - 2.30pm

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Agenda

10.00 Registration & Refreshments

10.20 Welcome

10.30 "Developing and growing social enterprises."
John Bennet , Managing Director, Pack - IT Group -Winner of National
Enterprise Solutions Award 2003
Margaret Lee, Founder & Chief Executive of The Cresco Trust Ltd
Dr Sinclair Stockman, formerly Chief Information Officer of BT Global
Services

11.30 Round Table discussions

12.00 "Reflecting on past achievements and future"
Trevor Wright, Senior Manager, Bryson House
Maeve McCrory, Operations Manager, NOW Project
Margaret Elliot, Sunderland Homecare Associates, winner of Social Enterprise of the
Year 2006 in the Social Enterprise Coalition Enterprising Solutions Awards.

1.00 Round Table discussion

1.30 Award Ceremony Social Entrepreneur of the Year, sponsored by University of Ulster

1.45 Lunch

2.30 Close

What it is about

Speakers from Northern Ireland and further a field will provide their perspective and experience on the development of social enterprises from growing the initial idea to creating sustainable reality. There will be opportunities for round table discussions with the speakers throughout the event.

"If you haven't heard the phrase Social Entrepreneurship before then you're missing a new force which is shaping our society. It's about bringing a business eye to the problems of society, and then applying a business imperative to get things done. While profit is not the motive there are big prizes to win along the way."

Sir Gerry Robinson S.S.E.I
Speaking at Cafe Conversation, June 2007

Speaker Profiles

Margaret Lee, Cresco Trust Ltd.
Margaret is founder and Chief Executive of The Cresco Trust Ltd. which was established in 2003 as a not-for-profit social enterprise committed to providing opportunities to learn, engage, and progress, for those people who are disadvantaged within their own community. Based in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, The Cresco Trust was the vision of professionals working within the community and voluntary sector who had many years' experience of engaging with individuals from both sides of the divided community within Northern Ireland. The Cresco Trust has three distinct areas of operation: social economy enterprise, project development, and research. The growth of the organisation over the last four years from an organisation with three employees to one with a team of forty-one is testament to the visionary leadership provided by Margaret, who gained a Masters in Community Enterprise from the University of Cambridge in 2005. The Cresco Trust Ltd operates the first ever Ben & Jerry's partnership outside of the USA.

John Bennett, Pack-IT Group
John Bennett is the Managing Director of the Pack-IT Group in Cardiff. A social entrepreneur whose background was print and media related, John is experienced in working both within the UK and internationally to help develop social enterprise and Social Firms for disabled and disadvantaged people and is a founding member of Social Firms Wales.
Since joining Pack-IT in 1994, John has successfully established Pack-IT as one of the UK's leading Social Firms and social enterprises, specialising in supplying storage, distribution, mailing services and e-commerce for central and local government departments as well as blue chip and local business. Pack-IT and John personally, have received numerous awards for the growth and diversification of the business and its commitment to a values based culture. In November 2003, Pack-IT won the National Enterprising Solutions Award, sponsored by the DTI and Royal Bank of Scotland/NatWest. John has worked with Government and is a member of the Welsh Assembly Government Social Enterprise Joint Working Group. John is currently Chairman and a director of Social Firms Wales, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

Margaret Elliot - Sunderland Home Care Associates
Margaret Elliot is a veteran of the social enterprise movement, having launched two
Co-ops in the 1970s - the Little Women shop and nursery and Little Women Household services. In 1994 she set up Sunderland Home Care Associates (SHCA) which has grown into a massive success. The company has a turnover of 1.75 million pounds and is fully employee - owned, with staff receiving above market pay and conditions as well as having a say in all major decisions. In 2006 SHCA were the winners of the Social Enterprise of the Year award in the Social Enterprise Coalition Enterprising Solutions Awards.

Trevor Wright Bryson House
Trevor Wright joined the Bryson House eighteen years ago to work on the Action for Community Employment programme. He continued to take on new roles with increasing responsibility, and was appointed a senior manager in 1999. In 2001 he graduated from Queen's University with a Masters of Social Sciences in Organisation & Management. Since 2003 Trevor has managed the Bryson House School's Education Programme, and the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme distribution programme on behalf of Belfast City Council. He was appointed MBE in December 2001 for services to the disadvantaged. Bryson House is one of Northern Ireland's largest charities. It employs more than 500 people and its annual turnover this year is in excess of £13 million. More than 75% of its revenue is generated through public sector contracts awarded on a competitive basis.

Maeve Mc Crory NOW Project
Maeve McCrory is the Executive Director of the NOW Project a voluntary organisation which provides a range of innovative training and employment services to enable people with learning disabilities to get the job they want and keep it. NOW also operates a Social Economy business called Loaf which runs two Cafes and provides high quality corporate catering to businesses in the Greater Belfast Area.

Dr. Sinclair Stockman
Dr Sinclair Stockman joined British Telecom (BT) in 1981, after receiving a doctorate in applied mathematics and theoretical physics. In 2000, Stockman became Chief Information Officer, responsible for the company's e-business transformation and information systems strategy. From 2000 to 2004, he spearheaded many technological changes, including the delivery of BT's broadband systems.
Now in his new role as Chief Science Officer, Dr Stockman works with the Chief Technology Office and One IT teams to set and lead world-class benchmarks for all work within BT Group. Stockman will also lead BT's innovation programmes including the Microsoft Challenge and Accelerator Cups. In addition, he will help develop future leaders by working closely with technology-focused universities.