Social Firms UK

 The Social Firms UK Board has appointed Michele Rigby as the organisation’s new Chief Executive. Michele is currently Chief Executive of SEEE, the East of England’s social enterprise support agency and will take up the post from January 2012. Michele replaces Sally Reynolds, co-founder of Social Firms UK and its Chief Executive since 2004, who decided to leave due to exceptional personal circumstances.

Simon Hebditch, Chair of the Board of Social Firms UK, said today:-

'I am delighted to announce that Michele Rigby, currently Chief Executive of SEEE, has been chosen as the next Chief Executive of Social Firms UK. She has worked long and hard in the social enterprise sector and we are confident that she will make a major contribution to the organisation in the next few years.

Government removes bill's power to support social enterprises tendering for public sector goods contracts.

Social Firms UK is lobbying Nick Hurd, Cabinet Minister for Civil Society about restrictions the Government have made to the Public Services (Social Enterprise and Social Value) Bill which mean that it will not help social enterprises trying to sell their goods to the public sector.

 The Future 100 Awards are designed to recognise the talents of young social entrepreneurs who are running a business with a triple bottom line. The awards are organised by Striding Out, sponsored by Ernst & Young, and supported by our PR partner echaritybox.

The Future 100 Awards can be entered by entrepreneurs aged 18-35 who demonstrate entrepreneurial flair and innovation in progressing a responsible business venture with a strong commercial foundation and social and/or environmental impact.

To find out more and request an application form visit www.future100.co.uk

Deadline for entries is the 31st October 2011 at 5pm.

 This highly dynamic small charity (see www.socialfirmsuk.co.uk) and respected umbrella support organisation for Social Firms and Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) across the UK needs a new Chief Executive.

Positive and strategic thinkers required in this ever challenging environment. Social Firms and Work Integration Social Enterprises are rooted in the rapidly growing social enterprise sector and as one of the national support agencies we have a huge and vital job to do.

Apply if you’ve got the right attitude, skills and the flair of an entrepreneur and a leader and if you believe in the principle that everyone should have the opportunity to be employed, irrespective of their disability or disadvantage.

Social Firms UK is an equal opportunities employer and particularly welcomes applications from individuals from under-represented groups.

 Applications for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) funding have always been fiercely competitive and never more so than at present. With a large number of innovative projects across a range of industries vying for each year’s allocation, it is worth noting that only a small number of them come from the third sector. Therefore, Social Firms UK being awarded one in partnership with Middlesex University is a clear acknowledgement of the relevance and benefit the project will have within the sector.

The funding will be used to recruit a graduate Research Associate for one year to assess the business success factors in establishing and running a Social Firm – an important hire in the current economic climate.

The project aims are threefold:

The Social Enterprise Coalition has unveiled its new visual identity and has started trading under its new name, Social Enterprise UK.

The organisation changed its name and identity to better reflect its role as the national body for social enterprise and better represent the UK’s social enterprise movement. The team, based in London’s Old Street, worked with creative brand agency Spencer Dubois to create the new brand, which will be gradually rolled out over the summer, starting with the release of  Fightback Britain – a report on the largest analysis of the UK’s social enterprise sector.