Plenary Session III - Thursday 16.00-17.30

(To submit a question or comment during the Plenaries Question Cards will be available to complete and hand to a Steward for selection by the panel.)  

Objectives: This session will explore the relationship between market/business solutions and resolving social problems as well as the motivations of social entrepreneurs and venture philanthropists. After short introductory speeches from each member of the panel, the topic will be opened for debate with the audience.

Speakers include some of Scotland’s leading social entrepreneurs who are succeeding on the basis of double and triple bottom lines where financial success has a causal relationship to their ability to deliver their social mission as well as their ability to manage their environmental impact. Typically, these entrepreneurs talk about ‘more than profit’ as opposed to ‘not for profit’ which is seen as more of a traditional voluntary sector concept.

Sir Tom will talk about his work in relationship to extending ‘business for good’ from old style corporate philanthropy and CSR to a commitment to venture philanthropy. Sir Tom is famous for extolling his admiration for Andrew Carnegie’s example of establishing public libraries and he will discuss his plan to divest his wealth for investment purposes in addressing some of society’s seemingly intractable problems - both here and abroad.

Prospects for young people leaving residential care in Scotland look poor (59% are not in Education, Employment or Training). Kibble has helped establish 15 small-business social enterprises offering training, employment and a model for development and wider replication.

Graham Bell is Kibble’s Chief Executive, one of the UK’s leading social enterprises working with young people, Board Chair of the Social Enterprise Academy, former Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellow and Ernst & Young’s Scottish Social Entrepreneur of the Year.

Identifying opportunities and overcoming obstacles

Social Entrepreneur Nick Baxter will tell the Cornerstone story and how his background led him to found learning disabilities charity Cornerstone Community Care in 1980. He will identify some of the issues which have seen it becoming one of Scotland’s largest charities whilst on the way successfully negotiating many obstacles. 25 years on Cornerstone is one of the leading providers of services for people with learning disabilities in Scotland.

Within the 3 fastest growing OECD countries 35% of GDP is generated through business co-ownership. In Scotland it is only 4.5%. Scotland’s co-operative and co-ownership sector has assets of £25 billion and turnover of £4 billion. Ian is responsible for its strategic development and growth. He will discuss the relevance of this global phenomenon in relation to business growth, entrepreneurship and social change.

Ian has extensive property and international development experience, including the delivery of investment programmes within rural West Africa, emerging Eastern European countries and Scandinavia, working for both the World Bank and the European Commission.

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