Pioneers Post

For the past 20 years, Liam Black – board chair, former CEO, investment advisor and mentor for corporates, social businesses and charities alike – has been signing off his blogs and emails in a way that reflects the conflicting values of the world of social business. Now, he has got together with Pioneers Post to create a new podcast series of the same name: ‘Peace, Love and Profit’. In the first episode, he talks to Henry Jones, CEO at mental health social enterprise Big White Wall, who opens up about what it's like to lead a social business which is thriving under Covid-19.

If there was ever any doubt that UK charity boards aren’t diverse enough, consider this: less than 3% of trustees are under 30 years old, while one in twelve are called John or David. In the latest episode of our Agenda Item One podcast, Practical Governance co-founder Bob Thust is joined by four people who want this to change. Over an online call, young trustees Leon Ward and Tamanna Miah, Blagrave Trust director Jo Wells, and Young Trustee Movement programme manager Mita Desai discuss why more organisations should include young people in decision making.

Creativity is set to become one of the most-needed skills of the future. From Cape Town, our DICE Young Storymaker reports on efforts to democratise the world of design and to bring creative education to new audiences. Music by A.A. Alto

The Pioneers Post team venture into absolute darkness on a visit to London’s Dialogue in the Dark sensory exhibition – and discover how the social enterprise franchise might inspire a more accessible world. PS. We rely on paid subscriptions and partnerships to sustain our purpose-led journalism – so if you think it's worth having an independent, specialist media platform to share your news, insight and debate across the globe, please consider subscribing here: www.pioneerspost.com/subscribe Music credits: A.A. Alto.

Why are so few social businesses household names – and what can we do about it? Our latest podcast captures some of the bright spots, bugbears and recommendations on scaling from the ScaleUp Institute, Big Society Capital and Impact Hub King's Cross. PS. We rely on paid subscriptions and partnerships to sustain our purpose-led journalism – so if you think it's worth having an independent, specialist media platform to share your news, insight and debate across the globe, please consider subscribing here: https://www.pioneerspost.com/subscribe Music credits: A.A. Alto.

This piece was produced by Nour Ibrahim for Pioneers Post as part of the DICE Young Storymakers Programme. Special thanks to Hisham Algazzar, founder of Yadawee. Read the full story here: https://www.pioneerspost.com/podcasts/20200130/family-business-the-women-starting-afresh-cairos-creative-sector Music from https://filmmusic.io "Imagefilm 018" by Sascha Ende (https://www.sascha-ende.de) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

There are numerous gender-specific networks and schemes to support women in business, including our very own Women in Social Enterprise (WISE100) created in partnership with NatWest. But how important is it to get together without men in the room? Bonnie Chiu, managing director at The Social Investment Consultancy (TSIC) and founder of social enterprise Lensational, is an advocate for women’s-only networking spaces. Speaking at a dinner hosted by NatWest and Pioneers Post in London last month, she posed some big questions about how women in social enterprise can be more supportive of each other, and revealed her own personal journey of thinking through her position as a woman in business.

P.S. This video is brought to you by the team at Pioneers Post – a social enterprise set up to deliver great journalism to support social entrepreneurs, impact investors and mission-driven businesses. Good journalism like this costs money, and we rely on subscriptions in order to keep delivering the social enterprise news. We’d love you to support us here - www.pioneerspost.com/subscribe.

We launched a podcast featuring Liam Black's reflections on his book The Social Entrepreneur's A-Z in 2015 - and much of it still feels very relevant today. In this episode, hear his views on the social enterprise awards culture, and why we shouldn't believe the hype.. P.S. This video is brought to you by the team at Pioneers Post – a social enterprise set up to deliver great journalism to support social entrepreneurs, impact investors and mission-driven businesses. Good journalism like this costs money, and we rely on subscriptions in order to keep delivering the social enterprise news. We’d love you to support us here - www.pioneerspost.com/subscribe.

In the third podcast to accompany his book The Social Entrepreneur’s A to Z, Liam Black continues conversation with Dr Aravind Srinivasan, an eye surgeon and the director of projects at Aravind Eye Care System in India, and Sandra Schembri, former CEO of The House of St Barnabas in London. Aravind and Sandra reflect on the customer care that inspires them – from McDonalds’ ability to replicate processes all over the world to a small, independent Italian restaurant that never forgets your order. P.S. This video is brought to you by the team at Pioneers Post – a social enterprise set up to deliver great journalism to support social entrepreneurs, impact investors and mission-driven businesses. Good journalism like this costs money, and we rely on subscriptions in order to keep delivering the social enterprise news. We’d love you to support us here - www.pioneerspost.com/subscribe.

NatWest and Pioneers Post are hosting a series of informal gatherings for our network of Women in Social Enterprise (WISE100) across the UK, and the first took place in Belfast last month. Over lunch, we learned more about some of the city’s inspirational women in social business and talked about breaking down barriers: from finding the courage to speak up when you feel outnumbered, to being bold enough to talk money. Before tucking into lunch, the group is addressed by Celia Hodson, founder of Hey Girls EO at NOW Group, the social enterprise tackling period poverty.

Soundbites from leading social entrepreneurs, an Ambassador and a Baroness - plus a reality check from a Lord - as the Social Enterprise World Forum 2019 gets underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

NatWest and Pioneers Post are hosting a series of informal gatherings for our network of Women in Social Enterprise (WISE100) across the UK, and the first took place in Belfast last month. Over lunch, we learned more about some of the city’s inspirational women in social business and talked about breaking down barriers: from finding the courage to speak up when you feel outnumbered, to being bold enough to talk money. Before tucking into either the roast chicken or sweet potato curry, the group is addressed by Maeve Monaghan, CEO at NOW Group, a social enterprise which provides sustainable employment opportunities to people with autism and learning difficulties, including through its catering business and four cafés.

What really goes on in a boardroom? By drawing on the real-life experiences of social purpose leaders, our Agenda Item One series aims to challenge the conventional thinking and outdated governance practices seen all too often in today’s boardrooms. In the latest episode of Agenda Item One, Practical Governance co-founder Bob Thust is joined by two social enterprise experts who have spent countless hours in board meetings – Liam Black, Executive Chairman at Big White Wall, and Lesley Dixon, Chief Executive at PSS UK – to discuss and challenge the role of the chair...

Recently, Cafédirect and Greenwich Leisure Limited have had to switch up their marketing to keep up in competitive markets. We heard from two of the minds behind these strategies at our Good Stories conference earlier this year. Thanks for listening to our stories. As an entrepreneur yourself, you'll know that producing quality work doesn’t come free. We rely on our subscribers to sustain our journalism – so if you think it's worth having an independent, specialist media platform that covers social enterprise stories, please consider subscribing. You'll also be buying social: Pioneers Post is a social enterprise itself, reinvesting all our profits into helping you do good business, better.

Our new podcast series, led by Bob Thust of Practical Governance, reads between the lines of the traditional board meeting minutes to explore what’s really going on. In this episode: excuses we make not to invite the people we’re meant to be supporting to join our board. P.S. This video is brought to you by the team at Pioneers Post – a social enterprise set up to deliver great journalism to support social entrepreneurs, impact investors and mission-driven businesses. Good journalism like this costs money, and we rely on subscriptions in order to keep delivering the social enterprise news. We’d love you to support us – have a look on our website: www.pioneerspost.com/subscribe.

Academic and social entrepreneur Dr. Pragya Agarwal is passionate about bringing more women from BAME or marginalised communities into social enterprise. Speaking to attendees of NatWest’s WISE100 launch in 2018, she offered some suggestions for how to make this possible. P.S. This video is brought to you by the team at Pioneers Post – a social enterprise set up to deliver great journalism to support social entrepreneurs, impact investors and mission-driven businesses. Good journalism like this costs money, and we rely on subscriptions in order to keep delivering the social enterprise news. We’d love you to support us – have a look on our website: www.pioneerspost.com/subscribe.

At our latest WISE dinner – this time in London – dinner guests discussed the importance of making more women visible. P.S. This video is brought to you by the team at Pioneers Post – a social enterprise set up to deliver great journalism to support social entrepreneurs, impact investors and mission-driven businesses. Good journalism like this costs money, and we rely on subscriptions in order to keep delivering the social enterprise news. We’d love you to support us – have a look on our website: www.pioneerspost.com/subscribe.

Should social enterprise be added to school curriculums? A group of experts from across the globe weigh in. P.S. This video is brought to you by the team at Pioneers Post – a social enterprise set up to deliver great journalism to support social entrepreneurs, impact investors and mission-driven businesses. Good journalism like this costs money, and we rely on subscriptions in order to keep delivering the social enterprise news. We’d love you to support us – have a look on our website: www.pioneerspost.com/subscribe.

Design Council CEO Sarah Weir took to the stage accompanied by three other women for her speech at the launch of this year's WISE100 list. We spoke to her afterwards to find out why. P.S. This video is brought to you by the team at Pioneers Post – a social enterprise set up to deliver great journalism to support social entrepreneurs, impact investors and mission-driven businesses. Good journalism like this costs money, and we rely on subscriptions in order to keep delivering the social enterprise news. We’d love you to support us – have a look on our website: www.pioneerspost.com/subscribe.