About us

Who are the Social Enterprise Ambassadors and what do they do?

The Social Enterprise Ambassadors are some of the most inspirational social entrepreneurs in the country. They are passionate about their work and keen to share that passion to inspire others to use business to tackle social and environmental issues.

All the Ambassadors are leaders of successful social enterprises, and illustrate the breadth and depth of social enterprise in different markets, and geographical areas across the country. Their businesses operate in industries including IT, health and social care, retail, marketing, transport, recycling, the arts and education.

Through sharing their stories, experience, and expertise, the Ambassadors help raise awareness among key audiences and help social enterprise spread and grow throughout the country. They do this through interviews in the media, speaking engagements, targeted meetings, engaging with influencers and policy-makers, and through writing about their experiences on- and off-line.

The Ambassadors are independent business people; they are not paid for their time and are free to speak their mind. They are working voluntarily to encourage people to start, work for, buy from and partner with social enterprise.

>>> Social Enterprise Ambassadors profiles

How did the programme come about?
The Social Enterprise Ambassadors programme was announced in the government’s Social Enterprise Action Plan in November 2006, and aims to raise awareness and foster a culture of social enterprise in England. The programme is funded by the Office for Civil Society in the Cabinet Office.

A consortium of partners led by the Social Enterprise Coalition won the tender to deliver the programme in June 2007. Recruitment of the Ambassadors was completed in autumn 2007, and 30 were selected for the role. As a group, they are diverse and broadly representative of the social enterprise movement as a whole.