About us

Who we are

250+
Members

500
Businesses

100
Events

400
Resources

You may already see your company as part of the social economy or you may not know what that means.

The social economy is taken as including organisations having ‘inclusive ownership’ – locally owned and socially conscious organisations with ownership models that enable the wealth created by their users, workers and local communities to be held by them, rather than flowing out as profits to shareholders.

Co-operative
Community Benefit Society
Community Interest Company
Community Business
Credit Union
Employee-Owned Trust
Mutual
Entrepreneur
Trading Charity
Social Enterprise

The outside entrance to the Open Kitchen cafe with seating and a balcony

We understand that businesses take all shapes and types of ownership and we are committed to equipping entrepreneurs and businesses with the right tools and knowledge to grow.

Inclusive and Sustainable Values

Delivering social and environmental outcomes

Fairer employment opportunities

Equitable forms of ownership

We're here to create a fairer, more inclusive economy in the GM region.

We want to increase local retention of wealth and employment, keeping more money in our communities and in workers’ pockets

Meet the Team

Janique Berryman

Community and Digital Co‑ordinator

I provide responsive support to platform users, proactively building relationships with content partners, addressing inquiries, and facilitating connections to relevant resources and opportunities, thereby supporting the inclusive businesses in maximising their potential support through the platform.

Management Committee

Anwar Ali OBE

Co-Founder and CEO of Upturn Enterprise Ltd

Ali OBE is the Co-Founder and CEO of Upturn Enterprise Ltd, a pioneering social enterprise based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. With over 20 years of management experience, Anwar has been instrumental in driving social mobility and supporting disadvantaged communities. Under his leadership, Upturn has been recognised as one of the Top 100 UK social enterprises, making significant strides in education, employment, and community development.

David Baxter

Founder and CEO at Wigan and Leigh Community Cooperative

David is the Founder of Wigan & Leigh Community Cooperative (formerly Abram ward Community cooperative), supporting the growth of the Social Economy sector in wigan borough, via a place based approach.

Andrew Croft

Managing Director at Social Enterprise UK

Ruth Buchanan

Head of Finance at Co-operatives UK

Ruth joined Co-operatives UK as Head of Finance early in 2023, and is a Chartered Accountant. She qualified in 2009, before moving on to work in-house at a number of financial services firms in the North West. Ruth volunteers as treasurer of a Liverpool based charity.

Zena King

Senior Governance Advisor at Co-operatives UK

Experienced Chartered Secretary with in-depth knowledge of legal and regulatory corporate governance and compliance requirements in relation to companies (limited and plc), registered societies, credit unions, and financial services board committees.

Scott Darraugh

Social Innovator, Change Maker and Leader

Scott is the Chief Executive of health and wellbeing spin-out, Social adVentures. He is a leading social entrepreneur and an influential voice in the social business sector. Scott has been active in pioneering change in public health services for over 10 years. Scott was a Project Director in NHS Salford for over eight years, delivering innovative, community based programmes to some of the UK’s most deprived neighbourhoods.

Jenny Rouse

VCSE Accord Strategic Lead at GMCA

Jenny's role includes leading implementation of the historic VCSE Accord between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Integrated Care and the GM VCSE Leaders.

Rose Marley

Chief Executive of Co-operatives UK

Chief Executive of Co-operatives UK, Rose was directly appointed by Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to lead a pilot campaign improving local travel opportunities and raising aspiration for young people in Manchester. She is currently the chair of the Social Enterprise Advisory Group for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, an RSA Fellow as well as an advisory board member for SODA (School of Digital Arts).

Mark Nesbitt

Director of Coin at The Urban Fitness Collective

Mark is a director of a youth enterprise in Trafford, and brings experience as organisational development consultant, and former Director of a CVS, working extensively with voluntary and community organisations, co-operatives and social enterprises.

Alison Page

Chief Executive at Salford CVS

Salford CVS is the city-wide infrastructure organisation for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector; providing specialist information, advice, development support and opportunities for influence and collaboration.

Claire Pattison

Leadership & Growth Project Lead at MMU

Claire is an Enterprise Fellow, HEA Fellow and Doctoral Researcher and joined the Centre for Enterprise in March 2013. Claire works across a series of programmes to support leadership, innovation, business growth, and entrepreneurship. Claire has extensive teaching and learning experience, programme design and development, business support, project management and delivery, and higher education experience.

Matt Richardson

Head of Leadership and Social Impact

With an award-winning background in business intelligence and regeneration, he focuses on leveraging technology and data to help businesses drive measurable social impact and sustainable growth. Matt champions collaborative commissioning and social enterprise accreditation.

Otis Thomas

Managing Director at The African Pot Project C.I.C.

Otis is a global leader in providing top-tier digital services, seamlessly connecting exceptional talent in Africa with clients worldwide. With offices in the UK and Kenya, we are on a mission to redefine possibilities, offering virtual assistance, web development, app development, social media management, and graphic design services.