New CEO of Big Society Capital is Cliff Prior

Big Society Capital has today announced that Cliff Prior will be its new Chief Executive Officer. Cliff joins following a career spanning the charity, social enterprise and community sectors. Most recently he was CEO of UnLtd where over the last nine years he played a pivotal role in growing support for social entrepreneurship and helping hundreds of organisations to become investment ready. Before UnLtd, Cliff was CEO of Rethink, the charity for people affected by severe mental illness – both a membership based campaigning and fundraising charity, and a major provider of mental health services to the NHS and local authorities. His background also includes social housing and R&D charities.

Cliff has already made a significant contribution to the development of social investment, both as Chair of the Mission Alignment Group for the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established under the UK's presidency of the G8, and as a member of Big Society Capital's Advisory Board.

He will bring this broad experience to lead Big Society Capital as it moves into its next phase – ensuring more charities and social enterprises can access the repayable finance they need and helping more people who want to invest some of their savings into doing good to become social investors.

Cliff Prior said:

“Nick and the team have done a truly excellent job in building Big Society Capital, developing the intermediary sector, finding the social themes where investment can add value and getting funds committed for social benefit. It's a real privilege to have the opportunity to use that capacity to accelerate the next stage in the journey: working with charities and social enterprises to find the areas where social investment can really make the difference, strengthening their work and achieving the social impact we all want to see.”

Cliff takes over from Big Society Capital's Founding CEO Nick O'Donohoe who announced he would be stepping down earlier this year. To-date Big Society Capital has signed £246 million of investment in a variety of social investment funds, social banks, charity bonds and supporting organisations. Other key initiatives have included the Business Impact Challenge, which will announce its winner later this year, support for the introduction and uptake of Social Investment Tax Relief, and the development of Access – the Foundation for Social Investment, launched earlier this year to make smaller size investments.

Harvey McGrath, Chair of Big Society Capital said:

“I am delighted to welcome Cliff to Big Society Capital as CEO. We are working towards an ambitious vision of harnessing the power of financial markets to help charities and social enterprises to deliver even more social impact. Cliff brings the significant social sector expertise, commercial acumen and passion for social change that is needed to lead our organisation as we continue to make this vision a reality.”

Cliff will take up his post in March 2016.

INSPIRED BY LORD SUGAR: WAVE OF NEW BUSINESS REGISTRATIONS BY APPRENTICE CANDIDATES

Even the ‘losers’ on the Apprentice have been inspired to start their own enterprises, with candidates founding seven new companies since June 20151 (the show was filmed in the Spring of 2015)

New research from Creditsafe, the business intelligence experts, reveals the business activity of candidates featured on the BBC’s eleventh series of ‘The Apprentice’.  Since the show completed filming in the Spring of 2015 seven new companies have been founded by candidates appearing on the show.  These companies include RuthAnna Limited, a seller of Arbonne products; International Business Acquisitions Limited; Dream Walk Limited and Three Little Birds Limited.  All the new businesses started since the show finished have stable credit ratings with none currently categorised as a high credit risk.   

Series eleven candidates are following a familiar pattern where even those who haven’t won the show strike out in business for themselves having been inspired by their experience.  Luisa Zissman the self-styled entrepreneur & media girl was Apprentice runner up in series nine and went on to become 2014’s most searched for female company director in the UK on the Creditsafe system.  Luisa launched The Baker Shop Ltd, selling bakeware, sugar craft and cake decorating products alongside her book Wicked Cupcakes after appearing on the show.  

At least 13 of the 2015 candidates currently hold the position of, or have previously been, company directors. However, the successes and tenures of the candidates vary dramatically, ranging from appointments lasting a couple of months to long-standing positions in firms with track records over several years.  Joseph Valente founded his Impra Gas Ltd business in February 2012 and the company currently boasts a healthy credit rating and has an estimated net worth of £45,258.  

Lord Sugar may have proved how shrewd he was when he dispatched Dan Callaghan in week one of the series.  Dan claimed “A lot of people laugh at me,” it could because his business record shows him as the director of three dissolved companies.  In addition, CPL (UK) Limited where he is currently listed as a director has shareholder funds recorded at -£54,204.  However, Lord Sugar isn’t averse to hiring an ‘Apprentice’ without a track record of business success. The winner of series seven Tom Pellereau co-founded M&P Consulting in 2008 and the year before he won the BBC prize his firm turned over just £500 and had a net worth of -£15,597.

Lord Sugar also dispatched with the services of Aishan Kasim, who described herself as an inventor and hair extensions specialist.  Aishan’s business Madame Hair Limited, which she founded in March 2008 has a net worth of just £3,922.  Indeed, her business may be called into question as her company has had a County Court judgement (CCJ) recorded against it previously of £585.

Rachel Mainwaring, Operations Director at Creditsafe UK said: “The entrepreneurial attitude of the Apprentice candidates continues to shine, even when they are ‘fired’ from show. The fact that so many candidates have started new businesses reveals their desire to succeed even if they were rejected by Lord Sugar.   However, while candidates will be basking in publicity from the show business owners should conduct due diligence before trading with their companies.  It is important to check the financial health and payment history of any company to minimise the risk of trading with a firm that doesn’t pay its bills on time or is at risk of going under.”

To see the full list of apprentice candidates who own companies and their company credit reports, please click here.

New headhunting platform helps Finance candidates make smarter career moves through anonymous profiles

Nottx allows candidates to get themselves noticed and headhunted within the finance sector with complete anonymity, putting merit and experience in front of hirers before anything else.

Nottx, the first ever Finance sector headhunting platform, helps connect candidates with an intent to move directly with recruiters, allowing experienced Finance professionals to get themselves, not just their CVs, noticed. Candidates can stay anonymous until they choose not to, if they are interested in a particular offer, meaning an end to recruiters tracking down candidates who may not even be interested through social media or by spamming LinkedIn mailboxes.

Currently senior executives face the challenge that most opportunities aren’t advertised on a ‘job board’ or sent in a mail - they must instead be approached – and candidates of all levels have no way to anonymously express their interest in speaking with headhunters to consider new career opportunities

Recruiting managers and headhunters currently have no means to get access to an exclusive pool of qualified candidates open to new opportunities. Currently they have to advertise roles and trawl through applications, spend hours searching CV databases which are usually out of date, or rely on their own, possibly out-dated, contacts. Now they can source active candidates they may not have come across previously.

With Nottx, candidates provide a basic set of details that takes only 5 minutes to input and can stay anonymous until they choose to engage. Candidates can register a profile even if they are not actively looking but may be interested in or tempted by the right role. Employers can search candidates’ anonymous profiles using various filters, from ‘years of experience’ to ‘notice periods’ and can then engage directly with a relevant shortlist – this completely changes and refreshes the process for both jobseekers and recruiters.

The platform launched this month in the US and the UK and candidate registrations are now open.

For candidates, Nottx is completely free of charge. Recruiters can register now and pricing will offer significant early bird discounts to those that sign up before the end of the year, alongside special rates for charities, not-for-profits and start-ups. Recruiter rates are cheaper than LinkedIn’s current packages, to reach more candidate profiles, without the need for cold “spamming” of potential candidates’ Inboxes.

For more information, visit www.nottx.com