Social Entrepreneur Support Manager at UnLtd

Jo’s career started in social housing, supporting individuals and communities to realise their potential. This included helping to establish several community businesses and supporting those running them to develop sustainable and long-lasting employment and training opportunities. Before joining UnLtd she worked as a self-employed business trainer helping small to medium size businesses, public services and third sector organisations improve their systems, develop clear vision and strategy and ultimately improve the customer journey. Jo is a voluntary Director for a small CIC and is passionate about helping individuals and groups in the community develop creative and impactful ideas that will benefit the wider locality. Jo joined UnLtd in 2022 as a Support Manager and now works in the Thematic team. She recognises the value created by having the right expertise and support for new and existing entrepreneurs. Jo really enjoys meeting with social entrepreneurs, understanding what their venture does and the social impact it is having in the community. Jo enjoys walking with her schnoodle (that’s dog!) travelling, gardening and cooking.

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Social Entrepreneur

Shamala is an award winning entrepreneur; passionate about community, health and wellbeing. She is a qualified children’s social worker, personal trainer, nutritionist, wellbeing author and the funder of Impact 4Life Wellbeing; which is a Birmingham based Community Interest Company. Her work takes me across the length and breadth of the country providing wellbeing intervention and support, engaging with wide a range of community and corporate clients. Impact 4Life is a multi award winning fitness and lifestyle organisation. They offer inclusive and accessible wellbeing activities and programmes for women, men, families and children of all ages and abilities. With an emphasis on cultural sensitivity, diversity and having an acute awareness of the barriers faced by vulnerable people and marginalised groups, Impact 4Life strives to reduce health inequalities.

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Social Entrepreneur

Mazhar has a background in finance having worked for the BBC in London, HBOS and both Jewsons and Magnet. In the last ten years he has developed a number of social enterprises working primarily with older people around issues dealing with isolation, loneliness and dementia. He is a Trustee at the Thornton and Allerton community association who run the South Square Arts Centre. He is also part of a team who have recently raised £650,000 in order to purchase and renovate the birthplace of the Brontë sisters in Thornton, Bradford. This project will bring the Brontë birthplace into public ownership for the first time in its two hundred year history, They plan to open a cafe which will become a hub of arts and creativity for visitors from the community and beyond. And those who love the Brontë sisters will have the unique opportunity to actually stay in one of the sisters bedrooms and literally walk in the footsteps of greatness.

Social Entrepreneur Support Manager at UnLtd

Kyla has been working as a Social Entrepreneur Support Manager at UnLtd since 2021. She is based in the North West and is part of the Thematic team who specialise in supporting social entrepreneurs nationally who work in Healthy Ageing, Health Equity and Access to Employment. Prior to UnLtd, she spent ten years leading business development, operations and programme and project management and delivery for start-up and scale-up social enterprises and charities, primarily in the health and wellbeing space. She is motivated by seeing social entrepreneurs create and disrupt systems and services that address health and wealth inequalities; and so far has had the pleasure of working with over 60 UnLtd Award Winners doing just that! She also cares deeply about the intersections of social and climate justice, having recently completed a course in sustainable business management; leads our carbon footprint work at UnLtd and volunteers on a food security project close to home in Liverpool.