The Chief Executive of successful charity and social enterprise, Keystone, has been appointed to a post as Senior Teaching Faculty in Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge Business School.
Neil Stott, who founded Keystone Development Trust to work primarily with socially excluded communities, will combine leading Keystone with assisting with the development of CJBS’s research and teaching on social innovation.
Neil will also support new social ventures and was recently part of a successful bid to attract £900k of UK Government funding to set up and grow social ventures in the East of England. The new Social Incubator Fund (SIF) programme will support ambitious entrepreneurs with an idea for a social venture, or organisations in the early stages of starting up, to scale up and become investment-ready by providing a package of support that includes teaching, mentoring, workspace and affordable loans. The fund is managed by the Big Lottery Fund on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The partnership is led by Allia, a charitable organisation based in Cambridge that provides business support and affordable workspace to social ventures through its Future Business programme. Teaching and mentorship will be provided by Cambridge Judge Business School, while the new social ventures will be managed by Foundation East with additional support and workspace offered by Keystone.
Neil said:
Starting any kind of enterprise is tough, but when your main goal is to make a positive social impact as well as being financially sustainable, it can be particularly hard. Thanks to the Cabinet Office funding, this new programme will bring together the expertise and resources of partners to provide a package of intensive support that will accelerate the development and impact of social ventures in the East of England.
Speaking about his new teaching post at the Cambridge Judge he added: “The word ‘academic’ can be seen as remote from the everyday experience of local businesses and communities. Working in partnership with Cambridge Judge Business School over the last few years, I have seen first-hand the immense benefits of bringing the two worlds together. I am looking forward to creating new opportunities for people and organisations striving to tackle social issues.”
Since it was set up in 2003, Neil’s Keystone venture has grown into one of the largest development trusts in England. It delivers a diverse range of projects and services responsive to the needs of communities in Norfolk and Suffolk, including migrants.
Paul Tracey, Professor of Innovation and Organisations at Cambridge Judge said Neil would be a huge asset to the School:
We’re delighted to have Neil join our faculty at Cambridge Judge Business School. He brings a wealth of experience and of course a tremendous track record. I know the students will benefit enormously from his insights, and I am very much looking forward to working with him in order to strengthen our research, teaching and outreach activities in social entrepreneurship and social venturing.
The incubator programme, Cambridge Social Ventures, for the East of England launched in summer 2014.