SRAG Q1 Summit Kicks off 2025

On January 16, 2025, members and partners of the Social Recruitment Advocacy Group (SRAG) convened for the Q1 Summit, hosted by Timpson at their venue, The Nest, in Manchester. The theme for the day was community and support – for embedding social value into businesses, communities, and supply chains. The day featured keynote presentations, interactive discussions, and showcases of from our fantastic partner network as well as generous donations of shoes and bags from the group to the Manchester branch of SmartWorks.
Hosts Timpson kicked the day off, with a welcome address from their Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Darren Burns, who shared the company’s ethos of focusing on who a person is, rather than what they have done – their potential, not their past. He handed over to colleague S, who shared her own personal story of how Timpson looked past her conviction, enabling her to grow and contribute meaningfully, progressing to manager level and hiring her own team.
An interactive table discussion, took us into the coffee break where the group examined how to embed social value activities into their communities. Key questions included:
- How can businesses engage effectively with voluntary and social enterprises?
- What metrics should be used to measure social value impact?
- What strategies can ensure meaningful and lasting contributions?
A series of presentations featuring ANTZ, and their partners; Tier 1, and Bute Energy showcased tangible examples of driving social value:
- ANTZ: Founded in host-city, Manchester, ANTZ focuses on addressing the disparity in engaging talent from marginalized communities. Director and Founder of ANTZ, Jen Pemberton, emphasised their commitment to reducing societal costs while improving lives through their Ofqual-accredited social value training qualification.
- Tier 1: Jonathan Rose shared how Tier 1’s IT recycling workshops in prisons provide prisoners with skills, qualifications, and work experience. Their 30-hour workweek programme not only reduces reoffending rates (down to 5.9% compared to the national average of 26%) but also solves a business problem by recycling and reusing IT equipment sustainably.
- Bute Energy: Richard and James from Bute Energy outlined their work in creating pathways into the renewable energy industry. With a Community Benefit Fund of £800 million, they support local communities by investing in education, job creation, and the development of a socially conscious Welsh supply chain.
Business leader and ESG expert, Ian Skiggs’ presentation, "ESG is Dead," challenged the group to move beyond compliance and focus on competitive sustainability. He argued that authentic ESG strategies, deeply aligned with company objectives, can provide a competitive edge. With over 2,400 frameworks for measuring impact, Ian highlighted the need for transparency, alignment, and Board-level ownership of ESG goals. This posed a critical question: could the social (“S”) element of ESG become the key differentiator for businesses in an increasingly regulated landscape?
The afternoon featured an interactive partner carousel, offering the group the chance to learn from our partner network in a ‘speed-dating style’ session.
- Ikea and Breaking Barriers: Supporting refugees with employment opportunities.
- Smartworks: Helping unemployed women re-enter the workforce.
- AMFresh and Future First: Building connections with schools to support young people.
- 55/Refefined: Empowering those over 50 to contribute meaningfully to the workforce and redefine later-life careers.
- Standing Tall: Empowering individuals affected by homelessness.
- ANTZ: Industry-leading Social Value Training
Dan from Youth Futures Foundation introduced their Employer Trials Programme, which partners with businesses to trial and evaluate inclusive recruitment practices. Using data-driven approaches, the programme aims to support young people from marginalized backgrounds into sustainable employment, providing evidence of best practices to scale across industries.
The summit concluded with the presentation of Charter Mark Awards - GOLD awards for Bedford College and Wincanton and an upgrade from Bronze to Silver for AMFresh.
If you are interested to know more about becoming a member of the SRAG and how your business can further embed social value, email [email protected]
