Lis Burnett named new Chair of WSEC (26.01.12)

 

The Welsh Social Enterprise Coalition (WSEC) has announced that former Vice-Chair, Lis Burnett, has been elected as its new Chair by the Board of Directors, succeeding Mal Williams.

 

Ms Burnett is Head of the Social Entrepreneurship Hub at the University of Glamorgan and the former Welsh representative of NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts). She is a founding member of WSEC having been on the steering group that helped establish the organisation in February 2010, and became Vice-Chair in December 2010.

 

An advisor to Welsh Housing Associations on developing and implementing their social enterprise strategies, she brings a wealth of experience to the position. Ms Burnett was also the expert adviser to the National Assembly Enterprise & Learning Committee for its inquiry into the role of social enterprise in Wales, and has recently been asked to assist the Business and Enterprise committee as it undertakes a review of the earlier inquiry.

 

New WSEC Chair, Lis Burnett said:

 

“I am delighted to be elected Chair of the Welsh Social Enterprise Coalition."

 

"2012 promises to be an exciting and critical year for social enterprise. There is a real opportunity to re-balance the economy and to show that there is an alternative to building an economy based on banks, bonds and bail-outs; but there are also challenges. As public services scale back, social enterprises need to prove that they are a viable option and WSEC hasa crucial role to play here in championing the sector and showcasing what it can do."

 

"I want to be a proactive Chair and will offer support to the team and contribute to the success of WSEC as a fully inclusive representative body that reflects all areas of the social enterprise sector in Wales."

 

"I look forward to working with the Board"

 

WSEC Chief Executive, John Bennett said:

 

"Lis brings passion, knowledge and expertise to the table. Her track record in promoting the social enterprise model in further and higher education in particuar, will be a huge benefit as we seek to create, inspire and encourage those young entrepreneurs who will be the future of the sector."

 

Mr Bennett also paid tribute to Cylch Community Recycling Network Chief Executive, Mal Williams, who had been Chair of WSEC for nearly eighteen months. He said:

 

"Mal has been a great source of support to the team and played a key part in the early development of the organisation."

 

"On behalf of the staff and the Board, I would like to thank Mal for his considerable efforts over the last eighteen months."

 

Mr Williams will assist Ms Burnett as Vice-Chair whilst Mark White, Welsh Funding Officer at Charity Bank, was re-elected Treasurer.