Management Team

Jonathan Bland, Chief Executive

Jonathan Bland is the Chief Executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition, the national body for businesses that trade with a social purpose. From April 2003, under Jonathan's leadership, SEC has become a powerful voice for Social Enterprise in the UK, championing social enterprise as a successful business model and pushing for greater recognition and understanding of the solutions provided by this way of doing business.

Over the past 8 years Jonathan has worked with a number of government departments on social enterprise related issues, going back to HM Treasury's report on Enterprise in Disadvantaged Areas in 1999. He advised on the creation of the Government's "Social Enterprise Strategy for Success" and was a member of the Cabinet Office committee that oversaw the inception of the Community Interest Company in 2001 and advised on its development, leading to the introduction of the new legal form in 2005. Jonathan is a member of the Department of Health's Ministerial Task Force on Third Sector Commissioning of Health and Social Care Services.

Previously he was the Director of Social Enterprise London, where he expanded the organisation from a start-up in 1998 to one of the leading strategic sources of expertise and support for the sector. Jonathan has over 20 years experience working in this field.

Celia Hodson, Deputy Chief Executive

As the Deputy Chief Executive and part of the Management Team at the Social Enterprise Coalition, Celia is responsible for the operations, sustainability and diversity of SEC, instigating an annual events programme and a range of member benefits. Celia brings a wealth of experience from the business community and high end retailing sector, providing a turning point of organisational change.

Previously the Chief Executive Officer at Cambridge Co-operative Development Agency and its networking group The Social Enterprise People. She had responsibility for providing leadership, direction, business planning and policy development. She successfully introduced a fresh set of strategic, high impact, aims and objectives for the organisation including the newly launched 'Commissioning Access Programme' aimed at enabling Social enterprises to tender for Local Authority Commissions and the Social Accounting Pilot measuring the impact of funding through programmes such as Investing in Communities and Capacitybuilders.

Cherry Read, Head of Policy and Communications

Cherry has overall responsibility for the organisation's programme of policy and communications work, with hands-on involvement in key areas of activity such as the current HM Treasury and Cabinet Office review into the Third Sector's contribution to social and economic regeneration. She heads the strategic direction and delivery of a national mainstreaming programme funded by Equal and the Cabinet Office and provides high-level advice to a wide range of groups led by government, the third sector and mainstream business, including the Mark Your Mark: Changes Lives programme run by Enterprise Insight.

Cherry previously headed up the communications function at European Metal Recycling and worked as a policy adviser to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on secondment. She started her career in the media, working for organisations including the Press Association and Emap.

George Leahy, Head of Research

George worked in the NHS for over 20 years. The majority of that time was spent working in Public Health in Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham. From 2001-2006 George was Director of Public Health & Health Improvement for Tower Hamlets, based in the Primary Care Trust. George joined the Department of Health in March 2006 as the Head of Public Health Development. George trained as a Health Economist by background. He has worked on a variety subjects and projects including HIV services, development of community orientated diabetes services and bilingual advocacy services.

David Shannon, Head of Finance

David has overall responsibility for the finance and accounting function within the Coalition encompassing the financial reporting and direction across the various funding streams. He is also responsible for the strategic direction of the Coalition to give it financial sustainability in the long term. David also acts as the company secretary.

David has held a number of senior accounting and management positions within the Co-operative movement, has served on the boards of several organisations and worked as an independent consultant in the social enterprise sector. He is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants