BF interview
REBALANCING THE ECONOMY: it takes three
Gavin Walker talks to John McMullan, chief executive, Bryson Charitable Group
or many of us in the business world, rebalancing the economy is about increasing the size of the private sector to drive faster economic growth. It's a world of ministerial working groups, discussions on the benefits of devolving the power to vary the corporation tax rate for profits in Northern Ireland and encouraging SMEs to build through export.
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Which means that many of us either ignore or remain unaware of the growing impact of what is a growing sector of our economy: social enterprise.
The Wikipedia definition of a social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in human and environmental well‑being, rather than maximising profits for external shareholders. But John McMullanʼs more succinct description is of a business 'driven for charitable purpose'.
With the growing awareness of the need for ‒ and benefits of ‒ a stated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), many Northern Ireland companies would consider themselves to have social objectives. But where this commitment is motivated by the perception that it will ultimately make the enterprise more financially valuable, social enterprises do not aim to offer any benefit to their investors, except where they believe that doing so will ultimately further their capacity to realize their
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social and environmental goals. “Bryson has been an active charity in Northern Ireland for over 100 years and until about ten years ago we operated on the traditional charitable lines,” John explained. “But it became apparent that the future sustainability of the organisation depended on a more business‑oriented approach and we made a decision to adopt the social enterprise model. And so we ‒ as with many others in what is termed the 'third sector' ‒ now operate a business model driven by charitable purpose.”
A successful business
By any measure, this is a successful business. Operating seven distinct businesses with a combined turnover of £31m out of 27 offices employing over 660 staff and delivering 22,000 services to families and individuals across Northern Ireland every day, the impact of the Bryson brand is impressive. And this combined effort has resulted not only in making Bryson one of Northern Ireland's largest employers and income generators, but also in achieving the position of the sixth largest social enterprise in the UK. “Our growth is a result of our constantly amending and developing services to meet changing social need,” John explained, citing the Groupʼs most recent commitment to reducing fuel poverty and supporting
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