What has The Ideas Exchange set out to achieve?

The Ideas Exchange is the brainchild of Training for Life. The objective is to bring together people who care deeply about certain social and environmental issues and would like to convert talk into action. As a group of people our purpose is three fold: 

• To create a people led – as opposed to Government focus group led – initiative that lets our policy makers know what is important to us as individuals
• To combine lone voices into a more influential one
• To build a network of individuals who are prepared to invest a little but combine to impact a lot.

Speakers at The Ideas Exchange include Cherie Blair, David Mellor, Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney, Prue Leith, Baroness Andrews, Lord Corbett, Lord Bilimoria amongst others

The organisers: Training for Life

Training for Life (www.trainingforlife.org), as a registered charity, helps to convert people with no hope into people society can be proud of. It builds enterprising learning communities and social enterprise businesses – in hospitality and health and fitness. Its Michelin recommended Hoxton Apprentice restaurant, for example, trains people with industry recognized qualifications, provides apprenticeships, gets people jobs and generates income that is re invested to help more people achieve their ambitions. Measured in terms of a “balance sheet”, Training for Life converts human liabilities into financial assets. For every individual trapped in a lifetime of poverty and unemployment, tax payers can pay as much as £1.2m for each. Since its inception in 1995, Training for Life has returned over 13,000 people, previously trapped in poverty and long term unemployment, back to work or full time education.

Training for Life has created over 150 new jobs for local people. The charity’s turnover has increased from £150K (in its first full year of trading) to approaching £5m today. Training for Life has also developed capital assets with a book value of approximately £5m. These are previously owned community buildings that are acquired and restored for charitable purpose. 100% of all profits is re invested back training up more apprentices.

Training for Life has been the recipient of several prestigious Charity of the Year and Social Enterprise of the Year awards. In addition, it has won awards for its commitment to staff training, corporate partnership and as environmentally friendly employers. Its social enterprise restaurant, Hoxton Apprentice (www.hoxtonapprentice.com) is acknowledged as the first charity owned social enterprise to have won a Michelin recognition three years running.

Introducing Steve Durbin

Steve is a business consultant with Livingston Consulting (www.livingstonconsulting.co.uk) where he specializes in working with entrepreneurs and corporate clients to deliver business growth.  He has been involved in managing and growing start-up to £multi million turnover enterprises internationally and has been involved with and led on mergers and acquisitions across Europe and the US.  Steve is also an executive coach working with business leaders in both the public and private sectors.
 
Previously Steve was Sales and Marketing Director for Ernst & Young.  Prior to this, he held a variety of roles including Vice President of a $250m NYSE-listed global outsourcing business and Senior Vice President at Gartner where he developed a range of strategic marketing, business and IT solutions for global investment and entrepreneurial markets.

Steve has served on the Boards of public companies in the UK and Asia.  He currently works in an advisory role to one of Europe's foremost market analysis and consulting organisations focused on the telecom, internet and media industries, he is a Trustee of the charity Training for Life (www.trainingforlife.org.uk) and a keen amateur photographer (www.stevendurbinphotography.com).

Whilst still at Ernst Young, Steve headed up their “Entrepreneur of the Year” programme that included a “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” category. The people he met during this period changed his life and equally importantly, his view on what just one inspired individual can do to make a difference! In recent years, Steve has become a committed philanthropist, believing strongly that people in business have so much more to contribute other than just giving money. He believes passionately that if more entrepreneurs and business leaders contribute their skills and expertise, we are more likely to find ways of resolving some of the perennial social problems that blight society.