With family bloodlines that go back to Rochdale, it’s perhaps no surprise Adrian Ashton has been actively supporting the development and growth firstly of co-operatives, and then the wider social enterprise movement.
With a portfolio career as a freelance consultant, Adrian has worked with Cabinet Office on national policy; sector bodies on initiatives to encourage a wider take-up of social impact reporting, and growth through social franchising; and from time to time is asked to facilitate (inter)national ‘round table’ conversations by sector bodies.
He has always been led by an evidence/research-based position: which means that although many see him as trying to single-handedly get the CIC form dismantled, he has on occasion spoken out in its defence and also supported several groups to be registered as such, as new facts and data about them become available to him.
Amongst other unusual business practices that have seen him speak at national social enterprise festivals alongside the likes of Peter Holbrook and Liam Black (he was the one with a duck under his arm), he has also been openly publishing an impact report on himself for the last 16 years.
https://linktr.ee/adrianashton