Thursday 8 March 2012

Speedos, professionals and health!

An interesting day out at the HQ of Pentland, an amazing family firm based in Finchley which you and I know from their ownership, franchising of lots of sports and footwear ( if I mention speedos you know what I mean ). I was meeting the CEO Andy Rubin to talk about how we work together across the private and third sectors and utilise the skills of the private sector in adopting more businesslike approaches in our own industry. He is a trustee of InKind Direct, and the CEO is a long standing member of ACEVO- Robin Boles.

A great lunch- he talked about their own motivating mission, notably; ideas , courage and passion. Ideas that are also a bedrock of what a third sector Leader needs to bring to the task.

I'd started the day meeting with ACEVO members who are part of our professional associations special interest group. One of our ACEVO treasures is the network of some 15 SIGs  covering the interests and passions of our members spheres of work. ACEVO has a large membership in professional bodies like the College of teachers or the health Royal Colleges and membership bodies in sport and arts.

They rightly reminded me that we must always fight the corner of the professionals as well as those of our service delivery charities and social enterprises.

And the evening was a dinner with old friend Liam Byrne MP who was one of those Ministers under Blair who got the value of our sector and who fought for public service reform. Alan Johnston MP, the former Health secretary was a speaker at the dinner. He said that the reforms on choice and competition in health that Labour introduced were good. They improved patient care and choice and competition must have a role to play today in the health service. How good to hear this.

And now I'm off to Cambridge!

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