Events
Steve Wood, Managing Director Ecclesiastical, Named 'Ambassador for Responsible Business' by HRH The Prince of Wales at June 2010 BITC Awards
Steve Wood, Managing Director Ecclesiastical, UK & Ireland, was named the 'Prince's Ambassador for the South West' for 2010 at Business in the Community's (BITC’s) awards ceremony, this month. He has been awarded the honorary title for his leadership and commitment to responsible business in the region.
The Prince’s Regional Ambassador is one of BITC’s Awards for Excellence and recognizes individual leaders who understand that being a responsible business is about engaging with local communities to help them become sustainable, healthy places where people can prosper and thrive.
Steve said: “This award is a great honour and recognition for the whole of Ecclesiastical. We have been working with Business in the Community for several years now as we realize that BITC needs support to help the communities we work within. They need the commitment and sometimes initiative of local businesses who really want to make a difference locally.”
“In today’s economic climate it is very important that responsible businesses step up to meet the challenges local communities face. There are real benefits here not just to the community, but also to the development and motivation of your workforce. At a personal level, I very much welcome the new opportunities and challenges that will come with the Ambassador’s role.”
In a recorded message that was shown at the South West Awards for Excellence event on June 10th, at Leigh Court in Bristol, HRH The Prince of Wales, said: “Steve is a major advocate for my Seeing is Believing program, a program very much after my own heart, and is Chairman of the South West Seeing is Believing Network with specific responsibility for championing Business in the Community and business engagement in Gloucestershire. His consistent application of leadership values in tough economic times has provided vision and direction to projects in the South West and so for all his efforts, I am delighted to name Steve as my Ambassador for the South West.”
In 2009 Ecclesiastical hosted a Seeing is Believing visit which brought together businesses in Gloucester to visit local charities. As a result of the visit, we and other businesses have supported The Gateway Trust and Young Gloucestershire.
Peaches Golding, Regional Director for Business in the Community said: “I am very pleased that Steve has been recognized by HRH The Prince of Wales for his work on the Seeing is Believing program, the inner city projects that were carried out under his leadership and his work in driving increased corporate giving and employee volunteering. We will be developing a program of ways in which he can support BITC, our members and prospective members in the South West. This is an exciting time for our regional Ambassador, as he takes up the role in the 25th Anniversary of The Prince of Wales’s Presidency of Business in the Community.”
The Prince of Wales selects an Ambassador in each of BITC’s operating regions across the UK, as well as one National Ambassador, which will be announced at an event in London on Monday 5 July. As The Prince’s Regional Ambassador, Steve will work directly with BITC in the South West to champion responsible business in the region.
About Business in the Community
Business in the Community mobilizes business for good. Being a member of Business in the Community means being part of an international network of responsible businesses committed to a sustainable future for people and planet. Our approach to responsible business provides a framework to support and challenge business to improve its performance and benefit society through our four areas of expertise – community, environment, workplace and marketplace. BITC asks members to: Integrate responsible business across all areas of their operations; Collaborate to tackle key social issues in areas of greatest need; Communicate and inspire others by sharing their experiences and encouraging more to follow their example. Visit www.bitc.org.uk for more information.