Simon Tucker

SimonSimon joined the Young Foundation to establish Launchpad in 2005. He oversees all Launchpad programmes and projects as well as currently directly leading the Studio Schools initiative.

Simon was formerly with business strategy consultancy McKinsey & Co and then Chief Operating Officer at frontline social enterprise Kids Company where he performed a strategic and financial turnaround. His involvement in social venturing prior to the Young Foundation includes a secondment to help set up UnLtd - The Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs (a >£100M fund) and a feasibility study for what would have been the UK's first social venture fund (which evolved into The Big Issue Invest and Catalyst's new fund). Before that he practiced as a barrister acting mainly for clients in the education and health sectors such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

He is a member of the advisory panel for of the Social Investment Bank. He also sits on the boards of social enterprises including Borough Market (perhaps the UK's oldest extant social enterprise) and Education Television Network (Kenyan ‘edutainment') in addition to Launchpad portfolio ventures.

Simon's recent publications as co-author or contributor include:
• ‘Social Silicon Valleys: a manifesto for social innovation' (British Council '06)
• ‘Innovating beyond technology'(Prospect Magazine: The Quarter '06)
• ‘Social Innovation: what it is, how it happens and how it can be accelerated' (Skoll Centre,
Said Business School ‘07);
• ‘Scaling up: the ultimate challenge for public innovation' (Demos '07);
• ‘In and Out of Sync: The challenge of growing social innovations' (NESTA '07)
• BVCA Chairman's Report 2008 on the role of private equity in social and sustainable development
(British Venture Capital Association, forthcoming ‘08)

Simon is a regular speaker on social innovation, enterprise and venturing at events in the UK and internationally.

 

Contact

Sarah Carlier: sarah.carlier(AT)youngfoundation.org or call 020 8980 6263