We are looking to welcome a new member to the Board of Directors for SSEN. As a part of this process and to give members a chance to have a say, we make the intended appointment public and allow for two weeks for members to make any objections or queries about the proposed Director.
If you pay for our membership or are on our six months free membership, and would like to raise anything in regards to this appointment, you can email us at jodie@ssen.org.uk with valid reasoning and explanation for us to consider. This must be done before 24th August 2022. Where we don’t receive any objections or queries the appointment will automatically become official from 24th August 2022.
The Director we would like to bring onto the board is Richard Kirtley. Richard is the Divisional Director for Purple Shoots, and lives in Sheffield. We asked him to tell us a little about himself so that you can find out more about him.
Richard Kirtley
I am the Divisional Director of Purple Shoots, a microfinance charity and Social Enterprise who offer small and affordable start-up loans to prospective business owners who are unable to access finance due to their circumstances. I moved to Sheffield in 2012 to study at university and very quickly came to love the city. The blend of city life with rolling countryside and close communities is something I’m incredibly fond of. Since graduating in 2015, I held several positions working in commercial teams for engineering companies, including Sheffield Forgemasters. However, I always had a nagging feeling that I wanted to work for the benefit of other people and not just for my bank account. The opportunity to kickstart the work of Purple Shoots in South Yorkshire has given me this chance, and I am loving it!
Working with Purple Shoots has also given me the chance to become involved with the Sheffield Social Enterprise Network. I’ve loved seeing how diverse and pro-active SSEN is. Now the opportunity to support this group as a director has come about, I’m extremely excited to be able to, hopefully, offer some ideas for growth and to help other Social Enterprises throughout the city region. I passionately believe that Social Enterprise has a vastly important role to play in the social, cultural, and economic growth of Sheffield, and I’m excited to be able to play a small part in this.