Claire Dove

Trustee

Claire has been a key player in the social enterprise movement since the 1980s and was recently appointed as the Crown Representative for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) with the remit of supporting the sector to access government contracts.

Claire is known nationally and internationally for her work in the sector and chaired Social Enterprise UK(SEUK) for ten years.  She worked with government and leaders from the sector to create the first strategy for the social enterprise movement. She has ensured that we had a voice within Westminster and Whitehall, this included working with the teams to introduce the Social Value Act which is now embedded into many local government frameworks and in the national Crown Commercial Service.  After stepping down as chair of SEUK, Claire was asked and accepted to become a patron to the organisation. 

Claire still continues to lead the highly successful Blackburne House Group which apart from its outstanding educational offer to women and its award winning School for Social Entrepreneurs run a number of successful social enterprises.

Claire has received many awards for her role within the sector which includes an OBE and also the Queen's Lifetime Achievement Award for Enterprise Promotion.