Alex Bird
Alex Bird has over 35 years Management experience in Commercial Business, Social Enterprise, Public and Voluntary Sectors at Board and Practitioner level.
He started his working life in 1965 as a Power Engineer on the fast-track management programme at the CEGB. After 11 years working in Nuclear and coal-fired stations, including the technical development team at Aberthaw PS, he rose to the position of Shift Manager at Rogerstone Power Station.
In 1974 he left to co-found a printing co-operative in Cardiff specialising in work for labour movement, trades-union, voluntary, charitable and campaigning organisations, during which time he also founded and edited a Trades Union newspaper (Union Eyes), which became the highest circulation left of centre paper in Wales. http://radicalprintshops.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fingerprints
After 17 years in ‘the print’ Alex took up the position of Community Enterprise Development Officer for Cardiff County Council, which included a secondment to the Prince’s Trust (Business) to manage their Pan-Wales contract to deliver the ‘New Deal for the Self-employed’ where he won a special award for quality from the Employment Service.
In 2001 Alex moved to Innovate Trust as CEO of a charity, which provides a range of services to people with disabilities. Whilst there, he founded Social Firms Wales, became a Trustee of Social Firms UK and co-founded ‘Pan disability Wales’, a partnership of leading disability charities in Wales. He devised and implemented the Charity’s first 5 year Strategic Business Plan in its 35 year history and increased turnover from £1.7m to over £3.5 m, and payroll to 130 permanent staff.
He left in 2005 to establish himself as a freelance consultant specialising in co operatives and social enterprise. He is a Member of the Institute of Economic Development and works to their Code of Practice.
He has been a Mentor & Associate Trainer for Regen School Wales, a Visiting Lecturer on the Social Economy at Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University, and an Associate Business Adviser and Trainer for the Wales Co op Centre.
He is Chair of the Cardiff YMCA Housing Association, which runs the largest homeless hostel in Wales, and sits on the Members Panel of Glas Cymru, the not-for-profit organisation that supplies Welsh Water.
Alex is Chair of Co-operatives and Mutuals Wales (the affiliate of Co-operatives UK in Wales) and of Development Co-operative Ltd, a consortium of the majority of local co-op development bodies in the UK.
Alex is also a Board Member of Co-operatives UK and a member of the European Worker Co op Movement (CICOPA)’s Working Group on business transfer to employees under the co-operative form, the Wales Social Co-operative Development Forum, the Public Bank for Wales Group, the Bevan Foundation and a Fellow of the Institute of Welsh Affairs.
He was the founder and Secretariat of the Welsh Assembly’s Cross Party Group on Co operatives from 2009 to 2015. During this time he organised 19 meetings including 2, which brought together the equivalent Groups in the UK’s three devolved Parliaments.
He has been a Board Member of many other co-op development agencies, including Wales Co-operative Centre (Vice Chair), Cardiff & Vale CDA, Social Firms UK, Social Firms Wales (Chair), the UK Co operative Forum, and the Welsh Government’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Social Enterprise.
Other past appointments include; Trustee of Voluntary Action Cardiff (Chair of their Health & Social Care Forum), Trustee of Cymorth Cymru, and a Member of the Cardiff Health Alliance Board.
He is an experienced public speaker, and was Conference Chair of “Reclaiming the Economy” – an international co-operative research conference organised by Cardiff Metropolitan University.
As part of consultancy.coop he is a provider of the Co-operative Group’s pan UK programme of support for co operative development, the Hive.
He has managed and delivered an Interreg 4A funded social entrepreneur support package in Denbighshire, Anglesey and Ireland, and has managed ESF, ERDF and EQUAL programmes over many years.
He has access to academic expertise, and has worked on projects with academics from Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, University of Glamorgan, Trinity Saint Davids, University of Cork, Liverpool John Moores, Sheffield University, & Roehampton.
Phone: 07914762546
Address: 15 Samuels Crescent
Whitchurch
Cardiff
CF14 2TH
He started his working life in 1965 as a Power Engineer on the fast-track management programme at the CEGB. After 11 years working in Nuclear and coal-fired stations, including the technical development team at Aberthaw PS, he rose to the position of Shift Manager at Rogerstone Power Station.
In 1974 he left to co-found a printing co-operative in Cardiff specialising in work for labour movement, trades-union, voluntary, charitable and campaigning organisations, during which time he also founded and edited a Trades Union newspaper (Union Eyes), which became the highest circulation left of centre paper in Wales. http://radicalprintshops.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fingerprints
After 17 years in ‘the print’ Alex took up the position of Community Enterprise Development Officer for Cardiff County Council, which included a secondment to the Prince’s Trust (Business) to manage their Pan-Wales contract to deliver the ‘New Deal for the Self-employed’ where he won a special award for quality from the Employment Service.
In 2001 Alex moved to Innovate Trust as CEO of a charity, which provides a range of services to people with disabilities. Whilst there, he founded Social Firms Wales, became a Trustee of Social Firms UK and co-founded ‘Pan disability Wales’, a partnership of leading disability charities in Wales. He devised and implemented the Charity’s first 5 year Strategic Business Plan in its 35 year history and increased turnover from £1.7m to over £3.5 m, and payroll to 130 permanent staff.
He left in 2005 to establish himself as a freelance consultant specialising in co operatives and social enterprise. He is a Member of the Institute of Economic Development and works to their Code of Practice.
He has been a Mentor & Associate Trainer for Regen School Wales, a Visiting Lecturer on the Social Economy at Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University, and an Associate Business Adviser and Trainer for the Wales Co op Centre.
He is Chair of the Cardiff YMCA Housing Association, which runs the largest homeless hostel in Wales, and sits on the Members Panel of Glas Cymru, the not-for-profit organisation that supplies Welsh Water.
Alex is Chair of Co-operatives and Mutuals Wales (the affiliate of Co-operatives UK in Wales) and of Development Co-operative Ltd, a consortium of the majority of local co-op development bodies in the UK.
Alex is also a Board Member of Co-operatives UK and a member of the European Worker Co op Movement (CICOPA)’s Working Group on business transfer to employees under the co-operative form, the Wales Social Co-operative Development Forum, the Public Bank for Wales Group, the Bevan Foundation and a Fellow of the Institute of Welsh Affairs.
He was the founder and Secretariat of the Welsh Assembly’s Cross Party Group on Co operatives from 2009 to 2015. During this time he organised 19 meetings including 2, which brought together the equivalent Groups in the UK’s three devolved Parliaments.
He has been a Board Member of many other co-op development agencies, including Wales Co-operative Centre (Vice Chair), Cardiff & Vale CDA, Social Firms UK, Social Firms Wales (Chair), the UK Co operative Forum, and the Welsh Government’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Social Enterprise.
Other past appointments include; Trustee of Voluntary Action Cardiff (Chair of their Health & Social Care Forum), Trustee of Cymorth Cymru, and a Member of the Cardiff Health Alliance Board.
He is an experienced public speaker, and was Conference Chair of “Reclaiming the Economy” – an international co-operative research conference organised by Cardiff Metropolitan University.
As part of consultancy.coop he is a provider of the Co-operative Group’s pan UK programme of support for co operative development, the Hive.
He has managed and delivered an Interreg 4A funded social entrepreneur support package in Denbighshire, Anglesey and Ireland, and has managed ESF, ERDF and EQUAL programmes over many years.
He has access to academic expertise, and has worked on projects with academics from Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, University of Glamorgan, Trinity Saint Davids, University of Cork, Liverpool John Moores, Sheffield University, & Roehampton.
Phone: 07914762546
Address: 15 Samuels Crescent
Whitchurch
Cardiff
CF14 2TH
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The report includes case studies on solutions already operating in the USA and Europe, and makes recommendations relevant to the UK employment situation.
Edited by John Osmond, with contributions from Ashley Drake, Derek Walker, Mark Drakeford and Liz Moyle
The report includes case studies on solutions already operating in the USA and Europe, and makes recommendations relevant to the UK employment situation.
Edited by John Osmond, with contributions from Ashley Drake, Derek Walker, Mark Drakeford and Liz Moyle