Our Business Council
Our Business Council brings together over 1,350 business leaders and entrepreneurs from every sector and every part of the UK economy — united behind our mission to champion business as a force for good.
Overview
We have built a Business Council of over 1,350 business leaders and entrepreneurs, representing every sector and every part of the UK economy, to ensure our work has impact across the country.
Membership of our Business Council is private and free, and comes with a number of key benefits.
We are building Regional Networks, with the first launched in the North East, South West and Yorkshire. By the end of 2027, we will have covered every nation and region of the UK.
Membership benefits
- Invitations to events such as our monthly breakfasts, drinks receptions, and policy roundtables, both in London and regionally.
- The opportunity to showcase what you are doing for your employees.
- A vehicle to voice your policy concerns.
- The opportunity to equip your business with the tools to bring disadvantaged people into work.
- Contributing to a coalition of job creators campaigning to build a UK in which businesses can thrive and expand, bringing hundreds of thousands of people back into the workplace.
Regional Business Councils
Throughout 2025, we rolled out our first three Regional Business Councils — and we aim to cover every nation and region of the UK by 2027. Our regional councils bring together senior business leaders, local authorities, charities, educators and politicians to champion the role of business as a force for good in their communities.
Yorkshire · Launched November 2025
Jobs Foundation Yorkshire
Launched at the Pennine Five Campus in Sheffield, with more than 130 senior business leaders, charity leaders, educators and politicians in attendance. The launch featured a conversation with Edward Naylor, CEO of the Naylor Group, who has grown the business to 7 factories employing more than 400 people. Our Yorkshire Chairman Martin McKervey chairs the council, with a Steering Group of senior regional leaders now in place.
Learn more →North East · Launched May 2025
Jobs Foundation North East
Our first Regional Business Council, launched in the North East — one of the communities at the heart of our foundational Two Million Jobs research. The council brings together business leaders committed to championing opportunity and job creation across one of the UK's most resilient regions.
Learn more →South West · Launched September 2025
Jobs Foundation South West
Our South West Business Council connects employers across the region — from Bristol to Cornwall — committed to creating jobs and training opportunities for people who need a step up in life. Pembrokeshire, featured in our regional research, sits at the heart of our South West work.
Learn more →We are launching further Regional Business Councils throughout 2026 and 2027. To get involved or to help establish a council in your region, please contact info@thejobsfoundation.com.
Our events
Monthly
Business Council breakfasts
We hold monthly Business Council breakfasts with senior figures, such as our breakfast with Lord Richard Harrington and Lord Jon Mendelsohn.
See past events →Roundtables
Policy roundtables
We hold policy roundtables bringing senior business leaders together to discuss specific issues, such as the role of business in boosting social mobility.
See past events →Annual
Annual dinners and receptions
Our annual dinners and receptions bring together the wider Jobs Foundation network, with previous speakers including Fraser Nelson, journalist and expert on welfare to work.
Member stories
Business is fundamentally about people. Here we collate the stories of people who have had their lives improved through their jobs and the employers who see business as a force for good.
Member story
Karen — Chief People Officer, BHP Accountants
BHP is one of the leading independent accountancy firms in the North. Karen shares how BHP has built an inclusive hiring programme that creates real opportunities for people from non-traditional backgrounds.
Read story →
Member story
Simon — CEO and founder, Orangebox Training
"I wanted to be a policeman when I was a boy." Simon has built Orangebox Training into a business that has helped thousands of people gain qualifications and enter employment.
Read story →
Member story
Harrison — Financial Advisor, Emerald Associates
An academy player for Hartlepool United, Harrison's journey through a soccer scholarship in America and back to the UK illustrates how sport and business together can create life-changing opportunities.
Read story →
Member story
Sarah — Director of People, Hendy Group
"I take care of the people who work for The Hendy Group, a business that is 165 years old." Sarah shares how a long-established family business puts its people at the heart of everything it does.
Read story →
Member story
Gary — Head of Service, IT
"After rehab, I wanted to build a different life. I was offered an apprenticeship in an IT company, even though I had never even sent an email before. My boss showed that he trusted me."
Read story →
Join our Business Council — it's free and private
Be part of our movement to champion and support businesses in their work to help people most in need.
“Business: A force for good”