PEOPLE ON PURPOSE: PATRICK SHINE

PATRICK SHINE

Patrick Shine is the co-founder and lead partner of The Shaftesbury Partnership, a social business whose mission is to create and inspire trailblazing social reforms that empower communities by tackling disadvantage and generating opportunity. He is chairman of The Challenge Network, the leading provider of National Citizen Service, and of the Southwark Free School Trust. Patrick worked for nearly 20 years in the City and has worked at UnLtd.

Why do you do the job you do?

Because I am passionate about not only delivering social impact, but also about modelling business-like ways of doing it to make it less grant-dependent and to enable scaling.

What are you most proud of?

We’ve been able to do a series of ground-breaking things ranging from securing investment from Big Society Capital to being the chair of one of the fastest-growing charities in recent years (the Challenge Network).

What keeps you awake at night?

Social venturing is very demanding – there are often situations which take a lot of thought, and I do my best thinking in the middle of the night.

What were you doing 5  years ago?

I was a member of the Unltd team, helping social entrepreneurs develop strategies for scaling.

What do you expect to be doing in 5 years' time?

I will still be doing what I do now, with a group of social ventures at a more mature stage of development.

If you were Prime Minister for the day, what would you do? 

I would cull a third of charities dependent on the government money and which are not delivering, and reinvest double the amount saved into the ones that deliver high-quality services which really make a difference.

Why are you involved with On Purpose? 

I switched to the charity sector after 20 years working in the City and didn’t find it easy. I share the intention of On Purpose to bridge the gap between the world of business and social action.