Leading social entrepreneur to address SFHA Annual Conference dinner
Co-founder of Social Bite to address conference
The SFHA is delighted to announce that one of the UK’s leading social entrepreneurs will address its Annual Conference dinner.
Josh Littlejohn is the co-founder of Scottish social enterprise Social Bite, a national chain of sandwich and coffee shops which shot to global fame when Hollywood A-lister George Clooney visited an outlet in 2015. Another Oscar winner, Leonardo DiCaprio, then visited the social enterprise in 2016.
Social Bite competes in high street takeaway food, as well as the high-end restaurant market, but does so for a social purpose. One hundred per cent of Social Bite’s profits are donated to good causes, and one in four of its staff are people from homeless backgrounds. Social Bite also feeds the homeless with food that its customers pre-pay for. The organisation is by far the largest distributor of free fresh food and hot drinks to the homeless in the UK – giving away over 100,000 items each year.
Josh is also the founder of the Scottish Business Awards and, as well as Clooney and DiCaprio, he has also enlisted the help of world leaders such as former President Bill Clinton and Sir Richard Branson to support his social endeavours.
In 2016, Josh co-founded a Social Enterprise beer company called Brewgooder, where 100% of the profits go towards providing clean water. The brewery plans to provide clean drinking water for 1 million people in five years.
At the age of 30, Josh has raised over £4 million for charity and made a significant impact on the issue of homelessness in Scotland. Josh is an originator of social businesses, which not only tackle pressing issues but radically challenge how we think about doing business.
In 2017, Josh was given an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list, which he dedicated to the homeless and marginalised. He has received two honorary doctorates, and he also made the Debrett’s list of 500 most influential people in the UK 2017.
Josh will address the SFHA’s Annual Conference dinner on Thursday 1 June. The conference is taking place on 1 and 2 June at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Glasgow. To book your place, please visit the ‘what’s on’ section of the SFHA’s website.