vocL nurtures, connects and champions new voices of responsible business leadership

Why vocL?

Covid, Brexit, disruptive technology, the climate emergency: this is a time of change and of crisis.

It is a time of challenges to which business - with its expertise and experience, its long-term perspective and its resources - must be a critical part of the answer.

The time is thus ripe for vocL.

At vocL, we believe business has lost its voice. Whether at COP26, during the negotiation of vital new trade deals, or in the debate over business ethics, the business voice has seemed strangely quiet or even to be absent altogether.

At the same time, we believe there is an urgent need, within business, for more thoughtful, truthful, inclusive, values-driven and socially responsible leadership.

Finally, we believe it is critical, as never before, for the business leaders of today and of tomorrow - business’s next generation leaders - to have a bigger, freer, more respected and more confident voice in the national conversation; and that our often overly fractious debates would be more balanced and our society fairer and less divided if they did.

Our Values

vocL is a platform promoting responsible business voices and we ask all contributors to buy into our values:

Grounded

We say what we mean and we mean what we say. We want to create a platform where we communicate openly and honestly, offering well-balanced insights through debate and discussion.

Inclusive

We recognise the richness that diversity brings, and we encourage different points of view and perspectives, and value all contributions. We want vocL to be a safe space for diverse thought and ideas to shape our future.

Lively

We approach every day with curiosity, positivity, and a lively mindset. We want to inspire people with the energy our associates and future leaders bring to the vocL platform, to ultimately spark national debate and effect change on issues that really matter to us.

Purposeful

We want to create permanent change for a better world by enabling business to speak louder, to be more vocal, and importantly, to stimulate mutual learning and growth through our cross generational mentoring platform.

Public Policy and Political Engagement

We want the next generation of business leaders to be confident partners to policy makers. This next generation of talent, working with established leaders across the UK, have plenty to add to the quality of our national debate. The absence of these voices threatens pragmatic policy making - which in the end serves the interest of everybody, and not just a select few.

Put simply - these better, more informed and vocal contributions to public policy making from business enriches our national debate and secures better outcomes for companies, their employee's, consumers and society at large.

This means we are committed to working with businesses and their future leaders to ensure they are confident, understand the political landscape and are well trained by their mentors to make informed interventions in public policy debates.

We are staunchly apolitical - our focus is to improve the national political conversation, and support the next generation have their voices heard where it matters most.

Our Team

Henrietta Lindsell

Founder
Chair of the Lindsell Foundation

Juergen Maier

Founder
Industrialist and Chair GB Energy, former CEO of Siemens UK

Achim Kram

CEO

Paul Addison

Non-Executive Director

Zahirah Hafiz

Communications and Content Manager

Founding Associates

Paul Drechsler

Chairman International Chamber of Commerce & London First, Company Director & Former President CBI

Sarah Walker-Smith

CEO Ampa Group and Shakespeare Martineau LLP

Andy Haldane

Chief Executive, Royal Society of Arts

Advita Patel

Director and founder CommsRebel / A Leader Like Me, CIPR President-Elect 2024

James Timpson OBE

Chief Executive of Timpson Limited, Chair of the Prison Reform Trust and a Tate Trustee

Ben Brabyn

Ecosystem specialist and former Head of Level39

Katherine Bennett CBE

Industrialist and Chair Western Gateway, CEO High Value Manufacturing Catapult

Sir Charlie Mayfield

Chairman QA Ltd & Be the Business, former chairman John Lewis Partnership

Will Butler-Adams, OBE CEng

CEO, Brompton Bicycle Ltd

Valerie Todd CBE

Trustee and Chair of People Committee, Leonard Cheshire and former HR Director, Siemens UK and Ireland

Allan E Cook CBE DSc

Chairman of the Henry Royce Materials Innovation Leadership Group

Harry Matovu KC

Barrister and King’s Counsel at Brick Court Chambers

Phil Smith CBE

Interim Executive Chair of IQE PLC and former CEO and Chairman of Cisco UK and Ireland

Angela Noon OBE

Chief Financial Officer, Royal Mail

Lou Cordwell OBE

Chief Creative Officer, Fluxx+mN Chair, GM LEP

Sharon Amesu

Director SA Consulting

Stephen Frost

CEO, Included

Anabel Kindersley

Co-Owner/Co-Chair Neal’s Yard Remedies

Ashley Ramrachia

Co-founder & CEO, Academy

Phillip Luff

Television and entertainment specialist, former SVP Warner Bros.Discovery, Inc.

Louise Gatenby

Founding Partner at The Good Board

Ute Bockstegers

Executive Advisor, Ex CFO UK/I, ex CEO SEE, Bayer

Robert White

Chief Executive Officer at Brabners | Driving Positive Change at the UK's Leading Independent Law Firm

Dr Christopher Meah

Founder and CEO - School of Code, Chair - TechWM AI and Future Tech Forum

Vanda Murray

Chair, Yorkshire Water and Chair, Marshalls plc

John Allan

Chair of Anatom Value Mentoring, Former CEO of Exel plc, Former Chair of Tesco, Barratt Dvts, Worldpay, Dixons Retail, Former Chair of Council, Imperial College, cofounder of J&A Mentoring

Paul Corcoran

Founder & CEO of Agent

Helen McHugh

Founder & Director, Marsden Strategy

Stephen Phipson

CEO, Make UK

Partner Associates

Phil Wedgwood

CEO Engage Solutions Group, Tech Entrepreneur

“I believe in the vocL vision and in the role technology can play in enabling it. Business leaders need a voice, a safe place to connect, and an effective way to nurture the next generation”

Paul Corcoran

Chief Executive, Agent

"Today's business leaders must champion change and communicate a sense of purpose. vocL empowers emerging leaders to be courageous communicators, making a genuine impact across the country.

We're in an era of change and challenge. It's time for business to step up. vocL equips emerging leaders with the power of purposeful communication."

Andy Haldane

Chief Executive, Royal Society of Arts

“At the Royal Society of Arts, we believe that by harnessing the power of business we can help society to thrive - more resilient, rebalanced, and regenerative. We are confident that by working with vocL we can make a tangible difference in the lives of people and places in the UK and beyond.”

Kate Robertson

Co-Founder, One Young World

“vocL’s goal of providing a platform for socially responsible leadership in the business world recognises the unique role that business has to play in the creation of a more just and sustainable international environment.”

Jenny Herrera

CEO, Good Business Charter

“When passionate people come together around a common cause they can really make a difference. VocL's vision to provide a way for businesses to collectively speak out for a fairer society is both urgent and exciting as new leaders find their voice and champion change.”

Ed Johnson

Co-Founder & CEO, PushFar

“The service vocL offers has never been more crucial than it is today. A forum for the next-generation to share thoughts, ideas and insights, to ultimately further develop the working world of tomorrow, is invaluable, and I'm delighted to be able to be part of it.”

Daniel Lloyd

Partner Technology and IP Team, TLT Solicitors

"vocL offers a precious forum where today’s business leaders can get their views across, and tomorrow’s leaders can start to build the networks they will need for future success.”

Jamie Squires

Productivity Coach & Trainer

"I love supporting vocL, helping the next generation of leaders make time, headspace, and process for positive action. Getting their best work done to make a difference.”

Empowering Business Voices
Download our app
Subscribe to our newsletter
The latest news, articles, and resources, sent to your inbox monthly.
© 2024 vocL. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy