RBLI Chief Executive Wins Scholarship To Attend Harvard Business School

Steve Sherry CMG OBE, the chief executive of charity Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI), has won a scholarship to attend an exclusive Harvard Business School course for leaders of not for profit organisations, after which he will report back to the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work, Penny Mordaunt MP...

Whilst at Harvard, Sherry will use examples from RBLI’s Kent-based social enterprise, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company (BBMC) to demonstrate how this type of venture can thrive and succeed in the UK and share key learnings with international counterparts. The course, titled Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management, is an intensive two-week programme with over 140 social enterprise professionals from across the globe.

Sherry will also combine his educational programme at Harvard with visits to US social enterprises, including Human Technologies, which provides employment for people with disabilities in Utica, New York, and the Wounded Warrior Project, a veterans’ charity, founded after the 9/11 terror attacks.

BBMC employs 120 people, more than 70% of whom are ex-service personnel, or have a physical or mental disability. The enterprise recently secured a multi-million pound contract with Network Rail, the UK’s largest railway owner, which will see them become the sole provider of lineside signage in country.

Steve Sherry, Chief Executive of Royal British Legion Industries said: “It’s a great honour to be attending Harvard Business School in July and to visit some fantastic US social enterprises. This scholarship is a significant opportunity for me to share examples from Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company and showcase the work which has established us an economically sustainable and socially thriving industry leader, whilst learning from my international peers about what we could be doing to make UK social enterprises work even better. I am passionate about improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities and will be looking for new ideas to advance this cause.”

Sherry’s scholarship will be funded by the Harvard Business School Alumni Club of London and begins this month. This programme is designed for non-profit organisation directors to learn about proactive methods for mastering non-profit leadership in uncertain times. Since the course started, only 6% of participants have been invited from social-enterprises in Europe. Previous alumni include executives from organisations such as Save the Children and Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.