Banking On Purpose

Unity Trust Bank wants to become the bank of choice for socially minded organisations in the UK. Last year the bank exceeded £1 billion of total lending for the first time in its 40-year history.

The bank uses customer deposits only to support organisations that address social, economic and environmental needs and produce measurable results, so what’s behind its success? Chief Executive Officer Colin Fyfe credits the bank’s purpose, which has created real alignment between shareholder, board, executive, and staff.

Learn how on this week’s episode of The Purposeful Strategist. Unity Trust Bank aims to be the bank of choice for all socially-minded organisations in the UK. Through safe, sustainable growth, they support their customers to deliver social, economic or environmental change in their communities while also meeting their commercial needs.

They provide sustainable banking services to businesses that share their principles of acting with integrity and only take deposits or provide finance to organisations where there is an alignment to their values and they can measure impact.

Colin has led financial services firms for 10 years through his roles as Chief Executive Officer at Hinckley & Rugby Building Society and Darlington Building Society. This followed a 29 year banking career with the National Australia Bank Group, with the majority of this time spent at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank. His experience covered corporate, commercial, private, and retail banking and leadership positions spanning marketing, people, sales, and risk teams across these sectors.

Colin holds a Non-Executive Director position with Ahead Partnership, a purpose-driven business which supports young people to improve their careers outcomes and is a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers in Scotland.

Colin Fyfe

Beer Maker Uses Purpose to Change Pay, Products and Markets

What’s the purpose of a company that makes beer? Paolo Lanzarotti, CEO of Asahi Europe & International, defines his company’s purpose as “creating meaningful connections.”

The phrase is deceptively simple, but the CEO and his team have unpacked the meaning in the words and put them to practical work across this giant beer maker. They are using the purpose to drive hard commercial decisions, engage employees, shape sustainable practices and drive product development, ultimately linking purpose to overall business strategy.

This purpose has changed how people are paid, how products are designed, and even prompted the decision to withdraw from the plastic-bottled beer market in Eastern Europe.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Paolo describes the five-year journey to uncover the business purpose, and the continuing efforts to put it to work, both inside the business and beyond.

Paolo began his career in ExxonMobil where he worked in several increasingly senior commercial and country leadership roles across Europe, Africa and India. In 2005, he joined SABMiller as Strategic Planning Director for Birra Peroni in Italy. Since then he has worked in a number of strategically important roles including Managing Director of SABMiller businesses in Slovakia, India, and the Czech Republic. Through the transition in ownership from SABMiller, through ABInbev and into Asahi, Paolo has led the business in Central Europe. Since April 2017, he has been the CEO of Asahi’s businesses across Europe and is current CEO of Asahi Europe & International (AEI) which today runs 19 production facilities across 8 European countries, while also developing and managing a number of key export markets globally. Paolo also serves as Vice-President of the Brewers of Europe.

Asahi Europe & International is the international branch of Asahi Group Holdings, a global beverage and food company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Japan. Building on centuries of European brewing heritage, the business runs 19 production facilities in 9 countries across Europe and North America and is the custodian of some of the best beer brands in the world, including Asahi Super Dry, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Grolsch and Kozel. Within the Asahi Group, the remit of Asahi Europe and International is also to develop and manage all export markets globally, outside of Japan and Oceania. Covering 90 markets and with over 10,000 passionate colleagues on board, through their shared purpose of Creating Meaningful Connections, the business is well positioned to inspire people around the world to drink better.

Paolo Lanzarotti

Purpose Drives an Ambitious Vision for the Tidal Thames

Most people underestimate the sheer size of the Port of London, the UK’s biggest and fastest-growing port. Its operations cover 95 miles of the River Thames from the North Sea to Teddington Lock. Thames Vision 2050 sets out the port’s path to net zero emissions, and includes ambitious economic, environmental and recreational goals for the tidal Thames.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist we talk to Robin Mortimer, CEO of the Port of London Authority, about how this impressive vision supports the PLA’s purpose, and how the authority plans to deliver it.

The PLA is responsible for promoting the safe and sustainable use of the tidal River Thames. Home to the UK’s biggest port and most diverse inland waterway, the Thames contributes over £6 billion annually to the UK economy and is enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.

Robin joined the Port of London Authority (PLA) as Chief Executive on 31 March 2014.  Prior to joining the PLA, Robin had 20 years experience in the UK civil service working on transport, environment, infrastructure and overseas development. He was Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and three Secretaries of State for Environment and Transport.  He was the lead author of the UK Climate Change Act, which became law in 2007 and as a Director in Defra led the Government’s Adapting to Climate Change programme, oversaw the creation of the Canal & River Trust and directed policy on farming and the environment.

Robin became Chair of Maritime UK in January 2023 and chairs Estuary Services Ltd. He is a Board Member of the UK Major Ports Group, the Thames Skills Academy, the Thames Freeport and the Thames Estuary Growth Board, a Non Executive Director at Red One Ltd and a Younger Brother at Trinity House.

Robin Mortimer

Igniting entrepreneurial growth

Founded in 2015, London-based Ignition Law is driven by a clear purpose: to be the law firm for start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs and the entrepreneurially spirited.

Since then, Ignition has grown to become a full-service law firm with 70 people, won multiple awards and achieved Certified B-Corporation status.

Founder and partner Alex McPherson explains how they did it, on this episode of The Purposeful Strategist.

Alex  founded Ignition Law in 2015 as a high-growth, full-service law firm dedicated to providing pragmatic and cost-effective legal services to start-ups, scale-ups, and entrepreneurial clients. With a focus on community-minded and ethical practices, Ignition Law has supported thousands of businesses, as well as leading business schools, universities, family offices, and investors.

Recently achieving B Corp certification, Ignition Law has solidified its reputation as a purpose-led law firm committed to positive social and environmental impact. The firm has earned widespread recognition, winning and being shortlisted for major industry awards, including The Lawyer Awards, Legal Business Awards, SME News, The Law Society Awards, Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards, LegalWeek Awards for Innovation, and The Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Alex graduated from Oxford University in 2003 and gained extensive legal experience at leading international law firms Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Hogan Lovells, where he also undertook client secondments at Tesco, ExxonMobil, and Goldman Sachs. He co-founded Ignition Financial, a corporate finance and tax boutique, and was shortlisted for the 2023 Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Beyond his work at Ignition, Alex is an Entrepreneurship Expert at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and serves on the Corporate Law Expert Panel of LexisNexis.

Alex McPherson

Purpose: Transform Domestic Electricity Use

What do you do when your business purpose requires your customers to change their behavior?

For Powervault, the London-based manufacturer of renewable energy storage systems, the answer is to use technology make the change not only easy, but financially rewarding.

Robin Stopford, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer explains Powervault’s approach in this episode of The Purposeful Strategist.

Powervault transform their customers’ energy usage, helping them lower their electricity bills and minimise their carbon footprint - with confidence. Since inception in 2014, Powervault has been at the forefront of energy storage technology.  Their high-quality, intelligent solar batteries are designed and manufactured in their UK factory.

Robin is the CEO of Powervault, a scaling clean tech company he joined in November 2023.  For the past 20 years Robin has led corporate development for both public and private equity-backed global industrial groups, including both strategy and M&A, latterly adding divisional leadership and turnaround to his roles.  Robin started his career at Rolls-Royce and Bain with a Wharton MBA.  Trained as a business coach Robin seeks to create an environment where people feel like valued members of a winning team on a worthwhile mission.

Robin Stopford