SOCIAL IMPACT
Breakthrough's R&D activity helped Susie to finance her social purpose projects. She had no need to do this but used profits from the company that would normally go to her as the 100% shareholder, to support her clients and partners instead.
Her projects help them to get other funding, publicity or new business through her networks, awards, magazines, radio shows or partnership programmes. Susie and the company take no remuneration for this, but just see it as their social purpose which is wrapped around the core aim of getting back R&D tax benefit.
Concentrating on social impact doesn’t just mean helping their clients though. Susie pledged that they should also be a responsible corporate citizen:
- They gained the Planet Mark to ensure their environmental impact is kept to a minimum.
- They were an ethical buyer, using local suppliers where possible and paying 95% of creditors before, or on, their due date.
- They participated in the sharing economy by allowing other social enterprises and charities to use their facilities free of charge where practicable.
- They offered free training on R&D tax relief to spread the net of R&D claimants as wide as possible, even if that meant not doing the work themselves.
OTHER CHARITABLE WORK
The whole team have seen first hand that their ability to help clients secure R&D money creates new jobs, eases cashflow, allows business owners to be less worried about paying the wage bill each month, afford that piece of machinery they so desperately need etc but that’s not enough for Susie. She also spends much of her free time supporting other initiatives close to her heart.
In 2017 Susie wrote and published FoodTech UK to make a case for the UK as the centre for foodtech innovation and to attract inward investment. She set up the FoodTech Group within the highly respected Tech London Advocates volunteer organisation. She is currently working with the following in a voluntary capacity . . .
In 2017 Susie wrote and published FoodTech UK to make a case for the UK as the centre for foodtech innovation and to attract inward investment. She set up the FoodTech Group within the highly respected Tech London Advocates volunteer organisation. She is currently working with the following in a voluntary capacity . . .
• Director and Chair of Locate in Kent, the county's official investment agency for companies looking to expand or relocate to Kent.
• Director and Chair of Produced in Kent, to support small food producers and growers through COVID-19 and to promote local food and drink.
• A Kent Ambassador, to promote all things Kent and to support local communities and business people in the county.
• Deputy Lieutenant of Kent to support the Lord Lieutenant in her role as the official representative of His Majesty The King in Kent.
• Member of The Kent and Medway Investment Advisory Board offering grant, public loan or equity assistance to businesses in Kent, Medway and Thurrock
• Member of The Good Food Fund investment committee, working with Guys and St. Thomas’ Charity to fund innovative food businesses to reduce childhood obesity
• Member of Angels@Essex Investment Panel (University of Essex Business Angel network
• Director and Chair of Produced in Kent .
• Shareholder and board advisor to ForwardFooding (foodtech data experts and publishers of the annual world FoodTech500).
• Board advisor to FoodSquared (developers of alternative proteins).
• Official Ambassador for Mercato Metropolitano, London's first sustainable community market and advocates for ethical food production.
• Founder and CEO of the FoodTalk Group which owns the weekly podcast The FoodTalk Show and the TechTalk and ArtTalk gallery brands.
In addition, in 2016 Susie set up Breakthrough Women with Deborah Turner, a biannual event for businesswomen.
• Director and Chair of Produced in Kent, to support small food producers and growers through COVID-19 and to promote local food and drink.
• A Kent Ambassador, to promote all things Kent and to support local communities and business people in the county.
• Deputy Lieutenant of Kent to support the Lord Lieutenant in her role as the official representative of His Majesty The King in Kent.
• Member of The Kent and Medway Investment Advisory Board offering grant, public loan or equity assistance to businesses in Kent, Medway and Thurrock
• Member of The Good Food Fund investment committee, working with Guys and St. Thomas’ Charity to fund innovative food businesses to reduce childhood obesity
• Member of Angels@Essex Investment Panel (University of Essex Business Angel network
• Director and Chair of Produced in Kent .
• Shareholder and board advisor to ForwardFooding (foodtech data experts and publishers of the annual world FoodTech500).
• Board advisor to FoodSquared (developers of alternative proteins).
• Official Ambassador for Mercato Metropolitano, London's first sustainable community market and advocates for ethical food production.
• Founder and CEO of the FoodTalk Group which owns the weekly podcast The FoodTalk Show and the TechTalk and ArtTalk gallery brands.
In addition, in 2016 Susie set up Breakthrough Women with Deborah Turner, a biannual event for businesswomen.