In the third of a series of interviews with social enterprise professionals, Ann Walker, one of this year's On Purpose Associates talks to Damian Peat, operational director and financial controller of Terra Plana and sister firm VIVOBAREFOOT, two of Britain's leading ethical shoe brands.
How did you get to where you are now?
I never really knew what I wanted to do, and for that reason I never went to university. I worked in performing arts, finance, television, then advertising. I found the ad agency utterly soulless so walked out of that last job, feeling quite proud of myself until I realised I had no income to pay my bills.
I checked in with Galahad and Asher Clark, lifelong friends from Devon who are the managing director and head of design at Terra Plana and VIVOBAREFOOT, to see what they were up to. Their company was really appealing to me because it was green and dedicated to sustainable design, and I loved my VIVOBAREFOOT shoes that I'd already bought at one of their retail stores. I was offered a sales assistant role and quickly learned a lot about the company, the brand, and the customer. Over the years I have moved from one role to the next – from a brand manager, to marketing, to sales, and now I'm both operational director and financial controller.
Why is being a socially responsible business important to you and your organisation?
Caring about and respecting the environment and people has always been a part of who I am. I was born in a hippie commune, and the values of that lifestyle were instilled in me from a very young age. I've always been one of those people to nag others to do things in a better way – whether it's recycling or buying unleaded petrol. Green and ethical issues have always been central to my moral code.
These same values are central to our organisation. Terra Plana literally means harmony between inside and outside living, and our shoes have always been made in an as eco-friendly manner as possible. Over time the company has become just as concerned about health issues, and our focus has shifted from the wider environment to individuals' health within the environment. We still have at our core green and sustainability concerns so strive to design sustainable shoes produced in a sustainable way.
What does your job involve?
My role involves a little bit of everything because I control the finances and manage operations across the whole group. My job ends up being a very HR-related role because I work closely with all people across all departments of the company.
What is the most difficult or rewarding part of your job?
The most difficult part of my job is balancing everything I'm responsible for. It all comes down to time management and not letting anything slip.
The most rewarding part of my job is when I get the chance to take a step back and look at what we do from someone else's perspective- when I get feedback that what we're doing is out of this world, and that what we're sitting on has the potential to be huge. It's when I'm able to escape the bubble of day-to-day work that I say to myself, 'wow. This is cool.'
What do you see the social enterprise movement being in five years time?
It's a given that big business is profit-driven, but in the future corporates will need to also be driven by social, environmental, and health motives. Corporations will be moving into the social enterprise space and fulfilling some of their current missions, which could be great because they have the volume and scale to make a massive difference even with small-scale changes. Social enterprises will always be necessary, though, because corporations will only ever go as far as they need to - there will always be something beyond what is currently being done by big business.
And where do you see yourself at that point?
I'd like to be leading the types of social projects, often with social enterprises, that Terra Plana has always wanted to do - projects in the community that allow our staff to create change in whatever areas they're interested in. It could be hanging out with underprivileged kids and teaching them running techniques, or something completely unrelated to shoes and running. I'd love the company to have the muscle and the finance to be able to do more of this.
Ann Walker is a 2011 On Purpose Associate
On Purpose is a leadership programme that helps high-calibre professionals kick-start a career in social enterprise; it combines paid work experience with intensive training and support. Applications for the 2012 Associate intake are open now.
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