Award-winning social enterprise On Purpose appoints four new Non-Executive Directors
On Purpose is a highly-regarded international social enterprise operating in London, Paris and Berlin. Its flagship Associate Programme focuses on identifying and developing people who will transform the economy. They target early- to mid-career professionals who are looking to change their trajectory and who want to tackle the most pressing issues of our time. Associates commit to a one-year full-time programme, combining two six-month paid work placements, half a day a week of training, and 1:1 mentoring and coaching.
On Purpose is currently going through a process of organisational change. As part of this, Society was approached for assistance with recruiting several additional Non-Executive Directors to strengthen its governance and broaden the skillset of its board.
Society worked closely with On Purpose's Founder, Tom Rippin, and the existing Board members to craft a search and attraction strategy that resulted in a staggering 188 applications. After an extensive assessment process - which included each candidate providing a written response to certain key questions, as well as in-depth interviews - four people were appointed: Stefan Cousquer, Kate Simpson, Rosalind Holley, and George Adelman.
Stefan Cousquer is a professor, executive team coach and organisational development consultant working at the intersection of strategy, leadership and sustainability. He is a highly experienced consultant with a background of senior leadership roles in businesses such as Accenture and BP and has held a chair role for Fabriq, a data analytics software company. His expertise is in facilitating organisational strategic change, and team and leadership development processes. He has a deep focus on working with complex living system challenges and regenerative practices. Stefan commented:
“My main excitement is because I really believe that On Purpose is tackling one of the greatest challenges of our time – developing an economy that works for all and operates within the means of our planet, without the injustices of today. I am also really excited to learn from others in the process and contribute to a growing community of system changers”.
Kate Simpson an international leadership development practitioner with specialisms in leadership for systems change and experiential learning methodologies. She has held a number of senior leadership roles including as CEO and now Chair of Wasafiri - a Kenya based systems change agency working at the intersect of peace, inclusion, climate and food systems transformation. She works with clients across the public, private and not for profit sectors and contributes to a variety of senior leadership development programmes including with The Forward Institute, The African Food Fellowship and The Cambridge University Institute for Leadership for Sustainability- amongst others. She is lead author of ‘Systemcraft –an applied approach to tackling our most complex problems and relentlessly interested in the question of “so how does change actually happen?’ Kate commented:
“Building a future where all people and planet thrive is the challenge of our generation and it’s going to take leadership - lots of it - everywhere - all the time. On Purpose has been at the forefront of developing the purpose driven leaders and leadership this future needs. I’m excited to be joining their board as a non-executive director, I’ll be bringing my experience in leadership development and of leading and growing a purpose based business to help them grow and strengthen their work and the leaders we all need".
Rosalind Holley is the Director of Communications and Marketing at B Lab UK, the home of the UK’s B Corp movement. She leads a team focused on building a community of engaged businesses, raising awareness of the B Corp Movement and influencing lasting change to the UK economy. Prior to that she spent seven years leading an award-winning communications team for UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs, where she was instrumental in finding, funding and supporting leaders with the potential to change our society and economy for the better. During her time at UnLtd she launched Purposely, a world-first tool to help early-stage businesses change their company articles to embed purpose, and the Growth Impact Fund, a potential £25m social investment fund tackling systemic barriers to social investment. In her early career she headed up communications at the tech-for-good fundraising platform JustGiving. Rosalind commented:
"I’m really energised to be joining On Purpose as non-executive director for this next chapter. It’s a brilliant organisation with an incredibly relevant mission if we’re to tackle the challenges facing business and society over the coming years. I enjoyed working through the selection process with Society - a fantastic B Corp agency who were responsive and knowledgeable in matching me with a great opportunity".
George Adelman is a strategic transformation leader with more than 15 years’ experience shaping high-impact initiatives that advance inclusive growth, strengthen civil society, and scale mission-driven innovation. His career spans strategy consulting, philanthropy, media, and institutional reform, giving him a rare ability to bridge sectors and translate complex challenges into clear, actionable solutions. George has worked closely with philanthropic, corporate, and technology partners to secure funding and build long-term collaborations that expand media capacity, promote inclusion, and support more accountable digital ecosystems. Alongside delivering major programmes, he has played a hands-on role in developing new opportunities, cultivating strategic relationships, and guiding partners toward shared outcomes. He is driven by a commitment to reimagining systems to be more equitable, transparent, and resilient. George is particularly interested in how leaders can navigate complexity with integrity, turn ambiguity into purpose-aligned action, and ground mission in measurable, lasting impact. He commented:
“I’m excited to join On Purpose because I believe in the power of purpose-led organisations to create systemic, long-term change. My experience working with and advising mission-driven organisations across non-profit, public and private sectors, has shown me how strong leadership can align commercial success with social impact”.
Speaking about Society's role in the appointment process, Stefan remarked:
The selection process felt robust and thought through. I got the sense that every interaction felt relational and that you cared.
Stefan Cousquer
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