One of the UK’s most successful social and philanthropic entrepreneurs, Emma Harrison CBE has spent 21 years in business, helping individuals in disadvantaged situations find work and rediscover their ambition and motivation.  As Founder, Chairman and Owner of A4e she has transformed the business from a Sheffield based training company to the current global leader in social and welfare reform.

Emma created A4e with the aim to ‘improve people’s lives'.  A4e has now  helped over 1 million people back in to work and operates in 11 countries, employs over 3,300 staff and has a turnover close to £200million.

In 2002 Emma was asked to be the Chairman of the North and for the Regions Full Stop Appeal Fundraising Board, this board would be responsible for raising fund toward the £250 million Full Stop Appeal on behalf of the NSPCC.

In 2010 Emma became a Trustee of the Eden Project, an environmental charity in the UK.

Emma’s latest endeavour has seen her appointed as David Cameron’s ‘Family Champion’ in December 2010. She is volunteering her time to spearhead the ‘Working Families Everywhere’ campaign, which aims to help more than 100,000 unemployed families working within five years.

A committed supporter of the third sector, she founded the Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI) a charity which assists small charities in the UK to increase their knowledge to make them more effective and ultimately self-sustaining and it does all of this without cost to the small charities it supports.