Mike Kelly, European Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, KPMG Europe LLP

Mike attended one of the first Common Purpose programmes in 1991 and says of the experience: 

“It opened my eyes to the inter-connectivity of the world around me. The links between the third sector, government and business were all hard wired but ignored by people who didn’t realize they were there.”

He says the programme helped him understand the value of networks especially the importance of building new and diverse networks: “Apart from the fact that it is impossible to run a successful business function without taking other stakeholders into account, it made me aware of the rich source of support and assistance available outside my own immediate network.”

He also gained a new network through the long-lasting relationships that he developed with other participants on the programme: “We remain in touch with each other 17 years on – which is a real testament to the power in which the programme created shared futures.”

One of the biggest impacts of the programme on Mike was that he now takes a broader range of views into account which have had an impact on business activity.

Specifically, he says that it helped him calculate risk better: “The risk taking is still there but now it is informed risk. The programme allowed me to understand risk better because it helped me understand people better.”

Mike applies this calculation when it comes to doing a Common Purpose programme: “Time is the biggest cost – but the risks of not being part of the great city in which you live and work is far greater.”