Our 22nd March Luncheon

with Guest Speaker
Ron Simpson BEM
Public, Private and Social Enterprise Manager, Community Leader, Senior Manager and Volunteer

Ron Simpson has over 50 years of public, private and social enterprise management and leadership experience as a community leader, senior manager and volunteer. In Leicestershire, he is noted for being the very first in the county to achieve Investor in People status. In Rutland, he is known in business circles for being one of the first to achieve the national standard of ‘chartered manager’. His consultancy now specialises in business/community partnerships and neighbourhood governance issues.  

Ron retired in 2013 as Regional Chair of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) where he was given an Outstanding Contribution Award for his Institute work. In the same year, he retired as Treasurer of the (now) GMB Credit Union where he helped, over a five-year period, to turn a loss-making social enterprise into a profitable organisation paying a market-leading dividend. Ron is a Chartered Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Chartered Management Institute. Until 2010 he was also a voluntary sector representative on the East Midlands Regional Assembly. In 2007 Ron was elected Founding President of the newly created Rotary Club of Uppingham, the first in Rutland to admit women members. In 2011 he, together with his wife, Margaret Simpson BEM, was appointed as the Club’s very first Paul Harris Fellow. In April 2015 Ron’s work with the Uppingham community was recognised with an award from the High Sheriff of Rutland following a nomination from the Leader of Rutland County Council.

In June 2015 Ron was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Birthday Honours List. In October 2015 Ron was announced as the 2015 winner of the prestigious Rutland BIZ Club Award. At the inaugural East Midlands Women’s Awards in October 2017, Ron was awarded a lifetime achievement award for his work supporting women’s development. In May 2018 Ron was recognised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development for his exceptional 20-year service to human resources and people development. In October 2019 Ron was appointed Vice Chair of CPRE Rutland. In January 2020 Ron was appointed by CPRE Rutland to lead ‘Rutland 2036’ a major planning campaign to protect the countryside supported by contracted consultants and funded with regional and national grants from CPRE, the countryside charity. In July 2021 Ron was elected as Chair of CPRE Rutland, where he now leads with his fellow Trustees an exciting range of projects to support the countryside. Following several years working with the Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT) to develop an extensive network of defibrillators in the market town of Uppingham in Rutland, Ron was appointed as a charity Trustee in 2021. At the March 2023 AGM of CHT Ron was appointed its national Chair.

In addition, Ron is a creator and supporter, including trouble-shooter, of many clubs and organisation such as the Biz Club, during his career, pre and post official retirement he has formed and been part of many social and commercial enterprises, giving them a redefined purpose and direction.

As Chair of The Biz Club, I look forward to his thoughts about our club and what he believes our future should look like given the changes in society today.

Politics, Social Events, Fundraising, Networking

The Biz Club believes in private enterprise, individual freedom, localism in government, lower taxes, and effective regulation to the benefit of smaller businesses.

The Biz Club develops and encourages communication between politicians and business people, and gathers together like-minded people to lobby and work with politicians and other influential people.

Through events, it raises funds to pursue its objectives.  It provides networking opportunities for business owners and would-be owners with the object of increasing the profitable growth of the smaller business sector

Who Should Join?

Business managers, their advisor’s and anyone interested in promoting wealth creation.  The Biz Club is particularly concerned to support smaller private sector enterprises in their fight for survival and that continue to be the principal wealth job creators in the United Kingdom.

Anyone interested in changing the political landscape to promote the flourishing of small businesses functioning and their role in job creation.