Richard Kennedy is cofounder and director of Cornerstone Place, a certified social enterprise that creates ethical and sustainable social housing.
Richard is a multi-award-winning social entrepreneur; his co-founder David Ball is a seasoned property professional; together, they founded Cornerstone Place to put the power of business models to use to create genuine social change.
More usual business models run on shareholder primacy, whereby a company’s duty is to maximise financial returns for its shareholders. Cornerstone Place runs on social primacy – their self-defined duty is to maximise social returns for people in need of housing. And they do that by putting property assets into the hands of the impact makers – local authorities, charities – in frameworks where absolutely all of the profits are ploughed back into the organisation, amplifying its social impact.
The result on the ground is homes for people who had none; healthy homes for people who were previously living with damp, or with low natural light, or so little insulation that heating wasn’t an option; professionals to support the newly housed etc.
Listen now to hear Richard Kennedy’s enthusiasm as he talks about Cornerstone Place.
And read Richard’s “Letter to the Future” here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/letter-future-richard-kennedy-dc5of/
Vanessa C. Stone
