Social enterprise body names next chair

Social Enterprise Scotland has appointed Douglas Westwater as its next chair.

The chief executive of Community Enterprise for the last 15 years joins the social enterprise body, which supports not for profit organisations in Scotland, this month.

“Having been a supporter since its inception, it is a real privilege to be selected to serve as chair,” said Westwater.

“Social Enterprise Scotland and the broader social enterprise sector in Scotland is at a time of severe change and unique challenges and it will be exciting to be part of the movement that is working towards a positive future.”

Latest figures released by the social enterprise body this month show there are more than 6,000 social enterprises in Scotland, employing nearly 90,000 people. This adds £2.63bn to the Scottish economy, according to Social Enterprise Scotland.

Seven out of ten social enterprises in Scotland are led by women, Social Enterprise Scotland’s latest census has revealed.



Social Enterprise Scotland chief executive Chris Martin added: “We are delighted to welcome Douglas to the organisation and are thoroughly looking forward to working with him.

“Last year was a time of significant change, and growth, for Social Enterprise Scotland and we know he will be a great asset to the organisation and strongly believe that his skills and experience will enable him to guide the board for the journey ahead of us.”

Westwater replaces Shona Sinclair, managing director of SKS Scotland community interest company who left the role in November last year after four years.

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


Charity Times video Q&A: In conversation with Hilda Hayo, CEO of Dementia UK
Charity Times editor, Lauren Weymouth, is joined by Dementia UK CEO, Hilda Hayo to discuss why the charity receives such high workplace satisfaction results, what a positive working culture looks like and the importance of lived experience among staff. The pair talk about challenges facing the charity, the impact felt by the pandemic and how it's striving to overcome obstacles and continue to be a highly impactful organisation for anybody affected by dementia.
Charity Times Awards 2023

Mitigating risk and reducing claims
The cost-of-living crisis is impacting charities in a number of ways, including the risks they take. Endsleigh Insurance’s* senior risk management consultant Scott Crichton joins Charity Times to discuss the ramifications of prioritising certain types of risk over others, the financial implications risk can have if not managed properly, and tips for charities to help manage those risks.

* Coming soon… Howden, the new name for Endsleigh.