Claire Dove

Claire Dove MBE, DL has been a key player in the social enterprise movement since the early 1980s. She is the CEO of Blackburne House Group, a Liverpool-based social enterprise that provides career opportunities for women in non-traditional sectors such as construction and IT. She is also one of England's Social Enterprise Ambassadors.  Ms. Dove was appointed as chair of the Coalition in December 2007 after Baroness Glenys Thornton stepped down from the position.

She has been extremely active in shaping the strategic direction of social enterprise policy at a national level since the inception of the Coalition and was a board member for over a year before becoming chair.

Ms Dove's entrepreneurial skills have helped Blackburne House grow into an award-winning and extremely successful business with social aims. It not only helps disadvantaged women into work but is self sufficient thanks to its flourishing conference facility, café, nursery, health club and design consultancy, all of which run on a profit.

Upon her appointment Ms. Dove said: "In the 1980's I used social enterprise to help break the barriers to women accessing careers in male dominated markets. Now I want to use those skills to help social enterprises gain the access they deserve to all markets - and close the current gap between political rhetoric and the reality on the ground."