Is a stronger social enterprise sector the antidote to inequality?
9th Mar 2026
At last week’s annual Social Enterprise NI (SENI) conference, in Derry/Londonderry, a rare thing was in the air, inspiration and positivity. Nearly 150 business people from the public, private and social enterprise sectors were packed into the historic St Columb’s Hall in the heart of Derry to listen to speakers from across the UK who had built financially resilient businesses, leading to positive change for marginalised people in their local communities.
Like England’s Social Adventures who are solving the many challenges around foster care with intelligent investment in properties with extra bedrooms. Or the highly profitable Edinburgh Furniture Initiative who reinvest their profits back into finding solutions for homelessness across the city. Or a village in Wales who bought their local pub Ty’n Llan and transformed it into a beating heart of Welsh speaking community excellence.
SENI CEO Colin Jess comments, “Social Enterprise businesses generate profits which are then reinvested back into a predefined social purpose. In Northern Ireland, our social enterprises have created social impact by improving inclusivity, offering employment to those furthest from the labour market, improving health and well-being, even reducing waste and mitigating the effects of climate change. In this way, social enterprises are pioneers of a fairer, more equal, progressive society where everyone profits not just a few. Together, we can quite literally, change the world for the better.”
Jess continued, “We are so proud that NI’s social enterprise sector is recognised at ministerial level and the presence of Economy Minister, Dr Caoimhe Archibald at our annual conference underlined the respect that SENI has helped to build for the sector.”
Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald, spoke at the conference to outline her vision for the Social Enterprise sector in Northern Ireland.
“Looking ahead, my ambition is clear. I want a social enterprise sector that is confident and visible; Integrated into our economic system; Supported to scale and innovate and recognised for the economic value it creates, as well as the social impact it delivers.”
This positive outlook is a turnaround for the sector. Social enterprise has always been a poorly understood, vastly underestimated part of the NI economy. With a combined turnover of nearly £1billion, the sector employs 17,300 people across 12,225 businesses, making it even more surprising that so few people know what a social enterprise is or what social impact means.
Jess continued, “At this year’s conference we welcomed participants from England, Scotland and Wales. This sharing of stories across the nations is a smart way for
Westminster and its devolved governments to learn from each other’s progress. Time and time again we have proven that the Social Enterprise model is an ethical one and a refreshing change to corporate greed, power and corruption.”
Attending this year’s conference was Caroline McGuinness, founder of Repair & Share Foyle, “We had a brilliant time at the Social Enterprise NI conference in St Columb’s Hall, listening to inspiring journeys of social enterprises who started off with as much passion as we have. Days like this make us dream of the future.”
The new chair of SENI, Gavin Annon outlined the strategy for the coming years, “SENI has plans to grow, transform and enrich the social enterprise sector in Northern Ireland, creating an environment where businesses that dedicate their profits to community-led purposes is the norm.”
Addressing the crowd at the SENI conference, Annon continued, “I want to help open doors that have been closed to this sector, I want to help tell your story in rooms you’re not yet in. I want to make sure that when people talk about ‘value for money’ they understand that social value and economic value can and should go hand in hand.
