Award-winning social enterprise CAN Mezzanine has appointed Gary Phillips as its first Head of Sales.
Award-winning social enterprise CAN Mezzanine – provider of office space for the Third Sector – has appointed Gary Phillips as its first Head of Sales.
This is a new post that has been created to develop new sales initiatives and increase occupancy at its newest building in East Road, London N1.
The post marks a new phase in the development of the original CAN Mezzanine model to provide high-quality, affordable office space for charities and social enterprises. Amongst the 120 customers currently renting office space in CAN Mezzanine’s three London buildings (charity ‘hubs’) are well-known organisations such as the Social Enterprise Coalition, the Charity Finance Directors Group, the British Youth Council and the Charity Bank, together with small charities employing less than 10 staff such as Magic Bus, Four Paws UK, MyHeartLog and newly-established victim support charity Who Cares?
The work will involve expanding CAN Mezzanine’s sales opportunities to a diverse Third Sector. A recent telephone survey of around 700 charities and social enterprises in London (conducted by CAN Mezzanine) revealed a segmented marketplace, from new start-ups to large established charities.
Needs ranged from organisations needing permanent office space for the whole team, to ones with staff working from home requiring an occasional London base, or those wanting stop-gap solutions such as ‘hot desks’ and a ‘virtual office’ facility.
Gary Phillips has over 30 years experience in sales, marketing and business development at a senior level, predominantly within the media and telecoms sectors, working for companies that included the Yell Group, Ntl and Cable & Wireless.
Commenting on his appointment he says: “What attracted me to the post was the opportunity to use my commercial experience to develop business opportunities within the Third Sector for an organisation like CAN that has ethical principles at its core. My parents’ involvement in the Salvation Army has shown me the real value that charities and social enterprises can bring to the communities that they work with.”
CAN Chief Executive Andrew Croft says: “We want to expand our social enterprise CAN Mezzanine and support the Third Sector to scale up and maximise its impact. Economic times are tough, but we have experienced an unprecedented demand for office space in our three London buildings. Having a Head of Sales on board will help to drive our business forward in new directions.”
Gary Phillips took up his post on 2 June 2010.
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