Position: Commercial Director
Brian Bell has substantial first hand experience of helping
disadvantaged people into work and this has motivated him to pursue
a career which has enabled him to influence the national agenda in
this field and be a leader in the practical delivery of initiatives
and programmes aimed at securing greater social inclusion.
Brian was appointed Commercial Director of
Working Links in March 2010 and is a member of the Executive Board.
His personal remit is to ensure the business is positioned to take
advantage of growth opportunities within the UK welfare to work
space and internationally, and to continue to diversify the
business into new markets, such as Skills and Offender Management.
He joined Working Links in April 2000 and was one of its
original founders. He started as a director in the North East,
taking the business there from start-up to a £25 million
unit. In 2008 he became Chief Operating Officer and led the
operation through an enormous growth phase including, critically,
the introduction of Flexible New Deal, together with the initial
diversification projects into Skills and Home Affairs.
Brian spent his early career with Jobcentre
Plus and so has considerable experience within the welfare to work
market. Whilst working with Jobcentre Plus, Brian completed his MBA
at Newcastle Business School, specialising in services for
unemployed people. Outside work, Brian is a governor of Northern
Counties College which provides education programmes for adults
with complex disabilities.