User:Rainbow of Strangford/John Heaslip

John Heaslip

Current Position Chief Executive, Business in the Community, Northern Ireland

In the early 1980s as Managing Director of Coogan and Watts Ltd John led the company though a period of dramatic growth during which time he built up a majority equity. By 1986 the company had become the largest packaging merchant in the Province. Munster Simms Group made a successful bid for the entire shareholding which committed John to one years consultancy after which he took a two year sabbatical, spent sailing and travelling.

In 1990 John was recruited to lead and develop a new organisation in Northern Ireland, Business in the Community. During the last 15 years Business in the Community has grown significantly and today has more than 250 member companies with 50 staff working across campaigns focussing on Economic Development, Education, Environment, Equal Opportunities and Employee Involvement. 500 of Northern Ireland’s most senior business people have participated in Seeing is Believing” programmes exposing them to some of the key social issues that face the Northern Ireland Community. The results have led to a new interest in Corporate Citizenship with a dramatic increase in the number of business people playing a leadership role in the community. Last year alone Business in the Community brokered over 50,000 hours of pro-bono consultancy to support regeneration activity.

Business in the Community Northern Ireland has received both national and regional recognition for quality. In 1997 Business in the Community Northern Ireland was the first organisation in the Province to achieve the Investors in People Standard which has now been reaccredited four times. More recently Business in the Community was awarded the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), Mark of Excellence and in January 2004 the organisation was honoured with the first EFQM Prize to be presented to any organisation in Northern Ireland.

On a personal level, John has been awarded the USIA Fellowship to study entrepreneurship and corporate community investment in the United States and invited to Ashridge Management College as a visiting lecturer. John also lectures on corporate social responsibility on the MBA programs at both Queen’s University and University of Ulster.

John is a director of Ashens Developments and FFB Information Services Ltd. He was invited to be non-executive chair of Z-Rock FM a consortium formed to bid for the new Northern Ireland commercial radio licence. John also holds a number of directorships within not for profit organisations, is on the Northern Ireland advisory board of Marie Curie and Tear Fund and serves as a Governor for Oakwood Special Needs School. Through various charitable activities John has raised more than £100,000 for good causes over the last few years. John was awarded an LVO in the 2006 New Year Honours.

John is married to Vera and has two children Michael and Cara.