Entrepreneurs and CEOs volunteer with All Together mentoring
Some of the most successful names in business have banded together to offer free CEO to CEO mentoring, coaching and advice for companies in the UK and Ireland affected by the Covid-19 crisis. The All Together mentoring initiative has drawn a top-level team of 100 well known, cross-sector CEOs, chair-people and investors all offering their help, expertise and an empathetic ear on a voluntary basis.
From the founders of Innocent Drinks and Graze to the CEOs of White Stuff, Flying Tiger, Gaucho and Aver PR, All Together’s advisers are drawn from fields including tech, retail, hospitality and the creative industries, engineering, manufacturing and business services. All Together’s advisers aim to help their paired businesses through the current crisis so they emerge stronger and fitter at the end of it – with the initiative open to chief executives and owners of SMEs with annual revenues of between £2m and £100m.
The All Together task force is spearheaded by Jamie Mitchell, Chairman of Rare Restaurants and former MD of Innocent Drinks, among the dozens of household brands he has headed up in his 20 year career. "These are extraordinary times, for society and for our business communities,” said Mitchell.
“CEOs and business owners today are making critical decisions that will determine not only their ability to survive this crisis, but the sort of business they will be once the economy starts to recover. That’s the most useful conversation right now. People are constantly adjusting their plans – how can we use this time to build things and come out stronger?”
Independent tech consultancy Bright Blue is among the 100 companies and rising which have already found invaluable help through All Together mentoring. CEO Michael Cross was paired with Tobin Ireland, special industry adviser to the World Health Organisation and cofounder of Smartpipe. Cross commented: “Tobin has been fantastic in helping us pivot our business to service clients through and out of the crisis through focussing on quick and frequent analytics. He has also made several introductions which will help both in the short and long term. I really look forward to carrying on working with him and All Together in shaping our business out of the current situation.”
The idea for All Together was already germinating before the UK coronavirus lockdown began in earnest. Jamie Mitchell had started working mainly from home with more time on his hands than usual. Having already supported on the board of Gaucho restaurants for a year, he felt he had some wisdom to offer the next generation of entrepreneurs. He went through his contacts and set to, knowing there were other business leaders out there with time to spare, as well as the wisdom of experience. Six days in he had a website up and running, launched on LinkedIn.
Now in its third week of operation, 100 former and current bosses have signed up as advisers for All Together, currently mentoring 100 businesses - although Mitchell believes they have the capacity to help up to 200.
“Our advisers all know what it’s like to run a business and most are still working so they know exactly how difficult and beyond upsetting this crisis is. All Together is not about the specifics of the laws on furloughing – it’s more about how do you take tough decisions: being a CEO is lonely at the best of times, so having someone external who you can talk things through with is important.”
To find out more about All Together, the team of volunteer advisers, to request mentoring help or if you feel you can volunteer as an adviser, visit http://www.alltogether.company/
ENDS
Notes to Editors: All Together was created by a group of friends and business leaders who wanted to help. They are offering free and confidential advice and support to founders, CEOs and business owners of UK and Ireland SMEs facing the toughest decisions of their careers.
Each business is paired with a sector-appropriate adviser, with All Together mentors offering:
· Triage: the immediate aim is to support businesses in need of urgent advice as the Covid-19 crisis unfolds. Many mentors are already working with their own businesses or others on their crisis planning and can bring a fresh perspective.
· Strategy and Planning: All Together believes this crisis offers a moment for introspection and review and mentors are offering support to businesses as they assess their strategies and plan for the medium to longer-term.
· Coaching: All Together’s mentors have all led businesses similar to those they aim to help. They know how lonely it can be at the top and how valuable it is to have a sounding board, to talk through the everyday.
Contact:
All Together: Gussy Hydleman – gussyhydleman@gmail.com
Aver: Nick Thornton – nickthornton@averpr.com