Arden Strategies Launches Social Value Practice and Network

This week, we are launching our new Social Value practice and Network. 

Led by Arden’s Managing Director of Social Value, Faz Hakim, the new business practice will provide its clients with expert analysis of social value initiatives, showcase best practise and provide strategic support for political engagement, helping them to thrive under new government legislation. 

Having recently joined Arden Strategies, Faz is uniting her expert stakeholder management and CSR experience to support businesses on social value and to broaden their engagement.  

Faz headed the team that managed the Labour frontbench before the 1997 election and established the Labour Party’s first-ever Business Relations Unit. She went on to be Tony Blair’s Assistant Political Secretary at 10 Downing Street from 1997 to 2000.  

Faz also supported Sir Trevor Phillips at the Commission for Racial Equality and at the Equality and Human Rights Commission. She most recently served as Head of Public Affairs and CSR at Govia Thameslink Railway. 

Commenting on the launch, Managing Director of Social Value at Arden Strategies, Faz said:  

“It’s important that businesses understand the renewed emphasis on social value in the UK’s public-service tendering process. And, under a Labour government, it is even more relevant than before, being linked directly to their mission-led approach.  

“Social value is a broad – and often less well understood – responsibility of businesses. Whilst this has previously included initiatives on skills development, supply chain resilience and environmental issues, the new National Procurement Policy Statement published in February covers a broader set of practices to support the Government’s missions.  

“These can include fair work practices to support the Government’s growth mission, involvement of communities in the design of services, building community integration, supporting crime reduction or assisting the NHS-focused mission through increasing productivity through wellbeing.  

“How to establish, grow and communicate these initiatives is what we’ll use the collective years of experience within our team to help businesses with – whatever stage of the process they find themselves at. Arden Strategies already has exciting initiatives planned with clients in the coming months and we encourage people to get in touch to learn about how we can support them.”