Former ACEVO chief Asheem Singh to head RSA Economy team

A leading activist and expert on social enterprises has taken over as the new Director of Economy at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

Asheem was appointed to lead the UK's largest charity and social enterprise chiefs' network ACEVO after serving as Director of Policy and Strategy. He previously worked for several leading think-tanks, including ResPublica. He has authored or edited more than twenty influential reports on subjects from welfare to housing, social change and economic justice. 

He is the author of the critically-acclaimed The moral marketplace: How mission-driven millennials and social entrepreneurs are changing our world (Policy Press, 2018), a book of stories from the cutting edges of global social enterprise and international development—and a how-to guide for citizens and consumers to come together to take on the biggest social challenges of our time. 

Major projects underway in the RSA Economy team include the Future Work Centre, which follows RSA chief executive Matthew Taylor’s employment review for the Prime Minister, and the Forum for Ethical AI, which is engaging the public on the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence.

Planned work for 2018-19 includes a review into the role of data rights in the new economy and major new strands of inquiry into spreading ownership, wealth and opportunity in post-Brexit Britain.

Asheem said:

“I’m delighted to join the RSA's world-class team—and to become part of the future of this august, 260-year old institution. The RSA's unique blend of big ideas and practical action has never been more needed than now, as we take on the great unknowns of 2019: Brexit and beyond. 

“From automation to AI; spreading growth to increasing productivity, smarter tax to unleashing entrepreneurship, the RSA Economy team will challenge conventional thinking on the issues that matter. In a time of grotesque wealth inequality and rising anger we will craft ambitious projects and pilots that deliver a true ownership economy—and work to rebuild our fractured system.”

Contact:

For more information on any of these projects, contact Ash Singleton, Head of Media and Communications, on ash.singleton@rsa.org.uk or 07887 422 789.

Asheem is available for interview and comment on issues around economic activism, equality, entrepreneurship and the third sector, contact him on asheem.singh@rsa.org.uk or 07842 062 017.

Notes:

The RSA is an independent charity whose mission is to enrich society through ideas and action.

The organisation is led by Matthew Taylor, who recently authored the Taylor Review into modern employment practices for the Prime Minister.

Our work covers a number of areas including the rise of the 'gig economy', robotics & automation; education & creative learning; and reforming public services to put communities in control.