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MBA alumnus supports the most vulnerable and disadvantaged during current crisis

Image of MBA alumnus David Harrison

True Potential, the initial funders of the Centre for the Public Understanding of Finance (PUFin), has donated £200,000 to support vulnerable and disadvantaged people during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. MBA alumnus David Harrison is the chairman of the financial and technology firm which has its head office in Newcastle. 

Mr Harrison co-founded the national C-19 Business Pledge that mobilised more than 300 businesses, collectively employing three million people, with signatories including Sainsbury’s, BP, Coca-Cola, NatWest, Unilever and Experian. All committed to putting support in place for their vulnerable customers, employees and to help their local communities. He also created a virtual community on Facebook, ‘Un-Isolated Covid-19’, for isolated people to support each other with ideas, tips and advice which now has 10,000 followers across the UK.

True Potential’s 300 head office employees organised monthly activities such as sports days and competitions which were match funded by the firm. Donations went to hospices, charities supporting disabled and vulnerable young people, community groups providing emergency food parcels and the homelessness charity, The Big Issue. More than 14,000 food parcels were supplied directly to vulnerable people during lockdown through True Potential’s army of more than 4,000 financial advisers across the UK.

We were absolutely amazed when we heard that True Potential employees had raised enough to pay for a full day of clinical care at the Hospice. So you can only imagine how overwhelmed we were when we heard this was being matched to pay for another full day. We’re so lucky to have had businesses and individuals pay for a day of care in the past but never two days consecutively – never for a full weekend. For us this is magical. Our nurses work tirelessly 24 hours and seven days a week; their care doesn’t stop.

Laura McKenzie
St Cuthbert’s Hospice in County Durham

PUFin is one of several academic centres of excellence based in the OU Business School. Launched in late 2013, the Centre received generous backing from True Potential in a five-year programme of financial support totalling £1.4 million up to 2018. This aimed to improve the public understanding of personal finance through its research and the delivery of free modules.

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