Index names 2014 regional leaders in Social Economy and Growth
Aidem Digital, a Birmingham based Community Interest Company (CIC) has been recognised as a leading social enterprise in this year’s RBS SE100 annual snapshot of 2014, with an incredible growth percentage of 173%.
The RBS SE100 Index is an online listing of social ventures, ranked and scored according to their growth and social impact. The live market intelligence platform is designed to provide a substantial data resource for investors, commissioners and policymakers as they seek to understand the landscape of the social economy and identify top performers across the UK.
In the annual data snapshot for 2014, registered social enterprises in the West Midlands show an average growth of 50% and a total combined turnover of £1.2 billion. The West Midlands accounts for 6% of the total registered Index users, with 70 social enterprises on the Index in the region.
Aidem Digital offers a range of services, from web design, mobile apps, photography, video and graphic design, the organisation specialised in developing and deploying digital media projects with social purpose. Having started online British Asian lifestyle magazine DESIBlitz in 2008, Director Inderjit Deol found himself overwhelmed with volunteers and commercial interest, from which he went on to found Aidem Digital in 2010.
Established as a CIC from the start, Aidem Digital has experienced significant growth, and continues to attract large numbers of young volunteers who receive training and coaching to support themselves into full time work with the company or provide them the skills to gain employment elsewhere.
Director Inderjit Deol said of the company’s recent growth, “Aidem Digital will always keep social impact at the heart of what we do. We started our online magazine when we identified a lack of media and information available for the British Asian community. Now, our agency has a very good understanding of the language and culture of ethnic minorities in the UK and has found this is a major asset to anyone looking for digital strategy support within these communities as well as outside of them.
“The young people who come up through the ranks start out volunteering in an area of interest to them, whether it be online journalism, photography, or graphic design. So this is where our impact comes from- in part through media skills development but also through addressing issues relating to ethnic minorities.”
Over the past 5 years, the average growth of enterprises across the Index has been 45%. The RBS SE100 Index data set is made up of the 1,1,57 social enterprises with profiles on se100.net, all of which have at least two years worth of financial data, including turnover and profit loss figures.
Eric Munro, Director of Community Banking, RBS, said, “RBS has been supporting businesses set up to solve social problems for many years. The RBS SE100 Index and the annual snapshots in particular allow us to recognise the successes of new ventures, track growth and progress of Index users over the past year, as well as provide a wider view of the social enterprise landscape as a whole. As it enters its 6th year, the RBS SE100 index remains a vital source of information for a growing number of businesses and a key initiative in our commitment to the success of the social enterprise sector.”
