Social entrepreneur on a mission to create 10,000 jobs
- Call Britannia is a social enterprise which aims to create 10,000 jobs for the long term unemployed
- The business is backed by investment from Bridges Ventures, Big Issue Invest and the government
- Karen Darby previously founded Simply Switch and sold it to the Daily Mail for £22m
Serial social entrepreneur Karen Darby has secured £1m worth of investment to create a pioneering new call centre business that aims to lift 10,000 people out of long term unemployment.
The business woman, who sold energy price comparison service Simply Switch to the Daily Mail for £22m only four years after creating it, has launched social enterprise Call Britannia in Croydon.
The company aims to open 10 call centres across the UK during the next seven years in some of the UK's most economically-challenging areas. Darby has pledged to provide sustainable employment as well as a high quality service to customers.
The first six recruits, all previously long-term unemployed, have started on the business' training scheme, with a further 18 joining before the end of 2009.
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