Talking Heads Series with Cemal Ezel, Change Please
05 Feb 2025, 12:00
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Join us for our Talking Heads series, featuring inspiring leaders and social entrepreneurs who have successfully steered their enterprises through the complexities of the business and social sector.
Talking Heads with Cemal Ezel, Change Please
Recorded 5th February 2025
Talking Heads – Inspirational Speaker Series
Our Purchase Power speakers will share invaluable insights into their strategic journeys, operational challenges, decision-making processes, and the opportunities they have seized.
In this session, we are thrilled to welcome Cemal Ezel, Founder and CEO of Change Please, an award-winning social enterprise tackling homelessness through the power of social enterprise and great tasting coffee.
Cemal's mission is to alleviate homelessness by using the profits from their coffee company to support their foundation. This enables Change Please to provide barista training and offer homeless individuals the opportunity to gain employability and life skills.
Change Please collaborates with key corporate partners, including JP Morgan, David Lloyd Clubs, Virgin Atlantic, and HSBC, who support their training programmes and purchase their coffee. Join this session to learn how Cemal forged these partnerships and secured their support.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn from the experiences of visionary leaders and gain practical advice for your own leadership and business growth.
This session is most relevant for social enterprises and other third-sector organisations based in Scotland.
Find out more about the Purchase Power programme and apply to join our 2025 cohort here.
Our Speaker:
Cemal Ezel, Founder and CEO of Change Please
Cemal Ezel is the founder of Change Please a social enterprise initially supported by The Big Issue, and co-founder of The Old Spike Roastery.
100% of Change Please profits help people experiencing homelessness by training them to become baristas, supporting them with everything they need to turn their lives around - a living wage job, support with housing, therapy, bank account and onward employment opportunities. www.changeplease.org
Old Spike Roastery, is a coffee roastery, roasting speciality grade coffee for corporates, offices, coffee shops, events, and restaurants, we also train and provide housing for people who are homeless. www.oldspikeroastery.com
In a previous incarnation, Cemal focused on property development, commodity trading, and sales. Now, he offering free mentoring for organisations in these spaces who are looking to make a significant difference.
Our Host:
Rachael Arnold
Rachael is a seasoned leader in the creative industries and social enterprise sector with over twenty years of experience. She is the CEO of the Creative Entrepreneurs Club - a member-driven community designed to help creative people grow sustainable businesses in an authentic and empathic way.
Rachael was previously Chair of the Board for Youth Theatre Arts Scotland. She is experienced in supporting impact-led businesses and creative enterprises to flourish and grow.
Rachael's LinkedIn profile can be found here.