IPSE Awards 2018

Posted on 28/06/2018 by James Collings

Thank you Lucy, but I can assure you and reassure the audience there’s absolutely no chance I’ll be doing any singing this evening!

 

Anthems though: anthems are all about pride. And for me, that’s been a big theme of today.  As I announced earlier, on the tenth of July I’ll be stepping down as chairman of IPSE and handing over to the brilliant Caroline Morgan.

I’ve been chair of IPSE for three years and in all that time I’ve not felt prouder than today.

National Freelancers Day is the biggest event in IPSE’s calendar.   And this year’s, I’m sure you’ll agree has been bigger and better than ever.

 

It takes me back to the first of these I hosted back in November 2015.  It was one of the most nerve-racking experiences of my life.   A capacity management consultant coming from the world of number crunching to speak in front of a full hall.  A crowd for whom I was probably just the last programme item standing between them and the stand-up routine.

 

No pressure, Lucy!

 

It was truly nerve-shredding though  and the crowd was a fraction of the size then.  Because NFD and the Freelancer of the Year Awards have come on in astonishing leaps and bounds in a way that could really stand for the whole organisation.

 

Like NFD and the awards, over the past three years I have seen IPSE truly blossom. In the past year in particular we have done more than ever to campaign for and support self-employment.

  • We’ve represented not only our members but all freelancers and self-employed people to government.
  • We played a major part in the landmark Taylor Review successfully pushed for a Small Business Commissioner to champion the self-employed and held our most successful policy conference yet.
  • In press and research, we’ve led the field too.  Just today, we and our think tank the CRSE launched two reports on pensions and the wellbeing of the self-employed.
  • We’ve also seen influential research on everything from Brexit to the diversity of self-employment.
  • In press, we’ve not only rebranded our magazine as “Modern Work” but also launched a new magazine “My Money” to support freelancers with their finances.
  • We’ve powered ahead in training and commercial as well getting new deals for our members with everyone from Wix to Hitachi.
  • Our university partners programme has also secured deals with four more universities to help support the freelancers of the future.

 

And what about the freelancers of today?  Well, IPSE’s membership has continued to grow over the last year reaching almost 74,000.  So we now support and represent more of the UK’s self-employed community than ever.

 

All-in-all, it’s an exciting time for IPSE and the self-employed community.
Never before has this way of working been so prominent in the public consciousness.
Never before has IPSE been able to do so much for its members and all self-employed people.
And never before have we had such influence in government and beyond.

 

In fact, as we announced earlier today our influence and importance are now so great that we’re even expanding overseas, with IPSE USA.

If that’s not cause for anthemic pride  I don’t know what is.

 

That’s also what this evening is about celebrating the success not only of the UK’s best and brightest freelancers but also of the organisation that represents them: IPSE.

So let me now just take a moment to thank the sponsors who helped make National Freelancers Day and the Freelancer of the Year Awards possible.

Firstly, can we please have a big round of applause for our headline sponsor, Aon.
And can you also please put your hands together for the sponsor of the Freelancer Showcase, the Hoxby Collective!
And for another of today’s key sponsors, CMME!
And for our two track sponsors Close Brothers and AXA PPP Healthcare!
And finally for the sponsor of that all-important drinks reception later Sherpa!
Our sponsors have all helped make National Freelancers Day and the awards this evening truly spectacular.

 

Looking around tonight at our stunning venue the enormous audience we’ve drawn and the bright stars of freelancing we’ve gathered I feel immense pride.
Pride in how far we’ve come.
Pride in our plans for the future.
Pride in IPSE and all we mean to the self-employed across the UK and beyond.

And that is me, over and out.           Thank you.

 

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National Freelancers' Day 2018

Posted on 28/06/2018 by James Collings

IPSE-USA:  What an amazing piece of news!  Not something I could have imagined even three years ago when I first became Chairman.  And what an amazing legacy to leave.

 

Because, ladies and gentlemen, not to overload you with IPSE news today, but I have my own small announcement to make.  On the tenth of July, after three years, I’ll be stepping down as Chairman of IPSE.  I’ll be handing over to the brilliant Caroline Morgan, a project manager and business analyst, with a wealth of experience in the private and public sector.  She has been a member of our board for four years and also heads up our Women in Freelancing Network.

And I have every confidence she will not only keep this ship steady but also sail it to exciting new waters.  Not least across the Atlantic!

 

That’s the truly wonderful thing about being Chair of IPSE. The work you do may not always be right in the public eye. More often than not you’re keeping things steady behind the scenes.  But from there you can look out on the stage and see this amazing organisation grow and grow.

 

Since I first got involved in IPSE’s governance I’ve seen National Freelancers Day grow from a simple evening affair to a national extravaganza in this stunning venue.  I’ve seen IPSE expand from just a campaigning body to a life support system for our members.  And I’ve seen us grow from the voice of UK self-employment to an international force to be reckoned with.  And you know the most amazing thing about it?

I’ve been able to get involved in running all this just from being an average member – a jobbing freelancer. There aren’t many organisations out there where an average member could rise up to all that.

  • Could have the chance to represent the views of freelancers to government ministers.
  • Could debate policy and strategy with top civil servants.
  • Could even be invited to speak at a seminar on self-employment in Washington DC.

And when it gets to the eleventh of July when I formally step down I’ll go back to being just what I was again an average member.

When I do though, I’ll know two things.

  • First, like all our other members I’ll know that IPSE’s got my back.  I’ll know that if I’m ill or called up for jury service it’s got me covered.  I’ll know that through IPSE Advantages it’s getting the best deals for me. And I’ll know that it’s standing up for me in government and industry.
  • Second, I’ll know that along with all the opportunities this post has given me I’ve also been able to hand on an IPSE which I hope you’ll agree is bigger and better than it was three years ago.

 

I was asked by a member recently coming to the end of my term did I have any regrets?  Would I be writing down a lamentable list of things I wished I’d done differently?

Well, not really, no.

 

To channel old blue eyes: regrets? I’ve had a…. well actually, I don’t think I have any.  I can honestly say that in three years I have no lasting regrets.  No things I wish I’d done differently.    (Because, after all, I did them my way!)

But it really has been a pleasure and a privilege to chair an organisation like IPSE.   And in my time here, I’ve done my best to do justice to that.  And I’m certain that in three years’ time when this amazing organisation has gone on to even greater things Caroline will be able to say exactly the same at an even bigger and better National Freelancers Day in goodness knows what spectacular venue.

And I hope to see you all there.
Thank you.

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IPSE Policy Conference 2018

Posted on 25/04/2018 by James Collings

Firstly, thank you all for joining us today for IPSE and Demos’ policy conference, ‘Modern Working: the Age of Self-Employment’.

I’m James Collings, Chairman of IPSE, which stands for the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed.

It’s also the Latin term for ‘him- or herself’. A Latin pun – how’s that for first thing on a Wednesday morning?

But now… the conference we have put together comes at a momentous time not just for the self-employed but for the country.

As we will hear from two of the best-known speakers on the matter – Iain Duncan Smith and Vince Cable – the ongoing Brexit negotiations will decide the fate of our economy for many years to come.

Today we’ll be discussing the future of the people who underpin that economy: our workforce.

In the last few years, one group has helped change the UK workforce almost beyond recognition.

Embedded in industries across the country, they are our 4.8 million self-employed.

They work in all parts of our economy. They could be your doctor, the person designing your website and, yes, even the rider delivering your dinner.

Their rise to prominence has been nothing less than a revolution.

And the purpose of our conference is to examine the effects and future of that revolution.

To that end, at IPSE we have been working with Demos over the last weeks and months to gather some of the leading thinkers on this subject from right across the worlds of business and politics.

Today is the culmination of that: when we can bring together everyone from ministers and academics to business managers and entrepreneurs to develop exciting, innovative ideas for the future of work.

In particular, IPSE is very honoured to have the Chief Secretary to the Cabinet, Elizabeth Truss, join us today, who will present her keynote address, ‘Power to the People’.

IPSE has been very pleased, Minister, by the positive work the Government is doing on self-employment, particularly clamping down on the blight of late payments, and consulting on making training tax-free for the self-employed.

But, as the report we’ve done with Demos demonstrates, more still needs to be done.

As you’ll hear in many speeches and expert panel discussions throughout the day, self-employment is changing the shape of work in the UK.

It is changing the way young people look at work, it is giving older people the opportunity to earn extra income much later into their lives, and it is helping mothers to return to the workforce how and when they want.

Self-employment is giving people across the country the flexibility to live better, more balanced lives.

That’s why, as this conference will show, policymakers and business leaders must give this vital sector the support it needs.

To make working for yourself… work for the country.

 

Now, before we get the conference into full swing, I would like to particularly thank our sponsors Uber and Travers Smith for making all this possible.

And now, without further ado, as Chairman of IPSE, it is my great pleasure to officially open our policy conference, ‘Modern Working: the Age of Self-Employment’.

Thank you and enjoy the day!

Watch the video of the day here: https://youtu.be/Y_HsJR_tGQg

 

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