Anwar Ali, Upturn: Championing social enterprise for a better future

Anwar Ali, OBE,  a social entrepreneur from Greater Manchester, UK, has dedicated over two decades to driving change through his social enterprise, Upturn. Transitioning from the private sector, he was an early adopter of the social enterprise model, believing that business should be about more than just profit—it should create meaningful impact. As he joins SEWF’s Social Investment Working Group, we spoke to Anwar about his roots, work at Upturn and the future he envisions for the social enterprise movement.

You can hear more from Anwar by watching the full conversation in the SEWF Video library.

Q: Could you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your work?

My name is Anwar Ali. I’m a social entrepreneur based in Greater Manchester, particularly Oldham. I’ve been running Upturn Enterprise Limited for over two decades. My background is in the private sector—I worked for PLC companies and in IT before transitioning into social enterprise in 2001 when the model first emerged.

Back then, people asked why I was doing it, why I was giving money away, but I’ve always believed money isn’t everything. Happiness, balance and doing the right thing have value. That’s how my journey as a social entrepreneur started.

Q: What did you find attractive about social enterprise over a non-profit or charity?

Coming from the private sector, my expertise was in marketing, business development and strategy. But I’ve always been a dreamer—curious about solving things and naturally drawn to helping people.

The private sector never sat well with me. People were motivated purely by money but I wanted to feel I was doing something valuable. When I was about to have my first child, I started thinking differently. I’m one of 10 children, my parents came to the UK from Bangladesh. That generation really worked hard and in the UK at that time it was really difficult. We lived in a two bedroom house, you would class us as a deprived family in today’s definition, but I never saw it like that, I just thought it is what it is and we just got on with it. 

So, I guess that background was instilled in me. When I started my own business, I could have gone the traditional route but I wanted to do something different. I came across social business, became an early adopter and never looked back. I won’t be a millionaire any time soon but if I can genuinely help someone, that’s worth more than anything.

Q: Could you tell us more about Upturn and the services you offer?

Like many social enterprises, we started as a pilot project with some grant funding. My background was in business development and marketing, so if I wasn’t making products—could I sell my expertise instead? That’s where it began.

The public sector was known for poor communication so I took on a project to improve that. It was just me at first, starting with nothing. I focused on engaging young people who had been forgotten and helping them into work. That became my pitch: “By hiring us, you’re not just getting a service—you’re helping these young people.” I even said, “If you’re not happy with our work, don’t pay me.”

We soon realised there were deeper problems—high unemployment, health inequalities, homelessness. The UK is one of the seventh richest countries in the world yet these problems persist. The resources exist to fix them, so what’s going wrong?

We didn’t wait for contracts to address these issues—we just did it. Using our own profits, we helped people into jobs, addressed homelessness and supported businesses. Over 20 years, we’ve helped over 15,000 people back into work—people society had given up on. We’ve created over 2,000 businesses, proving you don’t need money to start a business—just commitment and support.

Our approach is simple: if you suddenly lost your job, you’d have family or friends to turn to. Many people don’t. That’s where Upturn comes in. We’re the support system for those who have nowhere else to go.

Q: What inspired you to co-found Upturn and what unique challenges or opportunities in the North of England shaped its mission?

Oldham, where we’re based, is one of the most deprived towns in the country. It has huge inequalities—economic, social and health-related. But the people here are incredible. Those with nothing often give more than those with everything.

With all these challenges, there was no better place to set up a social enterprise. If I could sort out problems in Oldham, I could do it anywhere. Our ambition was to help just one or two people but now we’ve helped over 15,000.

Towns like Oldham were left behind when industries disappeared. Cotton mills closed, manufacturing declined and nothing replaced them. Meanwhile, the next generations came along but the problems only grew. That’s why I wanted to act—to make a difference where it was needed most.

Q: How do you balance economic growth, social inclusion and sustainability while achieving your mission?

It starts with the right team. Upturn isn’t just me—it’s a collective effort. We operate like a family. Staff don’t have fixed holiday limits. If they need time off, they take it. The only rule is that the work gets done and the people we support get the help they need. That flexibility creates a culture where people feel valued.

From a business perspective, we sustain ourselves by offering services that companies want—HR, business consultancy and recruitment. That revenue funds our social mission. We don’t rely on grants because we want to stay in control of our work.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges in running a social enterprise?

Funding is a major challenge. Social enterprises provide huge value yet we’re taxed and treated like any other business. If the government truly valued what we do, they’d offer incentives—lower corporate tax, better funding access or prioritised procurement.

Another issue is perception. People think social enterprises are charities. But we’re businesses. We create jobs, drive economic growth and solve problems in ways traditional companies don’t.

Q: What initiatives are you currently working on?

We’ve just launched The Hive in partnership with Oldham Council—a space for local businesses and social entrepreneurs. Every procurement opportunity from the council now goes through The Hive first, opening doors for smaller businesses.

We’re also developing Recruit Local, a platform challenging traditional hiring practices. Instead of relying on CVs, we focus on values and potential, helping businesses find the right people while supporting those overlooked by traditional systems.

On a larger scale, I’m working on expanding Upturn’s impact globally. There’s so much innovation in social enterprise worldwide that we can learn from and bring back.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring social entrepreneurs?

Always have a dream. It doesn’t matter what it is—no one can take that away from you. The day you stop dreaming is the day you give up.

Running a social enterprise is hard. The system isn’t built for us so you have to fight. Surround yourself with the right people, embrace change and never stop learning.

Q: What’s your long-term vision for social enterprise?

If every business was a social enterprise, we’d have no issues. That’s a utopian vision but change is happening. The next generation is more socially conscious.

For now, my hope is that we keep pushing forward—collaborating, innovating and proving that businesses can be a force for good. If every company had at least one social enterprise in its supply chain, the impact would be huge. That’s the change we need to work towards.

Q: You are also working in Bangladesh. Can you tell me more about the significance of working there and abroad in general?

We are part of a global community. Social enterprise is happening everywhere and there’s so much innovation to learn from. I’ve visited places like Barcelona, Amsterdam and Bangladesh to see how they operate.

Bangladesh, in particular, is a hotbed of social enterprises—many of them operating without government funding yet turning into multi-million-dollar organisations. If they can do it with minimal resources, there’s no reason we can’t achieve similar success here.

By connecting globally, we don’t just gain knowledge—we build networks, find new opportunities and inspire each other. Collaboration is key.

Q: You’ve shared a lot of wisdom and a lot of advice with us already. Is there anything else you would want to share as advice with people who are just starting in social enterprise?

Never give up hope. Always remember why you started and keep that dream alive. There will be challenges, but learning from mistakes is part of the process—just make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice.

Money is important because it allows you to do social good. One cannot exist without the other. You have to be commercially viable to be sustainable. Constantly innovate, refresh your services and ensure you stay relevant.

Embrace technology. We are in a tech revolution—if you’re not on board, you’ll be left behind. Use tech to streamline your business, reach new audiences and improve efficiency.

And put yourself out there. Engage in conversations, become a mentor and be visible in the sector. The more we collaborate and influence decision-making, the more impact we can create. Social enterprises have the potential to reshape business as we know it, but we need to work together to make that happen.

Q: Fantastic, that’s a great message. Come and join us, because there is always room for everyone.

Yes, let’s get everyone to join us and inspire that. The social enterprise world is accommodating, it doesn’t judge, it solves. It inspires and it puts an arm around you while also being commercially driven,  it has to stand on its own two feet. If we can shift the mindset and influence decision-making, we can create real change. Let’s do this properly, let’s make a difference and pull our resources in a collaborative way that solves world society’s problems. Because we can, if we really want to, we solve everything right now, it’s just that we’re not choosing to. Business has the opportunity to do the right thing, but the systems are not built that way. We have got to make lots of changes and it’s up to all of us. The future is collaboration, innovation and impact-driven entrepreneurship. That’s the world I want to help create.