Global Procurement Group donated circa £85,000 across its global operations, to help support local communities and charities, with particular emphasis on a winter / Christmas charity campaign.
The global B2B energy solution specialist has operations spanning three continents and donated approximately £70,000 in the 2020 festive period alone, supporting struggling communities and families to ensure they would experience a safer and healthier Christmas period.
In the north east of England, where the group and UK arm, Northern Gas and Power, are headquartered, the main funding support went to an initiative set up by two local councils, Gateshead and Newcastle, and managed by a charity agency, Connected Voice, to help families at winter.
#SpiritofChristmas (as it was named) was a hugely successful regional charity initiative, with almost £65,000 generated by a whole range of north east businesses in a matter of weeks. Northern Gas and Power played its part by contributing £20,000, which was matched by its CEO, Fokhrul Islam; totalling £40,000 that went direct to the campaign.
The money helped support roughly 47 different causes across the region including: food for isolated older people, Christmas dinners to disadvantaged families, presents for domestic violence survivors and their children, toiletries and practical gifts for neonatal families and food hampers for vulnerable veterans.
Giovanni Spatuzzi, Connected Voice’s Operations Manager, said: “The Appeal raised a total of £63,535 in just over 4 weeks, to support vulnerable people and families most in need over the Christmas period. Northern Gas and Power’s donation was a major catalyst for the Appeal and contributed to supporting organisations to deliver projects that made a vital difference.”
Global Procurement Group CEO, Fokhrul Islam, said: “We were delighted to be in a position to support the #SpiritOfChristmas Appeal which raised money to support residents in Gateshead and Newcastle who were in desperate need over this festive period.”
In addition, the company donated a further £27,000 to numerous other north east charities at Christmas, after asking its clients, staff and partners who they most wanted to help. The money was distributed to a range of charities, including, ENGAGE, Hepburn Helps, Newcastle Food Bank, Royal Victoria Infirmary’s Children Cancer Ward and Places for People, amongst others.
While Global Procurement Group’s French operation also raised money and collected vital provisions at its Paris base at the end of last year. Energies France donated €8,000 and collected nearly 1 tonne of food and clothing to support a charity close to its Paris HQ, La Mie de Pain, which supports the homeless and hungry, providing emergency food and accommodation.
La Mie de Pain President, Florence Gerard, said “We thank Energies France for choosing our charity and their participation in the national collection for the Food Bank. The generosity goes straight to our hearts!”
Other funds were collected across the global operations throughout the rest of the year, with hospices in Leeds and Newcastle, Hillside Animal Sanctuary and Metro Radio’s Cash4kids, all benefitting.
Global Procurement Group employs more than 700 people across the UK in Gateshead, Newcastle and Leeds and overseas in the U.S., France, Malta and India. It has exciting plans to grow further in 2021 taking numbers to in excess of 1,000 while moving to a purpose-designed new state-of-the-art office on Gateshead waterfront in Q1 2021. There are also plans in place for a third expansion of its Paris office which has reached capacity once again.
The company won a raft of major awards in 2020 including Great British Entrepreneur Awards Scale-Up, Sunday Times Profit Track, Sunday Times Fast Track (Virgin Atlantic), Sunday Times International Track (HSBC) and Glassdoor work/life balance. Additionally, the CEO, Fokhrul Islam, was named The UK’s Most Ambitious Leader by The Telegraph and Lloyds LDC.
Also under the GPG global umbrella is Energies France, NGP Americas, ClearVUE Systems, BusinessEnergyQuotes and EnergieSuperMarché.