Welcome to this, the fifth in this series of podcasts for the Spectator's Economic Innovator of the Year Awards,

sponsored by Julius Baer, the private bank.

Today we're talking about our award for social impact.

This is a new category in our awards.

We've introduced it this year because this is a very special year in which I think everyone is acutely conscious of the social impact of businesses of all kinds. And amongst the

fascinating range of entries we've had, we had almost 150 entries for the awards. A great

majority of them clearly had a social objective alongside their business objective.

They're all for-profit, entrepreneur-led businesses,

but it is part of the modern, it's part of the zeitgeist,

the modern thinking about business,

that businesses have a purpose that goes beyond profit.

So we're looking for outstanding entries that do that. We had an agreed definition

for what we mean by social impact, which is that businesses claim a purpose which may be to help

solve a specific social problem or provide a service that helps charities and good causes do what they do

or in this year's circumstances a service or product that helps the NHS

businesses or individuals cope with the the coronavirus crisis.

So we're looking for businesses that are innovative, scalable, sustainable,

in the way that we look at all our award winners,

but also very effective in achieving their social purpose.

So I've got with me our judging panel.

I want to welcome Priya Lakani,

whose company Century Tech in the educational field was our overall

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