Description
TLC Zoom
Wednesday 16th July 2025 @ 18:00 BST
The other man’s grass! Deprivation and Social Mobility in SW
Karl Tucker
Non Executive Chair of Yeo Valley Ltd & Chair of Great SW PRP
Karl is a Founder member of TLC and was also our 3rd speaker in the “new era’ – ie May 2020 (at the start of Covid-19) when he talked about the challenges and benefits of being Executive Chairman of Yeo Valley. It all seems another world ago.
Our TLC programme is wide, varied and eclectic but I felt it was high time that we looked again at not only business challenges but also regional challenges. Who better than Karl to address the huge issues in SW England. So, I asked him to expand and this was his response
‘Looking beyond the amazing countryside, incredible beaches and cream teas to the challenge in the South West driven by deprivation and low social mobility for existing businesses and the business of the future’
He adds:
The SW is poised for significant investment that will create thousands of new jobs in EV battery manufacturing, the development of its ports and the build out of the Celtic Floating Off Shore Wind project, the defence industry, photonics, autonomous marine systems, the space sector, lithium and other critical minerals extraction and processing…………
However, one of the most common challenges sighted by existing businesses as a barrier to growth is the lack of available workforce with the skills required. This applies at all levels but is particularly acute in the higher level skills bracket………
At the same time we have 1000’s of young people in deprived and challenged communities across the region who are leaving school with low academic achievement (60% not achieving a pass in GCSE Maths and English) and we have some of the areas with the lowest social mobility indices in the country (Weymouth & Portland worst in country), West Somerset (2nd worst), North Devon, Torridge, North Cornwall, Torbay, Plymouth, Exeter, Yeovil…………………………
Coupled with this there is a significant housing challenge with availability and affordability combined with a woeful transport infrastructure; roads, rail, public transport)
What is to be done?!……………………………..…
Biography
Karl is the Non Executive Chair of Yeo Valley Ltd and Yeo Valley Farms Ltd. Karl has been with the Yeo Valley Family of Businesses since 1996 having joined from the Quarrying Industry and before that having served in the British Army.
Karl has been a key member of the leadership team that has seen Yeo Valley grow to be the UK’s largest organic food brand and one of the largest, independent, family owned dairy businesses in the UK.
As well as his role at Yeo Valley Karl is the Chair for the Great South West PRP, a commissioner of the South West Social Mobility Commission, a Non-Executive Director of Pattersons Ltd and the Royal Bath & West Society Enterprise Board and a Governor of Yeovil College.
Karl also Chairs ‘South Bristol Youth’, a charity working to raise the aspiration, motivation and attainment levels of the more disadvantaged young people of Bristol and Somerset.
