Corporate Friends Scheme
The Trust’s Fellowship Programme brings young leaders from emerging democracies to the UK for an intensive five week programme. The Fellows learn about and work in the institutions of British democracy. They meet and engage with leading figures from the world of politics and business. Their task is to acquire skills and knowledge that they can use when they return home in their different fields. Their experience is one of learning and teaching both each other and the UK practitioners and academics that they meet.
UK businesses need stable, predictable and transparent environments in which to work. By reaching the next generation of leaders the Trust aims to spread the values of British democracy to emerging democracies and states in transition. To support and expand our work the Trust has launched a Corporate Friends Scheme. Companies interested in supporting our work or doing business in the countries in which we operate are signing up to sponsor the Trust for a three year period. Some companies are sponsoring all the Fellows from a particular country which costs approximately £30,000 per Fellow and others are committing to £10,000 per annum to generally support the Trust. So far the following companies have signed up to the scheme: BP, Royal Bank of Scotland, BMI, KPMG, Clifford Chance, and Renaissance Capital.
If your organisation would like to become a Corporate Friend of the John Smith Memorial Trust or if you know of anyone that we might approach, then please contact the Trust’s Director Brian Brivati on Brian.Brivati@JohnSmithTrust.org.
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Support for the John Smith Memorial Trust:
"The Ministry of Justice is pleased to support the John Smith Memorial Trust's Fellowship Programme. It continues to be a fitting memorial to John Smith and the ideals for which he stood. The Trust's commitment to promoting principles such the protection of human rights and freedoms, respect for the rule of law, and transparent and accountable government is embodied in the Trust's annual flagship Fellowship Programme for young leaders from former Soviet Union countries with an interest in promoting democratic reform and the Trust's active Alumni network.
We look forward to welcoming the Fellows to the Ministry of Justice as part of this year's programme and we are delighted to note that some of the Fellows will be attached to the department while they are in the UK for the next few weeks."
Rt Hon Lord McNally PC, Minister of State for Justice
Ministry of Justice, June 2011
An independent consultancy commissioned by the Ministry of Justice to evaluate the John Smith Memorial Trust's Fellowship Programme in 2009/10 found that the programme was both 'high achieving' and 'its features of investigation, discussion and exchange which mirror the UK democratic system give the programme its unique value'. The programme was commended as 'highly relevant to the UK government's international interests in democracy and good governance' and as 'very good value for money'.
From the ITAD evaluation of the JSMT (2010)
“BP considers itself a guest in Azerbaijan. We have been there for over fifteen years. We will be there for a good few decades to come. Understanding that country is very important to us as a business. The Trust gives us the opportunity to talk to people who can provide a different perspective from the ones that we are quite familiar with in our day to day business. And what struck me when I met the Fellows for the first time was that they gave me and BP this fantastic opportunity to hear from people who were open minded, creative, intelligent, very forward looking, very passionate about their country and to hear from someone outside of our company, from outside of the oil business about some of the challenges that Azerbaijan faces.”
Clare Bebbington, BP
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