The Grammar School at Leeds

Purposeful entrepreneur  -  Creative  -  NED  -  Consultant

Leeds Beckett University offers challenging and exciting courses that help students to develop vital, transferable, and professional skills. I am part of the delivery team for the MBA course in Technology Entrepreneurship through the summer of 2023.

Leeds Beckett University

Associate

WasteAid

Chair

The British Library Advisory Council (BLAC) provides advice, insights, and suggestions to the British Library's leadership. I am also helping to realise the vision of the British Library North in the Holbeck area of Leeds.

The British Library

Advisory Council Member

IVE is a creative development agency founded more than 20 years ago in the North of England. IVE works with organisations and companies to inspire, nurture and stimulate creativity in the workforce.

We are IVE

Vice Chair

Hosting a regular webinar interviewing authors about their work. Online guests have included Raffi Berg, Ashley Blaker, Austin Duffy, Hadley Freeman, Helen Fry,   Howard Jacobson, Peter James, Dror Mishani, Michael Pye and Anne Sebba.

Live events have included: Lord Daniel Finkelstein, Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, Menachem Kaiser, Jonathan Romain, Natasha Solomons and Richard Zimler.

I have also photographed and filmed several octagarians and nonagenarians for a cultural history project resulting in an exhibition of my work and the commissioning of a play.

Milim CIC

Director and Presenter

The Lupin Company is the home of all things around edible lupin in the UK. We market sweet Australian lupin, a superfood which can be added to almost any recipe to boost protein and fibre in the diet. Our key product is TLC Lupin Protein Flakes. These can be consumed raw or boiled, baked, blended, casseroled or grilled.

Lupin has the highest protein (40%) and fibre (38%) combined of any foodstuff, yet contains only 4% carbohydrate. It is packed with antioxidants, calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. Gluten-free and GMO-free. Good for gut health, blood pressure, immune system health and has been proven to keep you fuller for longer.

Suitable for vegan, vegetarian, keto, high-protein, high-fibre, low-carbohydrate, halal and kosher diets.

The Lupin Company

Founder and Chief Lupinist

Surplus Group is a trusted partner handling surplus stock of food, drink and household consumables. Trading as Morris & Son for wholesale markets, surplus and clearance lines are supplied to the value retail trade. Approved Food is the UK's biggest B2C online clearance food and drink seller. This activity prevents waste, preventing perfectly good food from going to landfill. My role covers corporate social responsibility, sales development and supply-side development. Member of the Courtauld 2025 Redistribution Working Group.

Surplus Group

Brand Ambassador and Sustainability Advisor

Freelance writer and television presenter. Writer and co-presenter of Streets of Leeds for Made Television (2017).

planetstraight.tv

Writer and presenter

De-Heat (a trading name of Inclusive Designs Limited) is a seed-stage consumer products company innovating solid state cooling devices; scalable and fully integrated systems that deliver sustainable, distributed and connected cooling solutions. 

DeHeat has patented its radical new technology for which it has proof of concept.

Inclusive Designs

Investor and Non executive Chairman

The University of Leeds Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies (CEES) is the focal point for enterprise education and research on the campus. Colleagues from the Centre and from SPARK (the business start-up service based in the University of Leeds Career Centre) host the Enterprise Ambassador events. 

As an Enterprise Ambassador I help to provide students with ‘real world’ experiences, which can help them to understand how their enterprise education fits with a wider perspective of business. 

The 30 or so Ambassadors are part of a vibrant community committed to the growth of enterprise in the University, the region and nationally. We hope to contribute to learning, teaching and business start-up support programmes which are invaluable in developing the entrepreneurial spirit in the students and gives them a chance to develop enterprise skills above and beyond their University education.

Leeds University Business School

Enterprise Ambassador

Transformative assistance for businesses and organisations provided through a mix of purpose, sustainability, and creativity.

Planet Straight Advisory

Founder and Director

Fine art photographer. Winner Portrait of Britain 2022.  Shortlisted Portrait of Britain 2019.
Several exhibitions held.
Five books of photography published - some in partnership with charities. 
Various commissions, including work for Wakefield Museums and Castles.

Jonathan Straight Photography

Photographer

The Straight Charitable trust is my own charitable vehicle which supports a range of local, national and international charitable causes both proactively and reactively.

The Straight Charitable Trust

Founder and Trustee

Connect Yorkshire is a not-for-profit organisation that helps and inspires ambitious entrepreneurs. My role is to provide a number of days each year for public speaking engagements and for one-to-one consultations with members.

Connect Yorkshire

Entrepreneur in Residence

WasteAid is an international waste management NGO sharing waste management and recycling skills in the world’s poorest places.

1 in 3 people worldwide has to dump or burn their waste, causing the spread of disease, polluting the oceans and adding to the climate crisis. Together with partners, WasteAid develops waste collection and recycling programmes to build a cleaner and healthier future.

Trustee

TRJFP is a global, organic network of pay as you feel cafes and food stores. We divert food destined for waste and use it to create delicious and healthy meals. In addition, we run the Fuel for Schools programme to ensure that hunger is not a barrier to learning and we run Sharehouse - the worlds first pay as you feel supermarket.

The Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP)

Chair Of The Board Of Trustees

The Tetley is a relatively new, contemporary art and learning complex housed in an iconic, art deco former brewery office in Leeds. My role is to assist with the many challenges facing a relatively young art gallery with its branding, promotion and financing as Chair of the Commercial Board, as well as ensuring good governance through my position on the main-board.

The Tetley

Director.

A social enterprise producing a range of baked goods sold in house and delivered to local retailers. I have hands-on experience for marketing, social media, point of sale, product labelling and compliance.

Street Lane Bakery Leeds

Director, Co-founder and investor

Waterwise is an NGO founded in 2005 and is the leading authority on water efficiency in the UK and Europe. I served as a non-executive director for more than 10 years during which time I assisted with improving governance and turning round an impending financial disaster. 

I assisted in the restructuring of the organisation including reducing its cost base and gaining committed funding from key stakeholders. My role included the appointment of a new CEO following the departure of the founder and the appointment of a new Chair shortly before I left.

Waterwise

Non Executive Director

Straight is the UK's market leading supplier of waste and recycling containers. Having identified an opportunity in containers for collecting, storing, transporting and disposing of recyclable waste materials I started my own venture supplying these products to local authorities, contractors and the third sector.

As Chief Executive from 2003 to 2014
Floated the business on the London Stock Exchange AIM at 80p per share and achieved >400% growth in the share price within 30 months;
Second round fundraising of £5m allowed the acquisition of a key competitor and consolidate the market lead;
Built a network of distributors in more than 30 countries;
Vertical integration programme from 2010 led from all production being outsource to 75% being made in house;
Achieved three-fold increase in sales;
B2B and B2C activity, the latter involving extensive e-commerce activity;
Developed Corporate Social Responsibility programme;
Founder member of the Social Stock Exchange;
Exited business in 2014 for 240% of original float price.

As Managing Director Straight Limited from 1999 to 2003
Expanded from four to thirty staff;
Implemented effective business structures and formed a strong management team;
Positioned the business as the key supplier in the UK;
Prepared for floatation forming a strong board to ensure good governance;

As Proprietor or Straight Recycling Systems 1993 - 1999
Responsible for all aspects of the business including sales, marketing, finance and strategy;
Used highly creative marketing techniques to compete with much larger players;
Established the business as a specialist supplier of waste and recycling containers;
Rapid ascent to market leader in kerbside collection boxes;
Grew from a one-man business to four staff and £3m turnover.

Jonathan Straight FRSA