Let’s Talk Social Value Strategies
About Helen and her role at Mitie
Helen Longfils is the Group Director of Social Value at Mitie, the UK’s largest facilities management company and a strategic supplier to government. Helen leads Mitie’s approach to social value across bidding, delivery, workforce engagement, and community investment, ensuring social value is embedded into the core strategy of the business.
With a background in strategy consulting, including time at Deloitte and across public and third sector consultancy, Helen has spent her career developing commercially sustainable ways to deliver social impact at scale.
Listen in to find out:
Why Mitie moved beyond traditional CSR models
How a theory of change can strengthen social value strategy
Why good jobs are central to thriving communities
How social value can be embedded across a workforce of 80,000 people
What meaningful, measurable social value looks like in practice
In this episode, Sarah and Helen talk about:
Mitie’s new Plan Thrive social value strategy and why it marks a shift away from activity-led CSR towards long-term, outcomes-focused impact. Helen explains how the strategy was developed, including insights from a national survey on what it really means to “thrive,” and why inclusive employment is the biggest lever Mitie can pull to improve social mobility.
They discuss the role of theory of change in connecting activities to impact, the importance of place-based delivery, and how social value can be embedded across contracts, supply chains, and organisational culture - not treated as a bolt-on.
“Simply doing charitable activities and volunteering is not enough. We wanted a strategy that drives meaningful, measurable change for people and communities.”
Find out more:
How Mitie uses theory of change to structure social value delivery
Why inclusive recruitment is critical to long-term impact
How social value supports workforce wellbeing and skills development
The role of partnerships in amplifying community impact
What Plan Thrive means for social value strategy
Plan Thrive is Mitie’s commitment to creating sustainable employment pathways, strengthening local communities, and delivering measurable social value at scale. By focusing on people, places, and partnerships, the strategy connects commercial delivery with long-term social outcomes - ensuring social value is integral to how Mitie operates, not separate from it.
“Good jobs change lives - not just for individuals, but for families, communities, and the wider economy.”
* Mitie has concluded phase one of Plan Zero, and are commitment to operating at net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by end of FY25. - ESG Report 2025
Need Social Value Support?
Samtaler works with organisations to strengthen social value delivery, strategy, and bid performance. Whether you’re just starting out or want to boost your scores, we’re here to help. 📧 hello@samtaler.co.uk
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