Meet the CUBE Team

Paul Funnell

Paul is a successful businessman, building up his company Concord Cleaning from a one-man business to employing 120 staff with a turnover of c. £2million. After Paul sold his business 5 years ago, he became more involved in charitable projects, hoping to share his knowledge of successful business creation.

Since then, Paul has worked in the creation of a number of social enterprises, with the aims of seeking to improve the employment and self-employment opportunities of homeless and disadvantaged people right through to projects to renovate empty homes bringing them back into use as social housing.

Paul is passionate about these projects and through them is finding ways to engage hundreds of people in enterprise every year.

Richard Lanning

Richard has worked in some interesting and challenging environments to run small businesses.  Over the past decade Richard has managed several start ups including; a social enterprise, an international development charity, his own marketing company and an ecological construction company.

Starting out in logistics gave him a practical problem-solving approach to business systems, before spending several years working in poverty stricken rural Africa tackling some very different problems.  Whilst he may have learnt dozens of management theories studying his degree at Imperial College, he believes it’s the simple rules that work for grassroots business.

Laura Mumford

Laura has extensive experience of supporting the establishment and development of social enterprises, community projects, and small businesses.  Specialising in community engagement and social start-ups, Laura’s recent projects include an innovative empty homes renovation programme and creating the Enterprise CUBE’s online business start-up programme Strive Online.

Laura won the national Young Achievers Future Leaders Award for her extensive work establishing and developing these projects, as well as the Pantene Shine Strong in Business award in recognition of her management roles.  Her work has created more than awards though, she’s created new jobs, apprenticeship opportunities, improved the employment and self-employment prospects of those involved and had a significantly positive impact on local communities.