It is with great sadness that we report the untimely death of our board member and friend Stephen Lloyd. Stephen died last week in a boating accident on holiday in Wales.

Stephen was a major figure in the world of UK charity law. As a lawyer at Bates Wells Braithwaite he recognized the need for a middle ground between charities and for-profits that fostered the growth of social entrepreneurship. To this end he is credited with the creation of the Community Interest Company (or the ‘CIC’), a dedicated legal form for social enterprises, of which there are now more than 10,000 registered in less than a decade.

Tributes have been pouring in and his firm issued this statement.

Stephen was always in great demand as a trustee and as a non-executive director of social enterprises. He was a great supporter of Knowledge Unlatched and we were very privileged to have Stephen on our board. He will be greatly missed.