Members

Founding members

engage began in 2007 with the founding members below, each of whom recognised the potential of this unique business network.

Allied Healthcare

 British Gas

 BT

Bunches.co.uk

Currys

Heart of England

HSBC

PC World

Stannah

BT

BT is a global communications services company that exists to help its customers make the best use of communications.

This purpose, together with a deep-rooted desire to be a responsible and sustainable company, drives BT to try to have as positive an impact on society as it can.

BT has a long-standing commitment to ensuring its services and products are accessible to all members of society, including older people. It commissioned the Inclusive Design toolkit, which shows how products can be made usable, useful and desirable whilst considering the needs of people with reduced capabilities.

BT was one of the founding members of engage. Fiona Miller, Consumer Affairs Manager at BT Retail Consumer Affairs and Inclusion, explains:

'As the leading provider of telecommunications in the UK we know how our policies can affect the more vulnerable people in our society, and we take this responsibility very seriously.

'engage has proven to be an ideal forum for coming together with other global brands, business leaders and specialists to drive forward the agenda of older people in the consumer market.' 

Microsoft

Microsoft is committed to furthering the role technology can play in improving the quality of life of all members of today's society.

Microsoft has been a corporate champion of older people in the UK and around the world with its e-Senior programmes. Its membership of engage has helped to make IT more accessible and inclusive for older people in the UK through knowledge sharing and product testing.

Julian Price, Head of Citizenship at Microsoft UK, says: 'According to the Cass Business School and Microsoft Hidden Innovators Report, the people for whom Help the Aged campaigns are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs and innovators in UK society.

'Microsoft welcomes the initiative of the engage business network in bringing together leading businesses to share expertise and promote best practice. It is essential that we work together to ensure that older people realise their full potential in the society of tomorrow.'