Women's Enterprise Task Force Media

SBS Press Release: 14-Nov-2006

Two chairs to provide double boost for Women's Enterprise

Small Business Minister Margaret Hodge today gave a double boost for Women's Enterprise as she announced not one, but two, Chairs to lead a new Task Force for Women's Enterprise. The unique arrangement will bring both business and delivery expertise to the body.

Glenda Stone, Chief Executive of Aurora and Pam Alexander, Chief Executive of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), will jointly lead the Task Force.

The Task Force will champion women's enterprise to encourage more women across the country to start and run successful businesses.

Speaking on Women's Enterprise Day, during Enterprise Week, Margaret Hodge said:
"I have deliberately appointed two Chairs to the Task Force for Women's Enterprise to provide both business and delivery expertise. Pam and Glenda will provide the leadership and can-do attitude required to accelerate the growth in women's enterprise. The objective for the Task Force is to take the UK further towards US levels of entrepreneurship - if we matched these levels it is estimated there would be at least 700,000 more businesses in the UK."

Top of the agenda for the Task Force is:
• assessing the impact of the regional economic strategies in increasing women's enterprise rates;
• evaluating outcomes from the regional Women's Enterprise Unit pilots, working with all nine regional development
agencies (RDAs) to ensure that lessons from the pilots are reflected in delivery;
• ensuring comprehensive data is available on women's enterprise; and,
• increasing awareness amongst women of the type of funding and finance available to assist them in starting and running their own businesses.

SEEDA is the Regional Development Agency champion for women's enterprise and will work closely with all the RDAs to build on the excellent work they are already doing to deliver in the regions.
Pam Alexander said:
"The delivery of the Women's Enterprise Strategy provides a key framework for the RDA's work to encourage and support competitive businesses across England which is a central focus of every Regional Economic Strategy. The Task Force will champion and draw together all of this work with that of government and will identify measurable targets and outcomes in order to bridge one of the most important gaps in the UK's productivity as an entrepreneurial nation. I am delighted to be asked to lead this work alongside one of Britain's leading entrepreneurs".

Glenda Stone said:
"Accelerating the quality and quantity of women's enterprise in the UK is of significant economic importance. Building a pipeline of female-founded seed, start-up and expansion businesses attracts diverse investment and positively contributes to the economy through creating employment and wealth. The Task Force is clearly welcomed by both the private sector and business women themselves."

A new compilation of research out today shows that UK rates of women's enterprise are good when compared to a group of five nations - USA, Canada, France, Germany and Ireland. This comparison found that the UK female self-employment rate of 7.8 per cent lies just above the average of 7.6 per cent. However, the UK is well behind female entrepreneurial rates in the US and the Task Force is tasked with making the UK one of the best places in the world for women to start and run successful businesses.

Notes to Editors:

1. The Chancellor announced previously that the government was establishing a Task Force on Women's Enterprise to drive implementation of specific steps to increase levels of women's business ownership in the UK.

2. SEEDA is the lead Regional Development Agency (RDA) on enterprise and has already undertaken a considerable amount of work in the women's enterprise arena. All nine English RDAs are now implementing women's enterprise strategies and action plans. They are close to their clients and are in the best position to drive through progress on the ground.

3. Pam Alexander joined the South East Development Agency as Chief Executive in January 2004 having been involved in regeneration for 30 years. She was Chief Executive of English Heritage from 1997 - 2001 and prior to that Deputy Chief Executive of the Housing Corporation. She is chair of the Peabody Trust.

4. Glenda Stone is Chief Executive Officer of Aurora; a profitable women-owned business that specialises in women-focused recruitment and marketing services for the corporate sector and delivers a 25,000 member women's business support network. Starting with no finance other than £20,000 of personal savings, and with no bank loan or debt equity, the business has grown to reach a turnover of around £1million and employs ten people.

5. Although these appointments do not come within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, they have been made using a process modeled on the Commissioner's Code of Practice as best practice.

6. Publication of SBS Literature Review: "Women's Business Ownership - Recent Research and Policy Developments" is published on Wednesday 15th November - Women's Enterprise Day. The full report and executive summary are published on the Research and Evaluation pages of this website. The report was produced by Professor Sara Carter, University of Stirling and Doctor Eleanor Shaw, University of Strathclyde.

7. Over the next year, Regional Development Agencies from five regions are trialling different approaches to supporting the start-up and growth of female-owned businesses. The pilot regions are North West, North East, Yorkshire, East Midlands and West Midlands. The purpose is to provide female-friendly business support from pre-start stage onwards. Evidence from the US indicated that targeted business support could make a significant difference to numbers of women starting or growing their own business.

8. For more information on the nine Regional Development Agencies, visit the England's Regional Development Agencies website.

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