The newly created Women’s Enterprise Taskforce will see the collaboration of successful female entrepreneurs from a range of business sectors, it has been revealed.
The taskforce, announced by Margaret Hodge, Minister of State for Industry, aims to ‘increase both the quality and quantity of women’s enterprise across the UK’ over the next three years.’
The taskforce membership already includes Clare Barclay, head of small business at Microsoft, Amanda Rendle, head of business marketing at HSBC, and Pam Alexander, chief executive of the South East England Development Agency.
“Our aim is to inspire and harness the talents and skills of potential women entrepreneurs and to do all we can to encourage them to prosper,” said Alexander, who is also co-chair of the taskforce.
The top priority for the taskforce will be to assess the collective impact of the regional strategies for increasing women’s enterprise rates.
“The benefits will be many and broad,” continued Alexander. “Firstly, realising the untapped potential of women’s enterprise will make a dramatic and positive economic contribution to the UK.
“Secondly, if the UK had the same rate of female start-ups as the US we would have 700,000 more businesses, which would have a major impact on our overall productivity as a nation and have the potential to create over 1.5 million new jobs.
“Thirdly, since more women come into self-employment and business ownership from a position of economic inactivity, bringing them into the economy brings double benefits.”
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2007
