Entrepreneurs will now have a direct line to government and will
benefit from additional expertise within the Treasury as the
Chancellor has appointed Alex Depledge MBE as her
Entrepreneurship Adviser.
Over the coming months, Alex will advise the Chancellor on the
government's entrepreneurship landscape, focusing on addressing
the key barriers faced by businesses seeking to start up and
scale up in the UK.
Reducing barriers for business, entrepreneurs and investors is
key to boosting economic growth and delivering the government's
Plan for Change.
Alex brings with her extensive entrepreneurship experience,
having successfully built several businesses from the ground up,
including Resi and Helpling, formerly known as Hassle.com. She
knows what it takes to build a successful business and will be in
a position to offer invaluable advice to boost growth for the
businesses of the future.
The government has already taken significant steps to support
start-ups since taking office. We have extended the Enterprise
Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust schemes to 2035 and
increased R&D funding to £22.6 billion per year by 2029/30 to
support the growth even more innovative businesses of the future,
this support will allow them to invest and take on new staff,
putting more money into working people's pocket.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, , said:
Start-ups, scale-ups and other small businesses drive the
innovation that keeps Britain growing, delivering our Plan for
Change.
We have a long list of successful start ups, scale ups and small
businesses across the UK - with the greatest density of scale ups
among the seven major industrial countries in the G7.
Having Alex on the team will bring invaluable expertise with her
experience building successful businesses from the ground up, and
I look forward to working with her.
Alex Depledge MBE, said:
I'm honoured to be appointed as the Chancellor's first-ever
Entrepreneurship Advisor, a ground-breaking move that puts
high-growth businesses at the heart of economic thinking.
It's the first time an entrepreneur has held this role, and it
signals a bold commitment from government to back the scale-ups
and innovators powering the UK forward.
There are over 34,000 scale-ups in the UK — just 0.6% of SMEs —
yet they generate a staggering £1.4 trillion in turnover,
contributing 55% of all SME revenues.
This is a chance to rewrite the playbook on how we support
entrepreneurs, and I'm here to make sure we take full advantage
of it.
The Terms of Reference for this appointment can be found here.
Direct Ministerial
Appointment Terms of Reference (PDF, 37 KB, 1 page)
