The body unveiled just ahead of the launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2010, the Entrepreneurs’ Forum will provide “informal and personal advice” and meet four times a year.
The government said the group will have up to 26 members with 16 being appointed so far. They are:
- James Caan, founder, Hamilton Bradshaw
- Tim Campbell, founder, Bright Ideas Trust
- Baroness Margaret Ford, chair, Olympic Park Legacy Company
- Jan Fletcher, chair, Montpellier Estates
- Dawn Gibbins, founder, Barefoot Living
- Polly Gowers, founder, Everyclick
- Sahar Hashemi, founder, Skinny Candy
- Carl Hopkins, founder, Joblink Solutions
- Anne Malkin, CEO, Access Risk Management Group
- Julie Meyer, founder, Ariadne Capital
- Sara Murray, managing director, BuddiChristiane Wuillamie, founder, Elgius
- Shaf Rasul, founder, E-Net Computers
- Sarah Tremellen, founder, Bravissimo
- Kresse Wessling, founder, Elvis & Kresse
The government intend that a significant proportion of the forum will be women and increasing the rate of female entrepreneurs is one area the forum will be encouraged to look at. David Cameron, at the launch of the London Tech Hub earlier this month, commented “we need to boost the number of female entrepreneurs in UK’.
Cable, commenting on the forum launch on his return from a trade mission with David Cameron in China (pictured above), said: “People with the courage to start up a business will be crucial to driving the growth of the economy. Start-ups create jobs, stimulate innovation and provide a competitive spur to existing businesses to encourage them to increase their productivity.
“I am delighted with the quality of the membership of my new forum and look forward to bouncing ideas off them and hearing their views.”
The forum will complement other groups, such as the prime minister’s Business Advisory Group, the business secretary’s Business Advisory Group and the Small Business Economic Forum.
