Big Mission Small Business

The fastest growth in the G7 is about as big as missions get. Yet achieving it relies on UK small businesses – all 5.5 million of them – taking small steps forward. Investing in technology, skills, leadership. These businesses are a wellspring of entrepreneurialism and resilience, employing the majority of UK workers too. But running one doesn’t leave much time to focus on the change needed for the future. And change would bring real rewards: a 1% yearly improvement in SME productivity in this Parliament would grow the economy by almost £100 billion.

So how can we all serve small businesses better? How do we implement the right policies, whether from Labour’s Plan for Small Businesses or beyond? What can industry do? And how can Government, workers and employers of all sizes partner to deliver a great leap forward in small business growth?

Speakers will include Gareth Thomas MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Services, Small Business and Exports; Dr Chris Sims, Managing Director, Small and Medium Business at BT; Irene Graham OBE, CEO of the ScaleUp Institute; and Michelle Ovens CBE, Founder Small Business Britain. The session will be chaired by Mike Soutar, prominent businessman and media executive, known for his role as an interviewer on BBC’s “The Apprentice”.