On Wednesday evening, BGF launched its Ready for Business campaign at the National Theatre in an enthralling debate bringing together some of the nation’s leading business voices.
The panel included Rosaleen Blair CBE, CEO of Alexander Mann Solutions, Sir Rod Aldridge OBE, Founder of Capita, Edwina Dunn, Founder of Dunnhumby and CEO of Starcount and Jimmy McLoughlin, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister.
They joined BGF CEO Stephen Welton and panel chair, BBC news anchor Fiona Bruce, alongside more than 100 guests on an evening that shared the message of BGF’s commitment to confidently advocate for growth, for entrepreneurs and for investing in the age of uncertainty, and to demonstrate the tremendous impact of Britain’s fast-growing small and medium-sized enterprises to the UK economy.
Panellists discussed the importance of turning challenges into opportunities, and a need to dispel the current pessimism in the British business landscape. The UK’s start-up landscape and the challenges of its young businesses were also put under the microscope, with calls for more targeted investment to fuel growth in specific sectors.
Central to the evening’s discussions was the topic of education and how the UK can create a steady flow of STEM-skilled talent to thrive in a digital economy, with our speakers stressing the importance of steering children towards STEM subjects.
The evening concluded with a look towards future industries, with green energy, data science, EdTech, RegTech and AgriTech hailed as just a few of the sectors where the UK could take the lead.
Seven Hills has been BGF’s lead communications partner since 2018, and is proud to support the Ready for Business campaign. You can read more about the campaign here.