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Further boost for women

Nov 14 2006

Task force to promote female entrepreneurship
Small business minister Margaret Hodge has given a double boost to women in business, as she announced two chairs to lead a new task force aimed at increasing levels of female enterprise.

Glenda Stone, chief executive of Aurora and Pam Alexander, chief executive of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), will jointly lead the task force, aimed at encouraging more women across the country to start and run successful businesses.

Margaret Hodge comments: ‘I have deliberately appointed two chairs to the Task Force for Women's Enterprise to provide both business and delivery expertise. Pam and Glenda will provide the leadership and can-do attitude required to accelerate the growth in women's entrepreneurship.

‘The objective for the Task Force,’ continues Hodge, ‘is to take the UK further towards US levels of entrepreneurship - if we matched these levels it is estimated there would be at least 700,000 more businesses in the UK.’

Top of the agenda for the Task Force is the need to assess the impact of the regional economic strategies in increasing women's enterprise rates and analysing results from regional Women's Enterprise Unit pilots. The task force will work with all nine regional development agencies (RDAs) to ensure that the most effective course can be taken.

The body hopes to ensure that comprehensive information is available on women's enterprise and aims to increase awareness amongst women of the type of funding and finance available to assist them in starting and running their own companies.

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