The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has appointed Alex Depledge MBE as the Treasury’s first-ever Entrepreneurship Advisor. This groundbreaking move aims to address the challenges faced by startups and scale-ups in the UK. Depledge, a serial entrepreneur, will advise the Chancellor on the government’s entrepreneurship landscape.
She will work to reduce barriers for businesses, entrepreneurs, and investors. Startups, scaleups, and other small businesses drive the innovation that keeps Britain growing, delivering our Plan for Change,” said Chancellor Reeves. Having Alex on the team will bring invaluable expertise, given her experience in building successful businesses from the ground up, and I look forward to working with her.
Depledge founded and scaled Resi and Helpling (formerly Hassle.com) after spending five years at Accenture as a management consultant.
Chancellor appoints new entrepreneurship advisor
She has also served on the boards of several companies, including the software development firm EDITED, Startup Coalition, and London-based Sharing Economy UK. Currently, she is a non-executive director at Yorkshire-headquartered construction business Persimmon Homes.
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,” said Depledge. It’s the first time an entrepreneur has held this role, signaling a bold commitment from the government to support the scale-ups and innovators driving the UK forward.
The UK is home to over 34,000 scale-ups, which account for just 0.6 percent of SMEs. However, they generate a staggering £1.4 trillion in turnover, accounting for 55 percent of all SME revenues.
This appointment follows the government’s extension of the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust schemes to 2035, as well as an increase in R&D funding to £22.6 billion per year by 2029/30. The Terms of Reference for this appointment can be found on the official GOV.UK website.