Entrepreneurial thinking and diversity together are a very strong force for good. I’m a real advocate for entrepreneurial skills - they are fundamental as life-skills for the future.
At a time when young people and social mobility are suffering disproportionately as a result of the economic impact of COVID-19, Enterprise M3 LEP’s newest board member, Ren Kapur MBE, is bringing an incredible mix of experience, skill and passion to her new role, pledging to tackle inequality by supporting young people into entrepreneurship and promoting diversity.
Formerly the Government’s National Champion for Business, Admin and Finance for Young People, Ren was appointed MBE for Entrepreneurialism in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2016, for her many achievements including XFE, an organisation which supports enterprise among Armed Forces community members joining civilian life.
Entrepreneurial thinking and diversity together are a very strong force for good and EM3’s position on this is an exemplar. It shows the organisations we all work with and it brings about a wealth of variety and experience when developing strategy.
I’m a real advocate for entrepreneurial skills, they are so important, whether you are an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur and whether you are working for yourself and starting your own business or if you are taking those skills into someone else’s business, they are fundamental as life-skills for the future. This resonates with everything Enterprise M3 does.”
Over the last century technology has developed phenomenally, life without a smart phone seems entirely unthinkable now.
Why is diversity so far behind? Diversity isn’t just about gender or the colour of someone’s skin, it is also about embracing different backgrounds, skill-sets and recognising, growing and celebrating everyone’s talent. For me it’s about being non-judgemental and collaborative.
As a champion of enterprise learning I am passionate about promoting this mindset particularly within the EM3 and Armed Forces communities. The most important thing is to equip people with the right tools.
One of my biggest challenges and achievements is XFE and my passion to affect positive change for a community I have a huge amount of respect for while not having an experiential background and being a BAME female in a male-dominated, Caucasian environment.
There is an ethos and set of values by which the military community live and work; leave no one behind and work together as a team. Likewise, in the XFE community, established and growing businesses provide the next generation of support for the new businesses coming through.
A personal goal for me within EM3 is enabling the agenda of digitisation for all businesses of any size and industry whilst also embracing the young people in the region to give them opportunities to develop and have fulfilling career opportunities now and in the future.
Ren Kapur MBE is founder and CEO of X-Forces Enterprise (XFE), which was set up after Ren saw the potential of transferable skills among the number of unemployed ex-serving personnel and Armed Forces community but realised there was little support to start a business as initiatives were primarily focused on job-finding. XFE is now the Official Business Enterprise Trainer for the MoD’s Career Transition Partnership and is also responsible for the Soldiering on Awards.
Ren is also a Volunteer Army Reservist and an Armed Forces Ambassador to the Federation of Small Businesses. She sits on the Women and Enterprise All-Party Parliamentary Group to advise how women can be supported further into business. In addition, she has been an official advisor to the Home Office on how an enterprise model could support resettlement of Syrian Refugees.
From 1 April 2024, the responsibility for LEP functions across the Enterprise M3 LEP region has transferred to Hampshire County Council and Surrey County Council.
The Enterprise M3 Board met for the last time in March 2024 and Enterprise M3 LEP is no longer operating as an organisation.
For any enquiries relating to economic development across the counties of Hampshire and Surrey, please visit the Hampshire County Council website and Business Surrey respectively.
Please note that Enterprise M3 LEP staff have transferred to Hampshire County Council to continue to deliver services and activities in Hampshire, including the Growth Hub, the Careers Hub, work on key business sectors, and trade and investment.
They can be contacted at economic.development@hants.gov.uk.
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