UK entrepreneurs are to benefit from a ‘direct line’ to the UK Government following the appointment of Alex Depledge, MBE, as the Treasury’s first entrepreneurship adviser.

Over the coming months, Depledge will advise the Chancellor on the Government’s entrepreneurship landscape, focusing on addressing key barriers faced by businesses looking to startup and scale-up in the UK.

The Government said that Depledge’s additional expertise will help to boost high-growth businesses, with the hope that this will bolster further economic growth.

Bringing extensive entrepreneurship experience to her new role, having successfully built several businesses from the ground up, including Resi and Helpling, the Government said that Depledge can offer invaluable advice to growing firms.

“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, and it signals a bold commitment from the Government to back the scale-ups and innovators powering the UK forward.

“This is a chance to rewrite the playbook on how we support entrepreneurs, and I’m here to make sure we take full advantage of it.”

Following the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget, which introduced significant policy changes for UK businesses, including the much derided NIC rate rise, Depledge’s appointment is an opportunity for the Treasury to smooth relations with the UK’s small business community.

According to the Terms of Reference for the new entrepreneurship advisor role, Depledge will engage with the UK’s entrepreneur ecosystem, including VC firms, taking the temperature of the community on vital issues, such as the impact of regulations, access to finance, talent acquisition, and innovation support.

There are currently over 34,000 scale-ups in the UK, accounting for just 0.6% of SMEs, but according to numbers from the Scaleup Institute, these firms generate a staggering £1.4 trillion in turnover, contributing 55% of all SME revenues.

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Since gaining office, the Government has made some headway, extending the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust schemes to 2035 and increasing R&D funding to £22.6 billion per year by 2029/30, but recent research shows that more than six in ten of UK entrepreneurs and SME owners are still unsure their business will survive the year ahead as pressures mount.

Bringing in an entrepreneur ‘expert’ is a further chance for the Chancellor to reaffirm her commitment to creating a positive environment for entrepreneurship, and explore what more could be done.

“We have a long list of successful start ups, scale ups and small businesses across the UK – with the greatest density of scale ups among the seven major industrial countries in the G7,” said the Chancellor.

“Having Alex on the team will bring invaluable expertise with her experience building successful businesses from the ground up, and I look forward to working with her.”