SEEDA welcomes launch of Women's Business Enterprise Council
Today’s announcement (July 12) of the Women’s Business Enterprise Council UK (WBEC-UK), the newly formed national certifying body for women business owners, “is a great opportunity to level the playing field and promote business diversity and opportunity”, according to Pam Alexander, Chief Executive of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and Co-Chair of the national Women’s Enterprise Task Force. “Accessing major supply chain opportunities is one of the five key pillars of success identified by the Task Force,” said Pam, “and this is real progress.”
“The WBEC-UK is based on a tried and tested US model, which has had phenomenal success in driving the growth of women-owned businesses in America”, explained Pam. “We can do the same here in the UK. The number of female-owned businesses in Britain has recently topped the one million mark. But women’s businesses currently access less than five per cent of corporate and public procurement contracts, which severely stifles their growth. The new WBEC-UK will encourage corporate and public organisations to increase their supplier diversity to mutual benefit. Healthy supply chains mean healthy profits.”
WBEC-UK is a corporate-led initiative working in partnership with Prowess, Britain’s leading women’s enterprise association. It aims to create contract opportunities for women business owners in a global, multi-national corporate environment. It is backed by top companies such as Accenture, Bank of America, Microsoft, New Technology Steel and Pfizer – companies that recognise that supplier diversity makes good business sense. “The introduction of the WBEC model to Britain is a huge step forward for women business owners. Their accreditation as suppliers will give major purchasers real confidence in businesses they haven’t previously worked with. More successful women-owned businesses will result in boosting sustainable economic growth throughout the UK.”
For further information, please contact:
Andy Smith, Head of Media & Public Affairs,
SEEDA,
t: 01483 500748,
m: 07737 271676,
e: andysmith@seeda.co.uk
w: www.seeda.co.uk