Enterprise Nation founder Emma Jones joins the government's new SME Digital Adoption Taskforce
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Posted: Tue 30th Apr 2024
Emma Jones CBE, founder of Enterprise Nation, has been appointed to a new government taskforce aimed at helping small and medium sized businesses better adopt digital technology to improve productivity.
The SME Digital Adoption Taskforce, which was first announced in chancellor Jeremy Hunt's 2023 Autumn Statement, held its first meeting today with small business minister Kevin Hollinrake.
Chaired by Phil Smith, former CEO of Cisco UK and Ireland and now non-exec director of the Digital Skills Partnership, the taskforce is exploring how SMEs can be supported to implement digital technology, such as customer relationship management, accountancy and resource planning software, to benefit productivity and business growth.
Despite the advantages of using digital tools, small business owners are often time poor, cash conscious and without have the skills or knowledge to identify appropriate technology solutions.
Enterprise Nation's membership of the taskforce follows the launch of Tech Hub, a one-stop-shop solution that allows businesses to access industry-leading digital tools, training, support, and know-how. It is supported by Cisco, Google, Sage and Vodafone Business.
Enterprise Nation joins SME Digital Adoption Taskforce
Enterprise Nation founder Emma Jones said:
"Enterprise Nation is delighted to be part of the government's SME Digital Adoption Taskforce. Its findings will be crucial for unlocking the potential of small businesses nationwide.
"Technology is essential for boosting productivity, enhancing security, and using data to make better decisions. However, smaller firms still face barriers, such as software license costs and realising the benefits of tech adoption.
"Overcoming these barriers requires a collective effort from the tech industry, government, business support providers, and business owners themselves.
"That's why we launched Tech Hub last year - to facilitate tech adoption among small businesses.
"We look forward to participating in the Taskforce and helping achieve our shared goal of boosting technology adoption for small enterprises."
The other members of the taskforce are:
Alex von Schirmeister, Xero
Melissa Di Donato, Kyriba
Ian O'Donnell, Federation of Small Businesses
Simon Kenyon, Lloyds Banking Group
Anthony Impey, Be the Business
Tera Allas, McKinsey
Jon Cowan, Sage
Shevaun Haviland, British Chambers of Commerce
Incoming country manager, Intuit (to be confirmed)
Small business minister Kevin Hollinrake said:
"Businesses that utilise technologies such as CRM or accountancy packages are generally much more productive than those that don't, so I was delighted to attend the first meeting of the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce.
"This group will utilise its collective experience and knowledge to create a boost in SME digital adoption and is well placed to help tackle the transformation challenge."
Phil Smith said:
"I was delighted to chair the first of the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce meetings. I believe that addressing these issues is of vital importance and this presents a key opportunity to bring industry together to support SMEs in their digital adoption journey."
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