Emma Jones

Background

Following a degree in Law and Japanese, Emma joined international accounting firm Arthur Andersen, where she worked in London, Leeds and Manchester offices and set up the firm's Inward Investment practice that attracted overseas companies to locate in the UK. In 2000, bitten by the dot.com bug, Emma left the firm to start her first business, Techlocate.

After 15 months, the company was successfully sold to Tenon plc when Emma was 27. The experience of starting, growing and selling a business from a home base gave Emma the idea for Enterprise Nation which was launched in 2005 to support the flourishing number of start-ups and SMEs.

The company has since expanded to become an active small business membership community, reaching more than 800,000 businesses each year with its powerful digital business support platform. Businesses benefit from free business building tools to start-up and support growth, legendary events and resources including the annual Start Up Show and daily Lunch and Learns. Its platform offers business owners in the UK, Ireland and across EU, the chance to connect with like-minded peers, professional business advisers and trained mentors. It links them to opportunities to expand through procurement sessions with Tier one suppliers. Enterprise Nation also presents a positive campaigning voice to governments and the media on behalf of its partners and members.

With Emma at the helm, Enterprise Nation now works with multiple global and government partners to deliver tailored business support programmes for a growing number of micro and small business owners. It also delivers regular data-led research to highlight and understand the important contribution SMEs make to the economy and to establish ‘what works’ when it comes to funded support programmes.

In 2021, Emma was awarded a CBE for services to small businesses and entrepreneurs and has held several key advisory roles at the heart of the UK government, making the case for small businesses in the corridors of power.