A retrospective from George Mackintosh

In 2008 a cool tech entrepreneur – definitely not me – whipped up the term Silicon Roundabout as he looked over the grey Shoreditch office scape. While along the road in Smithfield, I founded Eggplant [first known as TestPlant] with just me in London and four wonderfully clever geeks in Boulder, Colorado. That venture continues today as a story of start-up to scale-up: from a small to a medium and now very nearly a large enterprise.

In November 2011 Prime Minister David Cameron visited London’s “Tech City” and used the courage, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit on display in technology start-ups as a symbolic tonic to encourage Britain’s economic recovery from the banking crisis of 2008. And the CBI started to focus attention on the significance of medium-sized businesses and the disproportionately positive economic contribution of the growing number of new and fast-growing small businesses. Two years later aboard the Prime Minister’s chartered 747 to Shanghai with the CBI’s then DG John Cridland, it seemed the time was right for Eggplant to join the CBI.

As I now approach the end of my extended term as Chair of the CBI’s SME Council I can reflect on the changed business landscape over 10 years and the contribution made to making the UK the best place to start and grow a business by our council members and the many hundreds of our ambitious and growing member businesses. www.cbi.org.uk/our-campaigns/make-the-uk-the-best-place-to-start-and-grow-a-business

That SMEs have saved our economic skins is not in question. The CBI now is indeed the voice of business – all businesses. The CBI represents the interests of small and large companies in every conversation on policy, on regulation, on people, on economics. SMEs sit around CBI tables with corporates. We work together on building an even more skilled work force at all levels, a fairer, more diverse and more considerate business environment and improving and protecting incentives for entrepreneurs. I’ve enjoyed every minute spent in meetings and conference calls with my CBI colleagues on the Chairs’ and Presidents’ Committees. I’ve never shied from promoting the interests of SMEs – and increasingly I’m not even the first member to speak up to defend or promote the interests of small companies.

The SME Council is now an even more populous group of councillors with a full representation from every CBI region and sector council. This council, which had been called the Enterprise Forum, has become the hub of our SME activity. Our debates and discussions have covered many crucial topics, but here’s some of the more important.

Entrepreureurs’ Relief

We’ve fought to hold on to this tax relief with meetings at HMT and managing to successfully having it modified to support founders and early stage co-founders on a scale-up funding journey.

Access to Capital

We’ve participated in the Patient Capital Review which considered the availability of long-term finance for growing innovative firms looking to scale-up.

Late Payment

We’ve working with the Office of the Small Business Commissioner and our friends at the FSB to highlight the need to develop a prompt payment culture in the UK for the benefit of all businesses and the wider national economy.

Banking Disputes

With meetings at the FCA, UK Finance and Simon Walker we participated in a conversation that led to the commissioning and subsequent publication of the Walker Review in 2018. We had argued that an independent body – not a tribunal – would best address grievances. Representing the CBI, I now sit on the steering group of the recently launched Business Banking Resolution Service, www.thebbrs.org. With a remit to do what is right, fair and reasonable in SME disputes with leading banks - relating to cases from 2001 and into the future - this independent body should help rebuild trust between banks and their business customers.

And in the cut and thrust of our quarterly discussions many other issues get covered but always we leave time to consider the mood and levels of business confidence in the room. Those who’ve listened and conferred with the council have included Small Business Ministers, Ombudsmen, officials from HRMC, HMT and BEIS and representatives and MPs from All Party Parliamentary Groups.

So the CBI has moved with the changes in the profile of businesses in the UK and we now serve the SME community with a powerful and potent voice in conversations at international, national, regional and local levels in economic and political circles. The CBI corals the big business manager with the small but ambitious proprietor. We can begin to address matters and solve problems and challenges through debate around our tables: such as creating a prompt payments culture; improving productivity and developing skills at all levels of business.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my three years in this role. Sincere thanks to Simon, Diane, Flora, Chris, Henrietta, Karan, Rain, Anna, Tom, Matthew, Carolyn, Josh, Anthony, Bill, Roxanne, John, Paul…and everyone in this CBI community. Good luck Joanne in the chair! What will I do now?