Member Article

Entrepreneurs’ Forum welcomes seven more business leaders to its Scale-up Academy

Seven business leaders are gearing up for growth after joining the Entrepreneurs’ Forum 2021 Scale-up Leader’s Academy.

Chloe Clover of Wander Films, Claire Rutherford of Definition IP, Emma Gaudern of EMG Solicitors, James Allen of Guerilla, Joel Marks of Cheviot Insured, Mark Barlow of Logic Architecture and Paul Kiss of K Construction and Maintenance – who make up the Academy’s fifth cohort - have completed their first coached session with scale-up expert Ian Kinnery.

Delivered over six months, the entrepreneurs will learn about key topics linked to sustainable business growth based on the ‘four critical decisions’: people, strategy, execution and cash.

Exploring what it means to scale-up sustainably, the Academy will prepare those on the programme to face the challenges of growth, helping them create an actionable ‘One Page Strategic Plan’ to achieve their goals.

Scale-up coach, Ian Kinnery of Kinnery, said: “On previous cohorts we have witnessed quite exceptional growth in turnover and profit. I am excited to see how this year’s cohort can scale despite the current challenges”.

Since its launch, the Scale-up Leader’s Academy has supported almost 50 business leaders in their growth journeys.

The second cohort of businesses, which were the subject of research conducted by Newcastle University, reported a 140 percent rise in operating profit, with an average increase in turnover of 13.2 percent and a rise of 8.6 percent in employment. A quarter of scale-ups participating in the programme also increased their level of export sales over the past 12 months.

Andrew Mackay of Newcastle-based Coleman James was part of the third cohort of the Scale-up Leader’s Academy. He said: “It was an invaluable experience.

Coleman James began life in 2016 with just me and a laptop. Today Coleman James boasts a national client base, working in partnership with many high-growth companies in the built environment and rail sectors, and we have plans to open a second office. We delivered a multi-million turnover in 2020, which we’ll double in 2021.

“We were already on a significant growth trajectory, but the Academy placed a focus on actionable insight delivered by industry experts – in particular around the key areas of ‘people, strategy, execution, and cash’.”

Jonathan Lamb, chief executive of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, said: “The Scale-up Leader’s Academy is delivering a toolkit of invaluable knowledge to business owners that allows them to prepare for rapid and sustained business growth.

“It addresses the key challenges faced by scale-ups in our region - such as access to talent and leadership development - helping to equip our members with everything they need to grow sustainable companies with the ongoing support of their senior leadership teams.

“We’ve seen great successes from previous cohorts of the Academy and are delighted to welcome another seven business leaders to the programme.”

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