The CEO Collective

Private businesses and entrepreneurs play a critical role in the UK, often leading the way in areas like innovation and creating employment. They’re well placed to support the UK’s economic recovery and growth, so we’ve created a movement to help.

Our CEO collective is open to all CEOs of private companies. It brings together leaders from companies across the UK - from high growth start-ups to large family-run and private equity owned businesses – who want to help make the UK the best place to work, innovate and build a business.

The key to economic growth

At our CEO Collective, private business leaders have an opportunity to talk about the issues that are likely to impact their future success, network with their peers and engage with the UK government.

“Entrepreneurs, and the entrepreneurial skills we see in many private businesses, are key to the future of the UK economy,” said managing partner for Deloitte Private Emma Cox.

“The pandemic and Britain’s exit from the EU have brought change and challenge. But now’s the time to strive towards making a positive change that supports private businesses to drive innovation and inclusive UK-wide growth.”

“Real economic growth hinges on their success,” Emma continued. “It’s pivotal in getting our economy moving again.”

Now’s the time to strive towards making a positive change that supports private businesses to drive innovation and inclusive UK-wide growth.
Emma Cox

Managing Partner for Deloitte Private

Driving change

The role of private capital continues to rise across the globe, while public equity market activity continues to trend downwards.

In response, governments are recognising the critical importance of providing the right environment for private businesses and private capital to drive economic growth. A key part of the CEO Collective’s work to date has been sharing insights, ideas and recommendations with the UK Government on just that.

One of these meetings, which focused on developing, supporting and celebrating entrepreneurship, was attended by The Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – along with 50 private business leaders from across the UK.

“The Collective has provided a great opportunity to interact with other business leaders,” said 4th Utility CEO Tony Hughes, who has joined and led discussions on our CEO Collective.

“I have been particularly struck by the passion we all share to support the successful growth of other private businesses and the overall UK economy.”

Innovation, skills… and a good debate

Skills and innovation are at the top of the list of issues private business CEOs are keen to tackle in the coming years - and they are firmly on our agenda too.

Research from 2019 highlighted the need to do more to plug the skills gap, reporting that 100,000 UK positions requiring digital skills were unfilled, and that one in ten jobs advertised required data science expertise.

To help, we’ve partnered with Multiverse, who use larger corporates’ unused apprenticeship levy funds to provide digital skills training to employees of smaller, high growth private businesses. 

Another key area of focus is recognising the need to promote entrepreneurship as a skill in itself, while helping entrepreneurs to do what they do best. “Supporting and celebrating entrepreneurship and helping to close the digital skills gap are major priorities for private business,” said Emma.

“Discussing these themes and long-standing issues, like attracting talent to the UK and driving the levelling-up agenda, has been really interesting. So has covering newer issues, like the transition to net zero, where we see entrepreneurs driving innovation.

“We’ve also covered the importance of strong engagement between education and business, harnessing the passion of entrepreneurs and private business leaders to develop the next generation through mentoring schemes and embedding digital and technical skills training earlier in primary and secondary school curriculums.

“These are important issues, some with short-term solutions, and some which may take a little longer.”

“Working with private businesses is a privilege,” Emma continued. “We have the ability to bring people together, hear first-hand from change makers in the business community and, crucially, provide a route to decision makers who want to hear about experiences on the ground.”

“Through the CEO Collective we have a unique opportunity to work together with Government and key stakeholders, sharing lessons and hard truths, and move towards positive change.”

Contact:

Jill Spencer, PR team
+44 20 3741 2193 | Email Jill