GOVERNMENT APPOINTS SMALL BUSINESS COUNCIL OF 'ACTIVE ENTREPRENEURS'

Small Business and E-Commerce Minister Patricia Hewitt has announced the full membership of the Small Business Council (SBC) with the emphasis placed on enterprise and 'active entrepreneurs'.

Ms Hewitt said: "The Small Business Council (SBC) reflects the changing face of British business, and brings together entrepreneurs with a wide range of experience across different sectors. Together with the Small Business Service (SBS) they will help us to achieve our goal of building an enterprise society in which all firms thrive and achieve their full potential.

"I am particularly pleased this is a Council of active entrepreneurs. People who are taking risks, making commercial decisions, and who understand from their daily experience the issues facing small businesses today."

The SBC includes five members from manufacturing, two from retail, two from IT, one from TV and video production, one from media and public relations, one from accountancy, three from business support and consultancy, one from recruitment, one from training and one from academia.

The SBC is an advisory non-departmental public body independent of Government. It will advise David Irwin, the Chief Executive of the Small Business Service, and will report at least annually to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on the needs of small businesses.

The SBC membership is:

Mr William Sargent (Chair), joint CEO and co-founder, in 1986, of Framestore Group, 'one of the world's leading companies in the creation of digital images and services for the advertising, media, film and television markets.' He has previously worked with Chancellor Gordon Brown and former Secretaries of State at the DTI, Margaret Beckett and Peter Mandelson on Productivity Seminars.

Sarah Anderson is Chief Executive of the Mayday Group, a specialist employment agency and HR consultancy for the catering industry, set up in 1986 and now has three offices in London. She is a member of the Better Regulation Task Force, Chairing a sub-group on SME issues and Chair of the CBI SME Council.

James Brathwaite is CEO of XL Entertainment Plc, intellectual property rights holding, media development and sales holding company which was set up in 1997. He is Chairman of Business Link Sussex and non-Executive Director of Sussex Enterprise Ltd, a combined TEC and Chamber of Commerce organisation. He is Treasurer of the Caribbean Advisory Group, which reports to the Foreign Office on Caribbean issues.

Dr Marion Carter is MD and Principal Consultant Geologist of MJ Carter Associates. This company, set up in 1983, provides technical advice to the waste and mineral industries. She is a member of the CBI Minerals Committee and represents the CBI on the National Advisory Group for Classifying Substances for the purposes of the EC Groundwater Directive.

Samantha Gemmell is MD/Executive Video Producer of the recently formed Creative Media Matrix Ltd. Previously she was MD of Gemmell Media Group for 11 years. Creative Media Matrix specialises in broadcast and corporate video production, 3D computer modelling and animation, CD-ROM production and web design.

Walter Herriot is MD of St John's Innovation Centre, which was established in 1987 to provide support for early stage technology businesses and to encourage technology transfer. He is a member of CBI SME Council and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is a former banker/accountant.

William Jeffrey is MD/Owner of Arrow Mobile Promotions, which specialises in outdoor and mobile advertising. He is also MD/Owner of Market Development Services and Training which provides consultancy services in public relations, marketing and sales.

Paul Morgan is the MD of Roseberry Recycling Ltd a recyclable materials collection business and operates as a management contractor for Landfill Tax Funded schemes.

Dr Robert Parkinson is MD/Owner of Passoc Ltd, an IT consultancy business which provides specialist marketing, business and IS strategic advice to both SMEs and large corporations. He is described as having 'wide-ranging experience of starting up and sustaining businesses in e-commerce and IT areas, together with experience of working in, and importing best practice from, large businesses'.

Kirit Patel is owner and Chief Executive of Day Lewis Group Pharmaceutical, an independent chain of pharmacist shops. He acquired his first pharmacy business in 1975 and currently owns 60 pharmacies throughout London and the southeast.

Meena Pathak is Director/Owner of Patak Foods, a family company based in the North West that specialises in making Indian style foods. She has a particular interest in promoting entrepreneurialism amongst women.

Colin Perry is Chairman/Owner of LTE Scientific Ltd, which specialises in manufacturing microbiological laboratory equipment. He is former Chair of the CBI's SME Council, a Steering Group Member of the DTI Company Law Review and a member of the Financial Reporting Council.

Ian Rees is MD of Riverside Water Technologies Ltd, which supplies and designs solutions for small-scale waste water treatment problems. He is also a director of GT Riverside Ltd, a support service for small and medium sized businesses.

Reuben Singh is Chairman of RS Group of Companies, which trade in several industries, including currency, property, Internet, and retail. He was voted European Young Entrepreneur of the Year 1999 and Europe's Rising Star of the Millennium. He serves on DTI Competitiveness Council, the Government Dept's Peer Review, and the Prince's Trust. Also Chairman of Senate - Genesis Initiative, Chair of Young Entrepreneurs 2000 and Ambassador for Entrepreneurship (BCC).

Michael Snyder joined Kingston Smith Chartered Accountants as trainee in 1968 and has been Senior Partner since 1990. He specialises in advising SMEs and his particular expertise is fund raising.

Prof. David Storey is Director of the Centre for SMEs at Warwick University since 1992. He specialises in academic research of the small business sector.

Marilyn Tarn is MD and co-owner of Triple "T" Engineering Ltd, a precision engineering company, and a director and co-owner of Upright Ltd, an industrial construction company.

Yvonne Thompson is MD of ASAP Communications Ltd, which specialises in marketing and PR. She is involved in the European Federation of Black Women Business Owners, the Economic and Social Committee in Brussels and the African Caribbean Westminster Initiative.

James Torrance and his wife, Mary, established The Body Centre in 1986, a successful business which retailed beauty products. He now sells perfumery and aromatherapy products wholesale.

Beverley Webster worked her way up the family firm to become Chief Executive of Webster Schaeff & Co who design and manufacture coal-mining equipment.