Minutes of the 2016 AGM

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6 September 2016 – Room M, Portcullis House


Present: Alan Mak MP; Peter Kyle MP; The Earl of Erroll; The Lord Taylor of Warwick; The Lord Cromwell; Mr Philip Salter (The Entrepreneurs Network); Representative of Anne Marie Morris MP.


Chairman’s Report

  • Alan Mak MP welcomed everyone to the meeting, thanked them for attending, and outlined the APPG’s activity since the launch in June 2016.
  •  He noted that there has been lots of interest from Members of both Houses, the entrepreneurship community, and other organisations. The launch event was very well attended and so far the APPG has had an encouraging and successful start to its first year.
  • Alan briefly outlined the forthcoming programme of events and noted that David Gauke MP and Seema Malhotra MP have agreed to speak, with more speakers to be confirmed soon now the Government reshuffle is complete.

Statement from Secretariat and Treasurer’s Report

  • Philip Salter introduced himself as Director of The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN), which is the Secretariat of the APPG. Philip explained the APPG’s four policy streams in more detail (tax reform, exporting, female founders, and enterprise education) and outlined the plan for the year ahead
  • The APPG will hold a series of ‘power lunches’ with entrepreneurs, in order to extract questions that will be put into a survey of TEN members and a subsequent call for evidence. The results from that process will be put into a policy report to be launched next summer, a year on from the APPG launch event.
  • Philip invited those attending the AGM to put him in contact with any interested individuals or organisations that might wish to contribute to the work of the APPG.

Election of Officers

  • Alan Mak MP proposed that all the existing Officers be re-elected. Lord Erroll seconded that proposal, and the AGM agreed this unanimously.  

AOB 

  • One attendee made a point about the need to make sure ethnic minority entrepreneurs are not neglected in the work of the APPG; another raised the issue of ensuring the APPG was not entirely London-centric.
  • Peter Kyle MP suggested looking at entrepreneurial options for fundraising, including events outside Parliament with a charge for attendance.
  • Alan Mak MP concluded the meeting and thanked everyone for coming.