Ren has created a successful career in building businesses and providing expert consultancy to UK enterprise and Government for over 20 years.
Present Ventures
X-Forces Enterprise
As founder and CEO of X-Forces Enterprise (XFE), Ren developed the blueprint to support beneficiaries from the Armed Forces community to better understand enterprise and take these skills to either self-employment or employment. By engaging Corporates, Charities and Government at all levels, since inception, XFE has supported over 3000 businesses with over £30 million of start-up funding. XFE is the 5th largest Start Up Loans provider in the UK, with a high business success rate, which is a great testament to the entrepreneurs from our Armed Forces Community. XFE is unique in its delivery and this has been recognised with the Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, received from the MOD by Prince Harry in 2017 for outstanding support of the Armed Forces community. More than 30% of XFE start-ups are female-led and there are specialist programmes for the wounded, injured and sick community and Forces Cadets.
X-Emergency Services
X-Emergency Services (XES) is a social enterprise career transition & business enterprise provider working for the benefit of the Emergency Services Community, founded as part of the evolution of Ren’s strategy to empower other communities who have served. XES is all about enterprise learning and business start-up, supporting the emergency services community and their family members with the tools, knowledge, and networks to make informed decisions about their next career choices involving the commercial world.
Soldiering On Awards
Ren became CEO of the Soldiering On Awards (SOA) in 2018, leading its mission to honour the Armed Forces community’s outstanding achievements. Under Ren’s leadership, SOA unites the MOD, charities, and corporate partners alongside the whole of the Armed forces community. The 2024 Awards launched the Soldiering On Academy, supporting Wounded, Injured, and Sick veterans, their families, Cadets, and Spouses. Funds raised at the annual SOA Gala Dinner auction ensure continued bespoke care for these communities.
Enterprise For Life
Enterprise For Life® (EfL) is a force for good that has the individual at the heart of all its activities, delivering people-focused skills training and social value projects that help communities stimulate economic growth and wellbeing. Working with longstanding channel partners, EfL brings communities together, raises aspiration, and stimulates growth through education, employment, self-employment, and volunteering.
Strategic Programmes Director for the Federation of Small Businesses
Ren was appointed by the Federation of Small Business (FSB) as their first volunteer Armed Forces Champion in 2017, and played a key role in influencing the government policy change, as recommended by FSB and XFE, to offer one year of employer National Insurance Contributions relief for recruiting veterans. XFE Chief Operating Officer Martin Wing transitioned into the role in March 2024 when Ren’s role evolved to Strategic Programmes Director. In this role Ren works closely with her network to support and enhance social mobility, bringing together small business stakeholders for economic growth.’
Cadets in Enterprise
Cadets in Enterprise is a flagship programme for young people who want to explore the key components of how the economy is made up, what enterprise means and how entrepreneurship shapes our lives. Over two decades, Ren gained extensive experience from visiting schools, sharing lived experiences, and through her appointment by the Secretary of State for Education & Sir Alan Jones in 2009 as the National Champion for Business, Admin and Finance, which bridged the gap between FTSE 500 and education. This work shapes the success of the Cadets in Enterprise interactive workshops.
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Women and Enterprise: Skills and Education Lead
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Women and Enterprise: one of the leads for the International Trade and Connections Sub Group. The sub group’s remit focuses on three specific areas that directly impact the international growth potential of women-owned businesses (WBs) – specifically SMEs and micro-home businesses – that export products or services across all channels, especially digital.
HMG
Cabinet, Ministry of Defence, and Department for Business and Trade
In initial discussions with the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business and Trade, Ren has successfully developed a long-term strategy to support veterans into business through the development of a robust and sustainable UK fund through the British Business Bank, and also through the Ministry of Defence to ensure that the strategy, development and rollout was communicated and reported.
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-and-trade
Visiting Professor at Anglia Ruskin University
Ren was appointed as a Visiting Professor at Anglia Ruskin University in December 2018 and has since helped to shape the academic agenda to cover topics that are central to Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Life Skills at graduate and post-graduate level.
Senior Advisor at PPL
Since August 2023 Ren’s role further enhances PPL’s capabilities and expertise in the areas of placed based integration, policy development, inequalities, and our ongoing support within the VCSE sector.
Past Ventures
Enterprise M3
Enterprise M3 was a local enterprise partnership bringing together private, public and not-for-profit sector organisations to determine local economic priorities and undertake activities to drive economic growth. Ren joined the board of directors in July 2020 to support enterprise, and also to become the regional link to FSB for EM3. The project concluded in 2024.
Women 100 Female Leadership and Influence Strategic Forum
In December 2017, Ren partnered with the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to co-create the Women 100 Female Leadership and Influence Forum, bringing together a broad number of organisations, military officials, and sector leaders to share expertise and best practice on empowering women in the workplace, and exploiting the talent and diversity brought by women to the military and civilian work environment. The event successfully highlighted female influence in leadership with topics including Peer Advocacy, Ethical Leadership, the Power of Networking, Unconscious Bias & Stereotyping, Influencing Organisational Culture, Behaviours and Policy and Myth Busting – Access to ‘female minority’ employment.
Rebuilding Through Enterprise
Ren was Director for RTE which supported communities who would benefit from Enterprise learning to establish a career and meaningful income through entrepreneurship. In this role Ren was an official advisor to the Home Office supporting the strategy and pilot for Syrian Refugees. Ren successfully delivered four pilots across the UK and supported the blueprint for further development by other institutions.
Silent Edge
As a former Director of Special Projects and shareholder, Ren’s expertise was pivotal in establishing Silent Edge as one of the UK’s leading service providers to help educational institutions across the UK put sales and marketing strategies at the forefront of their business offering.
Charter 21
Charter 21 was a collaborative project which supported building back our economy and communities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The project was rooted in demonstrating a social purpose beyond profitmaking and at its heart were what I called the six pillars of business philosophy, the imagining of tapping into the potential of people which in turn benefitted everyone in society. My ‘imagine if’ were deeply rooted in what we do at XFE, and this was reimagined for Charter 21.