Apprentice star Mike Soutar and BT (BT-A.L) boss Allison Kirkby have been appointed as experts on the Board of Trade as the Government seeks to boost exports.

They are among 10 chief executives and business leaders picked to act as advocates and ambassadors for their sectors and support growth, with a focus on the country’s 5.5 million small and medium-sized businesses.

Michelle Ovens, who set up trade group Small Business Britain, and Ella’s Kitchen founder Paul Lindley will also join the team.Chief executive of BT, Allison Kirkby (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the new board would not be a “chin-stroking talking shop”.

“The new Board of Trade will be another tool in our arsenal to get more businesses trading around the world and taking advantage of our fantastic free trade agreements,” he said.

“This won’t be a chin-stroking talking shop, because I’ll be urging them to boost exports and get more SMEs trading across all their sectors.

“Because we know that when more small firms export, it leads to more jobs and higher wages and grows the economy.”

The Department for Business and Trade is also launching a call for evidence to gather information on financing for small firms and potential private sector measures to boost their funding.

Small Business Minister Gareth Thomas said: “For small businesses, getting off the ground is one of the hardest parts of scaling up, and central to that is the ability to access finance.

“That’s why this Call for Evidence will be important to allow us to see what more needs to be done to support SMEs so they can go for growth.”

Shadow business and trade secretary Andrew Griffith said: “It has taken the Government more than eight months to even appoint the Board of Trade, let alone hold a single meeting.”

The Tory MP also said Labour had “trashed the economy”, and were “ramming through an extreme trade union charter”.

– The new board advisers are:

Omar Ali
Mike Hawes
Dame Vivian Hunt
Allison Kirkby
Paul Lindley
Catherine McGuinness
Michelle Ovens
Mike Soutar
Sarah Walker
Dr Charles Woodburn

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