Pictured above: Professor Simon Denny, Associate Dean
at The University of Northampton's Business School
Professor Simon Denny, Associate Dean at The University of
Northampton's Business School, has been awarded a highly
prestigious 'Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion', for his
outstanding and significant role in promoting enterprise skills and
attitudes.
Along with other Enterprise winners, he will attend a reception
at Buckingham Palace on 12 July to celebrate his achievement. The
University of Northampton is the only Higher Education Institution
to feature in this year's list of recipients.
The annual Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion, which was
first awarded in 2006, rewards individuals who have played an
outstanding and significant role in promoting the growth of
business enterprise and entrepreneurial skills and attitudes in
others in the UK.
The Award recognises Simon's work and support to would-be
entrepreneurs in Northamptonshire through a range of activities,
including the development of the Business Creation Partnership,
which influenced the creation of new business start up support in
the East Midlands. Simon also led the team that delivered the
Business Link Start Up Service in Northampton from 2007-10.
Since 2004 Simon's enterprise promotion activities have
benefitted significant numbers of women, individuals from ethnic
minority groups, disabled people, ex-offenders and people in rural
communities.
During this time, of the 1,950 new businesses set up in
Northamptonshire as a result of Simon and the Northampton Business
School's initiatives, 91% have proved successful for more than 12
months.
Simon explains: "I got started in enterprise promotion in 2004
when I became aware the European Social Fund's Equal programme was
inviting bids to help people from disadvantaged groups start
businesses. I applied successfully, and the resulting project was
to create a consistent business start-up service throughout
Northamptonshire.
"I knew at the time that where you lived in the county dictated
the quality and quantity of support you received, with help based
on postcode rather than need. This seemed wrong and, knowing The
University of Northampton's strong 'widening participation' agenda,
I felt there was an opportunity to do something very different.
"Northamptonshire and the East Midlands now have a consistent
business start-up support service. We have also established very
good relationships with local authorities who see the University as
one of the key routes through which they can achieve economic
development and social inclusion.
"In terms of helping people - one of the things I'm most proud
of is our work with HM Wellingborough Prison. We sign up interested
prisoners as students of the University, and then take them through
a module from our Foundation Degree in Enterprise called
'Entrepreneurial Skills Development'.
"The students work hard and pass by constructing plans for their
personal development and intended business. Despite all the hurdles
we face in working within the prison system - we can't take any
computers or software in, or sometimes the prison will just shut
for security reasons - we've now had 70 prisoners participate and
very few have failed.
"All work is marked independently and results have been
comparable with our full time students. We hold graduation
ceremonies in the prison and I know the students get something out
of this. When we ran our last information day, we had some of the
ex-offenders who'd been through the scheme come back to meet and
encourage new starters on the course."
On a more personal level Simon is clearly thrilled at the
prospect of receiving the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion.
He adds: "I'm genuinely honoured. I remember standing outside
Buckingham Palace with my mum and dad when I was eight to wave at
the Queen. The thought of going inside is genuinely quite
amazing.
"I think this Award is a real benchmark. It means what we've
been doing has been good enough to reach this level of recognition.
We have a three year strategy that will embed us even more closely
with local authorities on economic development and social
inclusion. We've also just set up our own social enterprise - 3E,
based in Kettering, Northamptonshire - and we will continue to
develop where there is a social need in the county."
Ian Brooks, Dean of Northampton Business School, adds: "The
Northampton Business School has developed an international
reputation for the support it gives would-be entrepreneurs and
their fledgling businesses. The remarkable outcomes from a wide
range of purposeful and well-considered interventions are credited
to Professor Denny and his team, whose tireless devotion to
enterprise development has been rightly recognised by this highly
prestigious Award.
"As a University business school we have developed unique
capabilities in managing large scale complex enterprise projects,
alongside degree level enterprise skills development. This is in
very large measure due to Simon's highly skilled leadership".