Aston University’s CREME recognised for outstanding stakeholder engagement

The Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) at Aston University has been recognised for its outstanding stakeholder engagement by the Small Business Charter (SBC) Excellence Awards 2023.

The winners were announced at the Small Business Charter (SBC) summer reception which took place on 22 June at the House of Lords.

The Centre delivers leading expertise on business support for ethnic minority entrepreneurs and works with business policymakers and influential organisations to engage collaboratively with overlooked or disregarded business communities.

It was chosen as the winner of the Outstanding Stakeholder Engagement category by a panel of judges comprising business school leaders, SME business leaders, and other SME experts.

It was noted by the judges that CREME demonstrated exceptional stakeholder engagement by promoting business growth towards increasing the contribution by ethnic minority businesses to the UK economy from £25 billion to £100 billion, a move that is central to the Centre’s mission of ‘making diversity and enterprise everyone’s business’.

Professor Monder Ram, a leading authority on small business and ethnic minority entrepreneurship research and director of CREME, said:

The Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship is thrilled to win the Outstanding Stakeholder Engagement award by the esteemed Small Business Charter.

“This accolade underlines the value we place on stakeholder engagement, a core tenet of our mission to ‘make diversity and enterprise everyone’s business’. This award serves as an affirmation of our commitment to fostering a culture of inclusive entrepreneurship.

“It is a testament to our dedicated efforts to engage with our diverse stakeholders, ensuring their voices are heard, their perspectives considered and their contributions valued. This award fuels our drive to lead the way in fostering diversity and inclusivity in enterprise, propelling us to strive for even greater heights as we approach our 20th anniversary.”