Enterprise and the entrepreneurial culture is growing in the UK, and schools, colleges and universities already recognise that they have an important part to play in stimulating an interest in enterprise. We need to build on that platform. Miles Templeman, IoD Director General comments ‘Young Directors are the key to our future economic growth and the IoD is very keen to support and encourage these developing leaders.’

The IoD is a founding member of Enterprise UK and this is another important body who help to raise the profile of business engagement for young people. These activities lead to more businessmen and women becoming our young directors, whether they are starting up new businesses or joining existing companies. We need their energy, desire and innovative spirit to take our economy forward and compete with the rest of the world.

The IoD Young Directors’ Forum began several years ago and has become an important part of membership. This exciting national initiative provides forums across each region of the UK to support younger members of the IoD. The aim is to develop the membership of the Young Directors’ Forum into something of real value where younger members of the IoD can:

• share best practice and learn together

• network with like minded individuals

• discuss issues with their contemporaries

• have access to high quality professional development

• make an impact in the local community

The forums nationally have delivered this through organising networking events and policy-shaping events which are customised towards their development into tomorrow’s leaders across the business, public and social sectors. We build partnerships with the key power bases, both locally and on a national scale, to represent and support views of the forum’s membership in business communities. The forums are going from strength to strength with the inaugural national IoD Young Directors’ Conference taking place this May, bringing together young directors from across the UK to share experiences across the whole group and to discuss how to deal with the challenges of globalisation and business growth.

Find out more about the Young Directors in your region and how you can get involved