Read: Sage partners with Purpose Coalition to knock down barriers to business ownership and support Levelling Up in the UK

Sage’s Chief Executive Officer, Steve Hare becomes Levelling Up Commissioner focused on Extending Enterprise to all people and communities.

Sage, the market leader in cloud business management solutions, today announced it has partnered with the Purpose Coalition to ensure the levelling up agenda supports enterprise amongst underrepresented groups. This partnership represents the latest step in Sage’s ongoing, long-term commitment to knocking down barriers so everyone has the opportunity to thrive, by tackling digital and economic inequalities and protecting the planet.

Sage will work with the Purpose Coalition on its first major initiative, the development of 14 Levelling Up Goals focused on tackling the challenges facing the UK post-COVID-19 and designed to improve access to opportunities for all, regardless of background.

Steve Hare, Sage’s Chief Executive Officer, joins the Purpose Coalition as a Levelling Up Commissioner focussed on Extending Enterprise. The goal aims to make the opportunity to start and grow your own business accessible to everyone. Steve will lead on shaping what levelling up means when it comes to business creation and entrepreneurship as well as focusing on other key priorities such as to achieve equality through diversity and inclusion, widen access to savings, responsible credit, promote good health and wellbeing.

The Purpose Coalition is made up of the UK's most innovative purpose-led leaders and organisations and was established by the Rt Hon Justine Greening, the UK’s former Secretary of State for International Development and Education with the aim of uniting the nation to tackle the UK’s biggest societal challenges. The Levelling Up Goals, are the Purpose Coalition’s first major piece of work, exploring how the goals could be used to help businesses to measure their social impact and as a benchmark for current and future reporting standards. 

Sage is trusted by millions of customers worldwide to deliver the best cloud technology and support, and as part of its ambitious Sustainability and Society strategy, its goal is to tackle societal and economic inequality as well as support a new generation of diverse and sustainable businesses.

Rt Hon Justine Greening, the UK’s former Secretary of State for International Development, said: “The Levelling Up Goals provide a clear architecture for purpose-led organisations to measure and articulate their impact. Businesses need to recognise the wider role that they have to play in society and in creating equality of opportunity as we recover from the pandemic.”

“I am delighted that Sage is taking a leading role on the Levelling Up Goals. Sage’s commitment to investing in its home region of the North East and its commitment to knocking down barriers to enterprise in the UK; helping entrepreneurs start their businesses and SMBs scale up and prosper, makes them a perfect partner for our ambitions.” 

As part of Sage’s Sustainability and Society strategy, ‘Knocking Down Barriers’, Sage has already committed to extending enterprise in the UK. It has engaged in a three-year multi-million-pound partnership with MyKindaFuture and JobCentre Plus to provide content, mentoring and training support for jobseekers who are disadvantaged or from underrepresented communities to start their own businesses. Sage has also pledged to provide 10,000 children in the most deprived areas of North of Tyne, where it is headquartered, with access to STEM skills education. 

Sage Chief Executive Steve Hare added: “Sage is proud to partner with the Purpose Coalition as we strive to knock down the barriers to opportunity and equality in our society. We believe that extending enterprise by supporting aspiring entrepreneurs and small and medium sized businesses is crucial to the success of the UK’s levelling up agenda and welcome the opportunity to help drive these initiatives.” 

“As the Commissioner for Extending Enterprise, I, along with my Sage colleagues, look forward to playing a larger role in equipping small and medium size businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups or economically deprived backgrounds with the resources they need to thrive, unlock opportunities and accelerate their potential.”

The Purpose Coalition includes some of the UK’s most purpose-led businesses, universities and public sector organisations across sectors, such as Amazon, BP, Direct Line Group, the BBC, Compass Group, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester United Foundation, University of Bradford and many others.

Find out more here.