Aston University’s Professor Monder Ram OBE joins the new National Business Mentoring Council
Aston University’s Professor of Small Business Monder Ram OBE, has been invited to serve as a member of the newly formed National Business Mentoring Council.
Ram will bring specialist knowledge, particularly around ethnic minority entrepreneurship, to support access to high-quality mentoring for underserved communities.
Business mentoring is a vital resource for entrepreneurs and business leaders, with a recent study, Mentoring Matters, finding that eight out of every ten SME leaders credit mentoring as playing a vital role in their growth. Despite this, many businesses struggle to access business support and cite issues around finding qualified mentors.
The National Business Mentoring Council brings together senior leaders in business mentoring, finance, entrepreneurship, and academia to improve access to mentoring for SMEs and promite its benefits.
Professor Ram is a Professor of Small Business at Aston Business School and Director of the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship.
“I am proud to be a member of the newly formed council because mentoring is an important part of support in business, but not all businesses and their leaders can access it. I’m delighted to contribute my expertise and work with other UK experts to take on these issues,” Professor Ram says.
“We aim to support greater collaboration between mentoring groups and improve access to proven quality mentorship so leaders can find a mentor to support their business journey.”
The National Business Mentoring Council will promote its work on National Mentoring Day on 27 October 2025.
Gareth Thomas MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade, adds: “Having a mentor can be a game-changer for small businesses, so I welcome the creation of this new council who will make it easier for business leaders to find a high-quality mentor they can trust.
“This forms part of the government’s plan for small businesses, the most comprehensive package of support for smaller businesses in a generation, helping to deliver the plan for change.”
