From running the family business to sitting on the boards of several organisations, Mark Squires has packed plenty into his colourful career. Now, he’s channelling that experience into The Lighthouse Project – a community initiative in the heart of Byker…
In our One Thing I've Learnt series, Entrepreneurs’ Forum ambassadors and honorary members reveal the one game-changing lesson they’ve learnt in their entrepreneurial journey. Providing a source of inspiration for anyone pursuing a similar path, our guest editors share some of the critical business challenges they’ve faced and how they overcame them. In this edition, Dame Irene Hays DBE DL, Chair of Hays Travel, shares the pivotal lesson she’s learnt during her illustrious career: the power of a values-led culture.
The Entrepreneurs’ Forum’s acclaimed Scale-up Leaders’ Academy returns for 2026, refreshed and enhanced to deliver even greater impact for ambitious founders and their teams.
How well do you know your fellow members? In this feature, we shine a light on some of the Forum’s longest standing members, exploring their business journey, their connection to the North East and what makes it such a special place to live, work and grow a successful business.
As NET, the bold, design-led publishing house behind some of the North East’s most compelling media, marks ten years in business, we sit down with creative and managing director Pete Mallon to reflect on the highs, the lows, and the evolution of one of the region’s most recognisable media brands…
Entrepreneurial confidence across the North East remains subdued, with just 58% of business owners feeling optimistic or very optimistic about the year ahead, the latest Entrepreneurs’ Forum survey has shown.
By day, Andrew Greenwell leads National Building & Maintenance Solutions. But out of office hours, he’s pushing his limits through a self-set challenge of nine extreme endurance events, all to raise funds for St Oswald’s Hospice…
An inspirational business leader whose vision and determination have left a lasting mark on the North East has been recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Entrepreneurial Awards.
The Entrepreneurs’ Forum has today published its 2024/25 Impact Report, capturing a year in which its community of entrepreneurs demonstrated resilience, creativity and determination in the face of tough economic conditions.
Forging a path at the helm of a growing business can often prove isolating. That’s precisely why the Entrepreneurs’ Forum exists: a dynamic, entrepreneur-led, not-for-profit organisation focused on inspiring and supporting business owners who are ready to accelerate growth, lift their horizons, and transform not just their companies, but the broader North East economy.
