Allan GibbNever heard of him? You should have. This year, Gibb was awarded the highest honour in the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise Promotion – a lifetime achievement award. Gibb, former director of the small business centre at Durham University, was recognised for his efforts to inspire and support business start-ups. The university has influenced legions of wannabe entrepreneurs and shaped thinking about entrepreneurship. The National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship says Gibb has had a greater impact on the way we deliver enterprise learning opportunities than any other UK individual. More please, Allan.

Prince Charles The Prince of Wales set up The Prince’s Trust in 1976 to help disadvantaged young people in the UK; 33 years later, the trust has started up 74,000 businesses. Among the entrepreneurs who got a break from The Prince’s Trust are founder of Ultimo Michelle Mone and Kashflow’s Duane Jackson.

Make Your MarkMake Your Mark aims to get kids excited about enterprise in a fun and inspiring way. Case in point: Make Your Mark with a Tenner gives whippersnappers £10 to start a business. In 2009, the best individual profit award went to Henry Pearce, who turned £10 into £736.77 with a sophisticated promotional plan to market, er, himself in a twenties bathing suit. Make Your Mark is run by Enterprise Insight and promotes the thrill of entrepreneurialism to a young audience.Check back tomorrow for more champions of entrepreneurial Britain. Tell us who you’d like to see on our list of enterprise heroes by posting a comment below.Picture: source

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