On 22nd November 2024, budding young entrepreneurs from the Cadet Forces were honoured at a graduation ceremony in the iconic setting of the London Stock Exchange on Paternoster Square.
These inspiring young people – members of the Army Cadet Force and the Royal Air Force Air Cadets – had participated in the Cadets in Enterprise programme, delivered by X-Forces Enterprise (XFE), the leading provider of business support to the UK Armed Forces community.
Over the course of a weekend in September, this group of future leaders opened their minds to learn about and embrace enterprise and entrepreneurship through hands-on group learning. This was followed, a few weeks later, by a Dragons’ Den-style pitch event, where the Cadets presented their business ideas to a panel of corporate partners from London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), NatWest, Cisco, Pets at Home, and Reed in Partnership.
The graduation event was attended by senior leaders from Defence, education, and business, providing the Cadets with access to role models who inspired them and helped instil the belief that they, too, could be successful in their chosen fields.
Ren Kapur MBE, CEO and Founder of XFE, explained the ethos behind the Cadets in Enterprise programme:
“I am deeply passionate about introducing entrepreneurship and enterprise skills to young people, firmly believing that these skills will empower and embolden them, enhancing the trajectory of their development. Since its inception, XFE has led the way in providing enterprise training and support to the UK Armed Forces community – including service leavers, reservists, veterans, and their families.
“Extending this mission to Cadets in a bespoke format is essential to us, with this being the fourth successful Cadets in Enterprise programme and our second graduation at LSEG. We are immensely proud to witness these young people not just succeed, but thrive, and we are deeply grateful for the ongoing commitment of our partners across Government, Business, and Academia in supporting Cadets in Enterprise and shaping the success of our future leaders.”
As hosts of the graduation, LSEG arranged for the Cadets to be part of the day’s market closing ceremony – a unique experience and a powerful motivator for these ambitious young people. James Eaton, the Veterans Network lead at LSEG, commented:
“LSEG is proud to sponsor the Enterprise For Life course for Cadet Forces, which fully aligns with our community support goals – providing opportunities for education, employment, and enterprise. We are delighted to host a reception for these amazing young people and potential future entrepreneurs. Ren Kapur and her team at XFE are helping people take their first entrepreneurial steps with confidence through practical support and guidance.
“These valuable life skills are vital to the economic health of society, and it’s important that young people have the chance to develop them. On behalf of LSEG, I congratulate each cadet for their trail-blazing achievement and wish them well for their next steps in life.”
The event also recognised London-based Cadets who provided a Guard of Honour to the Soldiering On Awards on 16th October, with certificates of thanks presented by XFE and LSEG.
