Martin Wing, Chairman and COO of X-Forces Enterprise (XFE) was invited to participate at the MOD’s recent Partnering with Defence Annual Employer Conference at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London, during which he announced the launch of a new X-Forces directory service…
X-Forces Enterprise, a proud gold award holder of the Armed Forces Covenant that is fully committed to supporting military veterans in business, launched this online directory to bring together beneficiaries and procurement within big businesses, thus facilitating visibility and growth within the supply chain.
The directory provides a secure and validated service for big businesses – through it, they will be able to source companies that are veteran owned or have a military connection.
The conference focussed on the mutual benefits of businesses partnering with Defence and included representatives from big business, government and the military. As a key supporter of enterprise in ex-military, X-Forces Enterprises was invited to be part of the agenda which showcased best practice and the mutual benefit of supporting the Armed Forces Community.
Also present and sharing in the discussion was Balfour Beatty’s Head of Sustainable Procurement, Aaron Reid, who spoke about the diversity challenges facing corporates when purchasing goods and services. He was joined by Gareth John, Managing Director of G John Survey Ltd., who highlighted the issues facing small businesses seeking visibility within the supply chain.
As Martin explained, the X-Forces Directory is one of the solutions that can bring numerous benefits to the supply chain. It allows big businesses to support military start-ups while also facilitating the engagement of more veteran owned businesses.
The service is administered by XFE. It validates eligibility criteria so that corporate procurement professionals can track the diversity within their supply chain as well as any commitments they are making as part of their pledge towards the Armed Forces Covenant.
Commenting at the conference, Aaron Reid said: “The X-Forces Directory heralds a unique opportunity for big businesses to identify and also validate supplier businesses owned by veterans, or those who have a military connection.”
Gareth John agreed, saying: “As a growing company, I would encourage all veteran owned companies to register on the X-Forces Directory as this will allow them to become more visible in the supply chain, and take advantage of the opportunities emerging with big businesses.”
Martin Wing concluded that: “It was wonderful to be invited by the MOD to speak at the conference. It really demonstrates the priority that is now being placed on opportunities for self-employment or business ownership within the military community.”
Click here to register on the X-Forces Directory or here for more information.