Young Enterprise Scotland to build on record year with new chief executive

Business education charity Young Enterprise Scotland has named its new chief executive as it looks to build on a record year.

Emma Soanes, who takes up the post next month, will step down as chief executive of Unity. She brings 30 years’ knowledge and experience in the third sector, working in partnership with young people, schools, government and the private sector. Soanes is also a board member of the Glasgow Social Enterprise Network.

In the last academic year, YE Scotland reported a 91 per cent increase in the number of young people accessing its enterprise learning programmes.

The record number of more than 24,000 pupils and students across Scotland is being credited to the organisation’s expanding financial education programme and a rise in demand from schools post-pandemic to include enterprise in the curriculum.

Emma Soanes takes up the role of chief executive of Young Enterprise Scotland next month.

Of these individuals, 1,576 young people took part in one of the organisation’s accredited programmes that can lead to a qualification in entrepreneurial skills.

Bill McDonald, chairman of YE Scotland, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, said: “[Emma] brings an ambitious balance of creativity and organisational rigour to our continued growth and development as Scotland’s leading finance and enterprise education provider.

“She has extensive experience of working with young people and at a time when we are facing more economic hardship, we believe that her experience of social enterprise, of social care and deprivation in communities, will add significantly to the impact we can have on people’s futures through enterprise learning.”

Soanes’ role will be to increase YE Scotland’s reach across schools and colleges.