Kate means business! Princess of Wales launches new ‘taskforce’ to promote her Early Years campaign with Natwest, IKEA and Unilever
- Kate has brought together businesses including NatWest, Unilever and IKEA
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The Princess of Wales will today bring together some of the biggest firms in the UK to create a new ‘business taskforce’ to back her campaign to prioritise early childhood.
Kate, 41, is determined to transform the way society views the importance of the early years from birth to five in shaping society and is now taking her initiative to the City.
Companies worth tens of billions of pounds including NatWest, Unilever, Aviva, Deloitte, IKEA, Co-op, The LEGO Group and Iceland will join the royal round-table to launch her new ‘Business Taskforce for Early Childhood’ later.
Run by business, for business, Kensington Palace said it will play an ‘essential role’ in The Princess of Wales’ work to transform the way in which society prioritises and supports children in their earliest years.
In a statement it said: ‘Early childhood is vital to the health of our economy and society, now and for generations to come.
The Princess of Wales has partnered up with businesses including NatWest, Unilever, Aviva, Deloitte, IKEA, Co-op, The LEGO Group and Iceland for her new Early Years ‘taskforce’. Pictured visiting a primary school in 2022
‘Given the key role of the business community in both the growth of our economy and in shaping our society, as well as the clear interest in developing a strong future workforce, this is an opportunity to come together to affect long-term change.’
The Taskforce will hold its inaugural meeting today at NatWest’s headquarters in the City of London, building on the recent launch of the princess’ Shaping Us initiative.
The campaign has been inspired by Kate’s public work in areas such as mental health, addiction , homelessness and violence and social exclusion.
She began to realise the huge impact early childhood experiences have on individuals in later life and has vowed to spend the rest of her own career working to better them through information and support for parents, educators and carers.
Amanda Berry, Chief Executive of The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales said: ‘We all have a role to play in building a supportive and nurturing world around children and those who care for them, and it is fantastic to see business leaders placing the subject of early childhood at the heart of their organisations.
‘Businesses play a key role within society and with their huge reach to their employees, consumer and the wider community, their involvement can have a transformative impact on the health and happiness of generations to come.’
NatWest Group Chief Executive, Dame Alison Rose, added: ‘I am delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Wales, and leaders from a wide range of sectors to our headquarters for the inaugural meeting of the Business Taskforce for Early Childhood.
‘This is a critical issue for the future growth and success of our businesses, our economy and our society.
The Princess of Wales pictured in Port Talbot in February 2023. The Chief Executive of the Royal Foundation said: ‘We all have a role to play in building a supportive and nurturing world around children and those who care for them, and it is fantastic to see business leaders placing the subject of early childhood at the heart of their organisations’
‘As business leaders, we have an important responsibility to the colleagues, customers and communities we serve.
‘This Taskforce can deliver positive change by bringing together a wealth of experience across the private sector to help provide the support and resources that young children and their carers need to thrive.’
The creation of the Business Taskforce for Early Childhood follows the launch of Shaping Us, a long-term campaign spearheaded by the Princess of Wales which aims to transform the issue of early childhood from one of scientific interest to one of the most strategically important topics of our time.
Kate believes early childhood is the social equivalent to climate change but is not discussed with the same seriousness and wants to change the national conversation on the issue.
Attendees at today’s meeting are: Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Wales; Jolyon Barker, Global Lead Executive Insight and Experience, Deloitte; Amanda Berry, O.B.E, Chief Executive, The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales; Lord Karan Bilimoria, C.B.E, Former President of the CBI, Chancellor, University of Birmingham and Crossbench Peer House of Lords; Amanda Blanc, Group Chief Executive Officer, Aviva; Elizabeth Fagan, C.B.E; Peter Flavel, Chief Executive Officer, Wealth Business, Coutts; Sir Ron Khalifa O.B.E, Trustee, The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales; Peter Jelkeby, UK Chief Executive Officer, IKEA UK and Ireland; Shirine Khoury-Haq, Chief Executive Officer, Co-op; Christian Pau, General Manager UK & Ireland, The LEGO Group; Dame Alison Rose D.B.E, Chief Executive Officer, NatWest; Richard Sharp, Head of Unilever UK and Vice President for HR.
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