Michelle Pinggera

Michelle is currently Partner at Goldman Sachs. In 2010, and in partnership with the University of Leeds and Oxford Said Business School, she helped to establish a pilot programme for small business owners and social entrepreneurs in Yorkshire and Humberside. Under Michelle’s leadership, the 10,000 Small Businesses programme in the UK provides practical support, education, networking and mentoring for individuals leading small, high-growth organisations. Leeds and Oxford would supply the academic rigour and learning, and Goldman Sachs the commercial nous.

Michelle contributed to the development of the curriculum and structure of the programme, which was underpinned by Leeds research on how owners of small businesses acquire new knowledge. The results have been tangible, and the programme has received considerable acclaim: more than 250 local entrepreneurs have completed it; 90 percent have increased staffing and 88 percent have grown revenues in three years. The programme’s success has resulted in it being rolled out in the North West, Midlands and London, and the participation of more than 900 businesses.

Michelle is also committed to philanthropy and the community in the UK. She is a trustee for the Mayor’s Fund for London and a member of the Business in the Community National Education Leadership Team. In 2013, she was named among the fifty most inspirational women in British business by the Women Inspiration and Enterprise network.