Jan Cavelle, the managing director of furniture manufacturer, Suffolk based The Jan Cavelle Furniture Company Ltd, has been selected as one of this country’s Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors (UKFEA). The role of Ambassador is to work alongside women and girls to encourage them to ‘consider, start and grow businesses.’

UKFEA was established by the EU and is part of the European Network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors. It operates in 22 countries, including the UK, France, Germany and Italy, providing a network of 250 high-level female business role models who share the message about the benefits of female entrepreneurship across Europe.

In the UK the programme aims to raise awareness of enterprise and business among 20,000 women, engage 3,000 women and girls in entrepreneurial activity by November 2012 and organise educational events for 6,000 participants. The UK has 50 Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors.

Jan Cavelle said: “I am so excited and incredibly honoured to be appointed to this position. I am a passionate believer that enterprise is the essential ingredient for economic recovery and that women have a huge part to play in this. To be asked to participate in building this process is an amazing privilege.”