October 2025: Talking at Birmingham Tech Week, Steve emphasised the opportunities AI presents smaller businesses. He described how SMEs have the agility to pivot fast, allowing them to out-pace larger businesses with AI adoption.

October 2025: Steve writes in The Times that the current AI boom shouldn’t be feared as a speculative bubble but embraced as a driver of progress, just as past frenzies around railways and the Internet laid the groundwork for lasting innovation. While many ventures will fail, he argues, their legacy will mark the beginning of the next technological era, not its collapse.

September 2025: Steve writes in The Sunday Times about the deeper issues driving school absenteeism across the UK. Drawing on a CSJ report commissioned by The Rigby Foundation, he highlights practical recommendations to reduce distractions for pupils and reinforce the valuable benefits of regular attendance.

September 2025: Steve authors a piece for The Times arguing that the forthcoming Budget must begin to ease the pressure on businesses. He highlights that many business leaders believe the increasing burdens on their firms serve as a smokescreen to avoid tougher decisions on spending, personal tax, and pensions.

September 2025: Steve contributes to The Global Growth Report 2025, commissioned by WMCA. His case study looks at the US tariffs which could cost the West Midlands £6.2 billion. He outlines how he led a taskforce to assess risks and shape policy, which helped secure a deal reducing tariffs and protecting the region’s economy.

September 2025: The Rigby Foundation, chaired by Steve Rigby, funds the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ)’s landmark report, Absent Ambition, exposing the deep-rooted crisis of school absence across the UK—and calling for a national reset in how we support families, schools, and communities.

September 2025: A study by the Centre for Social Justice, supported by the Rigby Foundation, warns that rising school absence is costing pupils their futures and the economy billions. The report urges government action, including mandatory “attendance awareness” courses for parents, to rebuild trust between families and schools.

September 2025: Steve contributes to a piece in The Times highlighting the pressures facing UK businesses as they prepare for the upcoming budget, and cautions against further tax burdens following recent inheritance tax changes.

July 2025: Steve writes in The Times, discussing how UK businesses can adapt and harness AI for growth.

July 2025: New research from The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN), commissioned by Steve Rigby – Full Speed Ahead – urges the UK Government to establish clear programme standards and classifications for startup support schemes, such as accelerators and incubators.

July 2025: Steve writes in City AM, discussing the UK Government’s tax policy and the potentially damaging implications of bringing in a wealth tax.

June 2025: More than 100 young unemployed people from the West Midlands have completed a Skills Bootcamp programme to help them into work, including tech careers, thanks to a pioneering partnership between The Rigby Foundation and skills charity Generation UK.

June 2025: Steve Rigby joined an expert judging panel at London Tech Week to name Unhubs as the winner of this year’s OnetoWin Rising Stars final.

May 2025: In the Sunday Times, Steve explores what makes an entrepreneur, not just starting a business, but growing it and achieving lasting success. He offers insights into how the UK can better foster and support entrepreneurial talent.

May 2025: The Rigby Family has been recognised as one of the top 100 largest givers in the UK in the Sunday Times Giving 100 list. Putting back into the communities and regions where they operate has always been key to the family’s values.

May 2025: Steve releases the findings of the report he prepared - ‘Implications of New US Trade Tariffs for the West Midlands Economy’ - which was commissioned by Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, to explore how the proposed US tariffs will affect the region.

April 2025: Steve writes in The Times about his recent visit to a Birmingham school, highlighting the vital role businesses must play in helping young people develop the skills they need to succeed in the workforce, creating value and driving economic growth.

April 2025: Steve is interviewed for a profile piece in City A.M., which examines his career and the current business landscape.

April 2025: Steve Rigby, was among 17 business leaders invited to Downing Street for a high-level meeting with the Prime Minister, following the announcement of new US tariffs by President Trump.

March 2025: Steve comments in the Sunday Times, discussing the impact on Birmingham businesses and retailers of the Government’s recent tax changes, including increases to employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs).