Policy Pulse: Chantelle de Villiers, director of public affairs at Sage

As part of a new series of interviews, we speak to some of the UK's key small business advocates and policymakers.

We're kicking off this week with an interview with Chantelle de Villiers, director of public affairs at leading accounting software firm Sage.

A champion of small business

In her role, Chantelle champions the voice of small and medium-sized businesses in government policy debates.

Having had direct political experience as a councillor in Milton Keynes City Council, she spearheads Sage's UK policy strategy with one aim in mind – to create the right policy environment for small businesses to adopt and invest in technology, particularly AI technology that helps businesses become more productive.

She explains:

"Our whole agenda when we talk to government gears around being a champion and a voice for our customers at Sage who are SMEs. We very much champion their voice in policy debates.

"We really want to make sure that government policy creates the right environment where small businesses can thrive and invest in the technology that will help them be more productive and successful."

Supporting small firms through partnerships

Sage's commitment to supporting small businesses through digital transformation extends beyond policy advocacy into practical partnerships.

This includes playing an important role as a member of Enterprise Nation's Tech Hub Consortium.

This collaboration helps give small businesses better access to technology and guidance, directly addressing some of the challenges around digital adoption that policy alone can't solve.

Chantelle says:

"It's important for us to collaborate with business groups like Enterprise Nation, so we're finding common ground and jointly influencing the government's thinking around how it supports small businesses – which ultimately benefits the community."

One of her key areas of advocacy is pushing for financial incentives and legal changes that will encourage investment in technology.

This issue is particularly relevant given the government's recently published Small Business Plan recognises the need to boost productivity across the small business sector.

Chantelle adds:

"We've been advocating for giving small businesses relief on their tax bill for tech investments to incentivise them to invest more, because we know that the UK lags behind on digital adoption compared to our international peers.

"That, coupled with legislation and regulatory intervention, can make a difference in driving up adoption rates.

"In the EU, they have their Digital Decade strategy, where by 2030 they want 90% of SMES across Europe on cloud software, for example. Singapore has something similar as well, and we'd like to see this in the UK."

But, as Chantelle points out, there is a fundamental difference.

"It comes down to three things. Money (so cost of tools), having the right skills and then information overload and understanding what technology is right for them. But these elements are fixable."

How electronic invoicing can have a major impact

Another major focus of Chantelle's current work is e-invoicing – electronic invoicing that allows businesses to send, receive and process invoices in a digital format that accounting systems can process automatically.

Unlike traditional PDF invoices sent by email, e-invoices contain structured data that the software can read directly.

The key benefit is that it removes the need for entering data by hand, reducing errors and significantly speeding up payment processes.

Chantelle says:

"Again, our international peers are way ahead when it comes to things like e-invoicing, which we know reduces late payment by 20%. But it also makes that whole process of raising, sending and paying an invoice way more efficient – it streamlines the whole process.

"It all revolves around demonstrating the key role that technology has in helping address those everyday pain points like getting paid on time."

Sage thinks e-invoicing could be particularly transformative for addressing late payments – the major announcement coming out of the Small Business Plan.

Currently, the average invoice in the UK takes 23 days to be paid, but e-invoicing can reduce this significantly by automating approval workflows and enabling instant processing.

The technology also provides greater transparency in the payment process, making it easier to track the status of invoices and identify bottlenecks.

Chantelle's team is closely engaged with implementing the government's renewed focus on tackling late payments, which costs the UK economy £11 billion per year and forces 38 small businesses each day to close.

Economic pressures have certainly exacerbated the problem, with many small firms struggling with cash flow as larger companies extend payment terms.

Chantelle says:

"Late payment is absolutely devastating for small businesses. We're working with government to make sure that the measures outlined in the Small Business Plan actually have teeth and create real change for our customers who are often waiting months to be paid."

In countries like Italy and France, where e-invoicing is mandatory for business-to-business (B2B) transactions, firms report significantly better cash flow and shorter waiting times for receiving payment. The structured data format also helps improve cash flow forecasting and financial planning.

How Chantelle's team are fighting for change

Chantelle's work sees her regularly organising events that bring together MPs, government officials and small business owners.

Recent initiatives include working with Labour Growth Group to analyse Chancellor Rachel Reeves' economic announcement, and partnering with companies like the brilliant Borough 22 Donuts – whose founder Ryan Panchoo has built a successful business now selling in Selfridges – to demonstrate real-world success stories.

Chantelle says:

"It's only by hearing these success stories that MPs can understand the journey founders have to go on to create success – and make changes that genuinely support real economic growth."

Her team is also developing educational programmes around Making Tax Digital (MTD), to show MPs how the thousands of self-employed taxpayers can benefit from running their businesses digitally.

Chantelle adds:

"We want to bring to life how tradespeople – who are already embracing the digital economy – can also benefit hugely from doing their taxes and finances on software.

"Luckily, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, is very supportive of MTD, very open to these conversations and embraces technological change and wants to modernise."

Chantelle's daily working life

We asked Chantelle what a typical day for her might look like.

"The fun and positive thing about my job in public affairs is that no two days are ever the same. But I love it because I get to talk to so many different people.

"One day, I could be speaking with a government minister or attending a roundtable. I might be going to Number 10 with our CEO to talk to the Prime Minister's business adviser, or into Parliament and running an event, like we did with Enterprise Nation to raise awareness around late payment.

"But at Sage it's really important to mention that in all of those engagements, we really try and bring the real voice of real businesses, our customers, so we can advocate on their behalf."

Sage as an entrepreneurial success story

Sage itself is a beautiful example of an entrepreneurial success story. Launched in Newcastle 43 years ago, it's now an international business, with its global corporate affairs team alone comprising more than 200 people.

Sage is a worldwide tech leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology used by millions of small and mid-sized businesses around the world.

And it wants to go further by helping more firms adopt smarter technology that will allow them to run more productively – boosting the UK economy in the process.

Sage research suggests this enhanced level of tech adoption could add a huge £232 billion to the economy each year.

Sage has been encouraging the UK government to offer tax incentives to help businesses invest in these tools, as well as supporting the broader introduction of e-invoicing.

Many EU countries – including Italy, Portugal and France – already have an established infrastructure for e-invoicing for public procurement. Sage thinks the UK should follow suit.

Make your small business more productive with the free Tech Hub tool

Get tailored recommendations, join virtual workshops, connect with expert advisers and find practical resources. Take me to Tech Hub now