Consul for Business and Government Affairs
Part of27th March 2013 Seattle, USA
When I was growing up in Canterbury, Kent, a house in our street had the name plate “Dunroamin” hung up on the outside wall. I was only about 8 years old, and hadn’t come across the term before. I thought it was a place in Ireland. But of course it means a state of mind […]
1st February 2013 Seattle, USA
After three and a half years of leading the British Embassy in Washington’s trade policy and business affairs team, I’ve taken up a new assignment. Still in the US, happily, and a lot closer to the mountains. Still has “Washington” in the address. Still working on prosperity, trade and investment. But on the other side […]
14th November 2012
I’ve just been given the huge privilege of becoming a board member of the Washington International Trade Association (WITA) , a well-respected non-profit, non-partisan DC-based organisation dedicated to robust discussions on international trade policy issues. I’ve been a member of WITA since my arrival here in July 2009, benefiting not just from its trade policy […]
Read more on Washington International Trade Association | Reply
4th October 2012
Here in the British Embassy’s trade team, we’re just as likely to be in downtown DC extolling the virtues of free trade and why Britain’s open for business to anyone and everyone who will listen as we are tied to our desks doing the more traditional reporting roles expected of Embassy officials. That’s all […]
Read more on Nuts: nonsense, rubbish (Oxford English Dictionary) | Reply
4th October 2012
The following is a guest post by Cassie Rowlands, Intern with the Global Issues Group at the British Embassy in Washington. Some of the greatest British musicians started out in local venues across the UK and it’s important to remember where they came from: their local pub. There’s something about enjoying live music and not […]
Read more on Out with the Red Tape, On with the Music | Reply
27th July 2012
Trade and development. In the UK, it’s a single subject. Just take two examples. First, the UK’s trade policy unit is staffed by officials from both the Department of Business and the Department for International Development. Second, whilst two-thirds of the UK’s Trade and Investment White Paper is about boosting UK exports and attracting more […]
Read more on It's Trade AND Development, Not Trade OR Development | Reply
5th July 2012
The following is a guest post by Thomas Whitehead, Trade Policy Advisor at the British Embassy in Washington covering information communications technology and intellectual property policy. As innovation, talent, creativity, and knowledge become ever bigger drivers of the US and the UK economies, intellectual property (IP) is increasingly important as a means for delivering prosperity and growth. […]
Read more on Patently Superb – Major EU Intellectual Property Development Contributes to UK Growth | Reply (1)
20th June 2012
Some commentators have argued that the UK can’t keep blaming Europe for our economic challenges. These trouble me and I want to correct some of claims that I’ve read. First, the claim that our trade with Europe isn’t significant, and thus doesn’t have an impact on our economic growth. Europe is Britain’s largest trading partner, […]
Read more on Britain’s Prosperity – our focus is both at home and on Europe. It’s not either or. | Reply
30th May 2012
Why buying a second-hand jag puts you in good, competitive company… In the business pages of this Sunday’s Washington Post, Michael Lennox asked whether an aspiring global competitor from a developing economy could use the acquisition of an established Western business to grow its earnings and diversify. Michael’s case in point was Tata’s acquisition in 2008 of […]
10th May 2012
It’s Europe week in DC. The real fun and games are this Saturday when each of the EU Embassies open their doors to our neighbours, curious to find a shortcut to see the inside of those fine properties on Embassy row (hint: go to the British Embassy at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue and see close up the Sir […]
Read more on EU Week – Opening doors to a transatlantic trade deal? | Reply