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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Ukraine

19th January 2011

Promoting British business in Ukraine

Promoting British business in Ukraine is one of the top priorities of our embassy in Kyiv.  We are regularly in contact with companies and government on every aspect of business activity, from advising companies who are considering starting up in Ukraine, through engaging with the government on specific issues, to lobbying on how to improve the business environment.

This year will see these efforts boosted to a new level when we hold the first British Business Days in Ukraine in Kyiv from 17-19 March.  We are working with a series of Event Partners including Globus, Premier Expo, Pulse, the BUCC, the EBA, MediaCom, the Kyiv Post and Business FM Radio.  The BBDU will include a business-to-business debate; a gala reception; and two days of access to the general public, all taking place in the Third Line of Globus, Ukraine’s most heavily-visited shopping centre, in the heart of Kyiv.  BBDU are being supported by UK Trade and Investment.  So the exhibition stands at Globus will be an outstanding opportunity to showcase the best of British businesses in Ukraine, build brands and capture consumers while offering exceptional value for money, all backed up by a marketing drive in a range of media.

This is exciting stuff, and it’s no surprise that when I hold a major reception at the residence for British business interests to promote the BBDU, exhibition stands for 17-19 March are at a premium.  I’m struck, not for the first time, by the sheer breadth of British business engagement with Ukraine, ranging from manufacturing and pharmaceutical through food and beverages, property development, construction, agro-chemicals, financial services, hotels and catering, consultancy, public relations and marketing, project management, retail, fashion and a strong and expanding body of education providers and specialists.  Because the BBDU offers such a powerful combination of business opportunities and VFM, the exhibition stands are selling out fast.  Any companies wishing to explore availability should contact Lyudmyla Bychyk (e-mail:  Lyudmyla.Bychyk@fco.gov.uk or tel:  +38 44 490 3649).  I look forward to seeing you all on 17-19 March!

About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.

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