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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 Turkey

3rd July 2014

We’re looking for the most creative entrepreneurs in Turkey

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This blog is about a competition for Turkish entrepreneurs with fantastic prizes of five fully-paid trips to London’s Tech City and more.

Turkey and the UK are full of exciting, innovative companies.

We in the UK believe passionately that the exchange of ideas and trade creates stability, prosperity and well-being.  That’s why we strive to bring together Turkish and British companies at every opportunity.

Now, following the success of our GREAT Festival of Creativity in Istanbul in May, we are looking to find the most creative entrepreneurs in Turkey to introduce them to the exciting opportunities available in London.

There are five award categories and there will be one winner in each category. The categories are:

  •  The Female Technology Entrepreneur
  • The Undergraduate Entrepreneur
  • The Technology Entrepreneur from Anatolia
  • The Social Technology Entrepreneur
  • The Jury’s Special Award

Here’s what we’re offering as a prize to those five winners:

  • A round-trip ticket from Istanbul to London
  • 3 nights’ accommodation and meals in London
  • Consultancy services by accountants and lawyers on how to set up a business in the UK
  • Mentoring sessions by the Global Entrepreneurship Programme
  • Networking opportunities with providers of venture capital in the UK

Applicants will be judged by a terrific panel of top Turkish CEOs.  The criteria will include which businesses have the most innovative practical business idea; potential for growth; quality of information supporting the idea, and so on. Full details of the competition are on www.gov.uk/great-startup-turkey

This sounds like a fantastic deal to me and I look forward to seeing your applications.  Don’t delay – the deadline for applications is 30 September.

Good luck – and see you in London!

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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