5th November 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Australian government published a White Paper last week setting out strategic directions for “Australia in the Asian Century”. It outlined things Australia needs to do to increase its orientation towards the rising Asian countries, and things it needs to do domestically to improve its economic competitiveness in the face of ever more intense competition. […]
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26th October 2012
Vancouver, Canada
Only a few weeks ago I settled into my new office at the UK Consulate General. In addition to the usual desk, chair, IT and telephony, it’s home to a struggling Yucca that I will doubtless see to a drawn-out dehydrated death, a framed painting of Her Majesty the Queen, and a corner window overlooking […]
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19th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, is not noted for its mild climate. In fact it is amongst the world’s coldest capitals, with temperatures regularly below minus 30 in the winter. But at the centre of the city a huge atrium houses dozens of palm trees, surrounded by students and professors going about their business. […]
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16th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
It’s after midnight on a Friday and I’m waiting at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport to meet FCO Europe Minister David Lidington off a late flight from London. The airport is packed with people as passengers pour into a city which for over 2,000 years has been a crossroads between Europe and Asia. One of the first […]
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16th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
SME exporters in Leeds, big corporates in Canary Wharf, Australian inward investors in Manchester. I’ve spent a busy few days supporting the UK economy, which is the top priority for our overseas network. At an export seminar in Leeds hosted by the big international law firm DLA Piper, I spoke about the many export opportunities […]
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15th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
No-one in India exemplifies ‘The Power of We’ more than Mahatma Gandhi, even over 60 years after his death. He sought to improve the conditions of the poorest and to lead one of the world’s first non-violent mass movements, first in South Africa and then in India. Hundreds of books have been written about his influence on […]
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8th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
We are looking forward to Green Solutions and Energy Day this week Every year more British companies in the renewable energy and environmental sectors come to Mexico to learn about the wide business opportunities in the region. My team of UKTI hosted 8 British companies in the UK pavilion during the GREEN Expo last week. This includes […]
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8th October 2012
New York, USA
LONDON – British companies growing overseas learned about using social as a way to connect to potential clients and partners at Google’s campus in Tech City during Social Media Week London. The very well-connected and new-to-social crowd had the opportunity to engage with experts from government and industry. I had the opportunity to speak on […]
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4th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
$56 billion of infrastructural investment opportunities. New airports, bridges, motorways, ports and healthcare opportunities running up to 2023. Top-level political support from the British and Turkish Governments. All this is the background to this week’s visit to Turkey by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Business and Enterprise Minister Michael Fallon, accompanied by a top-level […]
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1st October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Last month, I hosted a reception with Inchcape Motors. This is one of the oldest British companies in the automotive business, and here in Romania it is the distributor for Toyota and Lexus. The international automotive industry has great potential to deliver growth for Britain’s economy, and so the reception was to introduce Lexus’ new […]
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