20th June 2013
Hard hat, heavy boots, pre-dawn start. That’s what a visit to an Australian resources site entails. I’m getting used to it. Australia is a gas superpower, on its way to overtaking Qatar as the world’s largest LNG exporter by the end of the decade. British companies are big players in developing the industry, offshore in […]
14th June 2013 Ottawa, Canada
As Chair of the G8, the UK will host a G8 Summit on 17-18 June in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland. Prime Minister Stephen Harper will join David Cameron, and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the US and the EU to address global economic and international security issues together.
30th May 2013 Vancouver, Canada
Over the past few weeks I have been telling a lot of people that Minister Alistair Burt, from the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, is visiting Vancouver. He’s responsible for the UK’s relationship with Canada and much besides. This was big news for me, but it seemed to elicit one of three responses…
24th May 2013
Australia is a very long way from Britain – 23 hours flying time. That can sometimes put small businesses off exploring the big opportunities in this important market. But many companies are exporting very successfully to Australia without leaving home, thanks to booming e-commerce sales. 15.7 million Australians are active online and Australia’s online retail […]
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23rd May 2013
It’s not often I see a brand of mineral water that sends a frisson down my spine. But it happens in a meeting with the Deputy Economy Minister in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, when we discuss economic prospects for the mountainous and beautiful ex-Soviet Republic. The name of the mineral water, bottled in Kyrgyzstan, […]
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22nd May 2013 Ottawa, Canada
At some point or another, we have all heard the saying that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. But nowhere is this more apparent, and perhaps even vital, than in today’s economically strenuous times. While national unemployment rates have steadily soared across North America and Europe, the recession and the subsequent shortage […]
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21st May 2013
The eyes follow you wherever you look. The gaze is bold, beautiful and serene. But the image is 1,500 years older than the Mona Lisa. Gaziantep, a city of 1.3 million people close to the Turkish border with Syria, is often called an “Anatolian Tiger” because of its rapid growth over the past few years. […]
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16th April 2013 Warsaw, Poland
Last week I had the opportunity to be in the UK with HMA Robin Barnett. A busy visit and one which took me to London, then North through Shrewsbury to Liverpool. Whilst in London we had the opportunity to attend the Council of British Chambers of Commerce Annual Conference and Awards Gala which to celebrate […]
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2nd April 2013
Last month I was in Rotherham in South Yorkshire with a delegation from Dolj County looking at approaches to Roma inclusion. This was the return visit after the leader of Rotherham Municipal Borough Council Roger Stone OBE visited Craiova and Podari last January. I wanted him to see the excellent work that local authorities have […]
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27th 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 […]