18th February 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
British people are often accused of using too many sporting metaphors. Expression such as “a good innings” (doing well but nearly finished) or “a sticky wicket” (a hard-to-defend situation) come from cricket. Others, eg “game, set and match” (the contest has ended) or “ the ball’s in your court” (it’s up to you to make […]
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16th December 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I recently had the honour to speak on a panel at a Financial Times Conference on International Financial Centres in Istanbul. The conference included an interesting presentation by Turkey’s Investment Support and Promotion Agency (ISPAT) on Turkey’s powerful economic fundamentals and the potential benefits for foreign businesses in investing here. British companies have been paying […]
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8th December 2014
Havana, Cuba
I was pleased to be able to visit Cuba’s new ‘Special Development Zone’ in Mariel recently. Mariel is a central element in the Cuban government’s plan to attract more much-needed foreign investment and seeing it first-hand is something I have wanted to do for a while. Several British businessmen, interested in investing in Cuba, have […]
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17th October 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Cluj-Napoca was not a surprising choice for my first official visit outside Bucharest. And not just because it is Romania’s second city. The thriving British Business Group of Transylvania is testimony to the strength of the British business community, and I was delighted to meet up with its members at a local Indian restaurant. From […]
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26th June 2014
Ottawa, Canada
To mark Formula 1’s Canadian Grand Prix from 4-8 June in Montreal our Consulate-General held its first ever series of GREAT Britain events. The results were……Formidable (best repeated with a French accent)…
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5th June 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
“The astonishing thing is that UKTI offers such a fantastic set of resources to help companies.” I’m at an export promotion event in the North of England. The speaker is a British exporter who has been working with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) for years. He is keen to persuade other British businesses to do […]
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2nd May 2014
Athens, Greece
One of the parts of my job that I most love is the work we do to support British business here in Greece. Because of the deep and long recession, the market here is tough and British imports have fallen hugely. Last year, however, they rose again – by 8%: the first time in many […]
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4th April 2014
USA
When I was growing up, I remember hearing stories about the mass pilgrimages that people made to Liverpool in the hopes of hearing the Beatles play live. Although Beatlemania has just celebrated its 50 year anniversary, (is there now One Direction mania?), Liverpool still attracts millions of tourists who want to experience the city’s multiple […]
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28th March 2014
USA
There: I thought that would draw you in. What does it have to do with the UK economy though? Well, last week, the UK Chancellor presented the Government’s 2014 Budget. The annual Budget report and statement in Parliament offers an opportunity to take stock of the economic outlook and public finances, while making some policy […]
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26th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in the UK hosted an excellent event in Stockholm this week for Swedish companies thinking of investing in the UK. We had inspirational talks from the MDs of Izettle and Envac, two of the many innovative Swedish companies doing great business in Great Britain. I was delighted to have the […]
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