I left the UK a year and a month ago, to the day. And now I'm on my first business development visit (BDV) back in Blighty.
After a long flight, I land at Heathrow and, apart from the rain, spot the new Terminal 5 building. I'm taken aback by the sheer scale of glass in the building, and honoured by the fact that Lord Richard Rogers, the architect of this sustainable terminal, spoke less than 48 hours earlier in our boardroom back in Australia.
I'm the Trade Manager for Financial Services and Business and Consumer Services, based in Sydney. Lord Rogers was another one of the great UKTI Ambassadors who took the time to share his British design experience and views on the future of sustainability to a Sydney audience.
Aside from working with the business ambassadors' secretariat, I work with British businesses looking to export to the Australian marketplace.
It has been a busy few months. Many of the British businesses I've been speaking to (including a 28 strong mission that arrived in Australia from UKTI South West) have watched the winners and losers of the global financial crisis (GFC) unravel. And it's a pleasure when speaking to these companies to tell them that Australia's economy is now regarded one of the strongest in the World. Matter of fact, of the top ten AAA rated banks in the world, four of them are now Australian.
While I'm back in the UK, I'm looking forward to meeting British businesses and sharing with them some of the reasons for Australia's economic success, and why it's now an even more obvious export choice to consider exporting here.
This week I'll be based in Kingsgate House. I'll share my experiences over the next few days and give you a sneak peek into the world of international trade from HQ.
Craig O'Kane, Trade Manager, UKTI Australia, Financial Services and Business and Consumer Services
1 comment
Comment by Stephen R Hillier posted on
Hi Craig,
Apologies for "hijacking" your blog to make direct contact but I couldn't find any avenues via UKTI or Linked In.
Delighted to hear of Australia's strong economy, especially as I have a brother and family living there.
Wanted to ask whether there are companies from Australia that are looking to open a presence in the UK? If so, how would we go about finding out who they are, please?
We are Commercial Property Agents and we've a lot of experience working on behalf of an international client opening 6-12 offices per month in the UK. We have a very good idea of the frustrations that inward coming companies suffer in the UK and can do a lot to help out, particularly on the real estate side of course.
We firmly believe that we can help inward investors keep to their business plans and make a success of the UK, and would love to be able to get involved.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Yours
Stephen Hillier