Clive Drinkwater is the regional director for UK Trade and Investment in the North West Region, responsible for helping North West businesses achieve success in overseas markets. Clive has taken up this role following extensive private sector experience in international trade, working in industry and selling to over 90 countries worldwide. Clive has particular experience in Asia, having gained first hand experience of the area during spells living and working in Indonesia, Malaysia and China
Driving to an appointment recently I stumbled on a wonderful little programme on Radio 4 called A History of the World in 100 Objects . Last week it focused daily on five objects which gave an insight into the Silk …
I’m very happy that I’m back online and able to blog again after an enforced absence due to Purdah (which prevents public bodies like UKTI from issuing information during the election period) and then a vacation (unenforced, but not if …
It’s somehow appropriate that the day I get back from SXSW, I wake to a piece on BBC Breakfast about an initiative to help musicians called the Music Matters Trustmark. It’s an initiative aimed at acting as a guide to …
I’m flying off to Austin, Texas in a couple of days to be with a group of 32 music industry professionals at what is the world’s biggest coming together of creative talent in independent film, original music and emerging technologies. …
I was speaking to somebody this morning who was asking what sort of guidance is available for people wanting to embark upon an international business career. Of course, the first thing is that one person’s perception of an international business …
We’re all just coming down to earth after a fantastic evening on Wednesday to celebrate the success of firms from the North West which have been through our Passport to Export programme. The event was held at Knowsley Hall on …
I was looking at my diary for the coming weeks and, apart from being horrendously busy as usual, I checked out an event that is coming up on 24 March that I’d like to chat about. We have an event …
This week I took Malcolm Scott, our Consul General in Dusseldorf, to visit Bentley Motors in Crewe. Although the automotive industry in general has had a tough time during the economic downturn, and Bentley is no different to other car …
I’m opening a big event in Manchester today when we welcome over 120 firms from all round the region to hear about the wealth of opportunities for them in the Middle East. We’ve brought 19 of our commercial people from …
When I left Singapore on Saturday night the temperature was a balmy 32 degrees and when I touched down in Manchester on Sunday morning it was to be welcomed (I use the word loosely) by a blizzard and minus 2 …
