You might think that opening your new store in central Tokyo on 11 March, the day when the largest earthquake in a thousand years hit, constituted a pretty bad omen. In fact, Cabbages and Roses, the British interiors and clothing …
In recent days, I’ve spent time at Liverpool Science Park, Manchester Science Park and Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus and I’ve been thinking about how important R&D is to the future prosperity of the UK. I work a lot with …
I've been to Birmingham a couple of times before but have stayed in the centre of the City. My exercise regime has suffered since being back in the UK so thought I'd have a go at finding somewhere to run in Birmingham. Not usually the easiest task in the centre of a city, but actually Birmingham is set on a series of canals and the tow paths make a perfect running track. Winter has started to set in but I can imagine that an evening drink next to a canal on a hot summer’s day would be lovely and so close to the centre of a big city.
I'm surprised by the conscious, obvious, effort that UK companies are taking to reduce their carbon footprint. It's everywhere and it has changed so much even though I've only been gone a year.
How many cities of 7 million people, capital of an area of 90 million people, have you never heard of? Would you imagine HMG has no diplomatic representation there when we have to the Vatican, Luxembourg, Uruguay and Nepal)? Welcome …
After Exeter I drove up to Worcester for the Export Factor an event where over 100 companies from the West Midlands met to hear how UKTI can support them to export. The West Midlands, with its dominant automotive, minerals and metals and advanced engineering industries, has had a tough time in the recent recession. Unemployment has risen sharply. The Export Factor brought together businesses that were looking to export their way out of the slump.
This is my first time in Exeter. I enjoyed the drive down through Somerset and into Devon. I tried out my best West Country accent in the car on the way down with lots of drawn out vowels. Glaaaaaastonbury, Yeooooooovil and salvaaaage! Probably good that it stayed in the car!
I have decided to write this blog because I am passionate about international trade and proud of the achievements of many of our great North West businesses, which I would like to share with you. We in the North West …
I am writing this as I sit on the new Qantas A380 heading for UK. It’s over a year since I was back in UK. The last time I arrived I turned on the radio in my hire car to hear the news that Lehman Brothers had collapsed. The subsequent four hour drive to my home in Yorkshire left me concerned for the first time in my life that the banks might just fall over and something which had always felt guaranteed was actually at risk. So what will I find this time?
The best preparation for long haul travel is exercise and no caffeine or alcohol – particularly so for a full six day schedule visiting three markets in the vast continent of South America. So Sunday was a day of vigorous …
