Member Article

Trade ambassadors offer support to PM’s pledge

Several of the UK’s leading business ambassadors have offered their support to the Prime Ministers’ campaign to encourage more businesses to export their goods and services.

In his New Year message, David Cameron stated plans to increase the number of businesses exporting from one in five to one in four. This step-change would generate billions of pounds for the UK economy, and will create tens of thousands of jobs.

24 members of the UK Business Ambassadors Network have now come together to help businesses get involved.

A spokesperson commented: “We know from experience the benefits that operating internationally can bring to a business.

“Competing against the best in the world makes a firm more productive, profitable and more resilient - and British firms have what it takes to be the best.”

The UK is already world renowned as an centre for innovation, research and development, as well as one of the best business environments in Europe. Growth areas such as the creative industries, science, medicine and engineering are areas which could greatly benefit from export opportunities abroad.

He continued: “ 2011 has seen crisis in the Eurozone and slow growth in the US. There are
still opportunities in these, our traditional markets, as many UK firms can testify.

“But there is increasing prosperity in other markets - China, India, Turkey, Brazil, South Africa - where people are clamoring for the goods and services that the UK is so good at producing.”

In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor awarded UK trade & Investment an extra £45 million to help firms of all sizes to export, and UK Export Finance now has the ability ro insure firms against the risk of not being paid by overseas contracts.

He concluded: “ 2012 will bring a host of opportunities to British firms, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be a showcase for the UK, bringing an estimated 44,000 international journalists to our shores.

“British business needs to match the ambitions of team GB - there’s all to play for, at home and away.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .