Member Article

New advisers to help North East's larger businesses

Two new advisers have joined the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) team in the North East to help the region’s larger businesses take up the export for growth challenge under a new UKTI MSB programme.

The MSB programme aims to support those businesses with an annual turnover between £25 million and £500 million, designated as mid-sized businesses (MSB) by UKTI.

Jonathan Gamblin and Chris Graham have been appointed MSB International Trade Advisers and will be dedicated to working closely with MSB companies in the region, to provide advice and support for their international trade efforts.

Jonathan, 47, from Billingham, has more than 25 years of international trade experience in worldwide markets with companies both large and small, including multi-national organisations such as Lafarge and Saint Gobain.

He also set up international marketing and distribution operations for Italian companies Cogema and Unimag and established a consultancy to provide international sales and marketing support for specific clients.

He also spent four years as an International Trade Adviser with UKTI in the North East specialising in the energy sector before joining Pulsar Instruments Plc in East Yorkshire, where he led an ambitious growth programme in his role as international sales manager.

Married with three children, Jonathan is also a member of the Institute of Export and is a graduate of Imperial College London, where he gained an Honours degree in Mining Engineering.

Chris, 57, from Chester-le-Street, has more than 30 years of experience in commercial law and commercial management working for a range of globally-based “blue chip” companies in the high-tech engineering and chemical sectors including Rolls Royce, VA Tech and Huntsman.

Most recently, he was Legal Services Director for SABIC UK Petrochemicals Limited, on Teesside, until his departure at the end of 2010 when he became a self-employed legal and commercial consultant.

A postgraduate of Newcastle and Northumbria Universities, Chris, who is married with two children, holds Masters in both Business Administration and Law. In his spare time he works with the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and was elected Chairman of Citizen’s Advice Sunderland in September 2012.

David Coppock, UKTI’s Regional Director for the North East, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Jonathan and Chris to the team. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience and are keen to work with the region’s MSBs as they take up the export for growth challenge.

“Our export performance continues to be strong, with more than £14.125 billion worth of goods and services exported in the last year. But we need to continue to build on that achievement, MSBs will play a key part in our future success and I would encourage them to get in touch to find out how we can help.”

Jonathan said: “I am delighted to have returned to the North East region and to be working with UK Trade & Investment again, this time as International Trade Adviser for mid-sized businesses and I’m keen to help drive forward the MSB agenda.”

Chris added: “I’ve long been an admirer of the work carried out by UKTI and am hugely excited to be given an opportunity to apply my international business experience to the MSB programme.

“The North East has an enviable track record and I look forward to working with the excellent businesses based in our region to help them take their international aspirations to the next level.”

The MSB programme is a new initiative to support those businesses with an annual turnover between £25m and £500m, designated as MSBs. The dedicated International Trade Advisers (MSB ITAs) will work exclusively with MSB companies in the region as part of a national drive to help push them to the next level of international success. MSB companies will be eligible to access a range of services through a specifically tailored MSB Gateway to Global Growth programme in conjunction with support from their MSB ITA.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by UKTI North East .