limelight

Sailing into new waters Solarglide | Northumberland

KTP project solidifes growth Cornelius Group | Hertfordshire

European bank invests in UK Berenberg | Germany

German bank Berenberg has launched itself in the UK after being attracted by the country’s ‘dynamic’ business environment. Germany’s oldest private bank, which will be headquartered in Threadneedle Street, is hoping to benefi t from the UK’s strong reputation as a hotbed for innovation with excellent long-term prospects. Andreas Brodtmann, one of three

managing partners to oversee private banking at Berenberg, said: “The UK offers a dynamic entrepreneurial market for us, with good long-term prospects for wealth creation, within which we can add signifi cant value to our clients.” >> www.berenberg.de

An award-winning project has helped a Hertfordshire company achieve overseas success. The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project between chemical distribution and manufacturing company Cornelius Group and Anglia Ruskin University has been awarded the highest grade of ‘Outstanding’ by the KTP Grading Panel. The project aimed to develop market sales and deliver marketing strategies. Darren Spiby, Cornelius’ sales director,

says: “The board of directors agreed that there was a need to bring some marketing skills into the organisation to help the business promote itself and its offer and to develop a market-entry plan to help with our Polish business ambitions.” According to managing director, David Brown, the company’s Polish subsidiary now provides a solid platform in Central Europe capable of supporting future growth in the region. >> www.cornelius.co.uk

Follow our lead Exponential Training & Assessment | Leicester

Exponential Training & Assessment has won several contracts worth more than £1.5m in South Africa, Europe and the Caucasus. It will run leadership and management training courses in South Africa on behalf of a government skills agency while European projects will see the fi rm translate several of its online management skills assessments and e-learning modules into multiple languages. John Moore, founder of the Leicester- based company, said: “Winning the contracts has taken a lot of hard work

– we have visited South Africa on three UK Trade & Investment trade missions and had at least 10 meetings with Services Sector Education Training Authority (SSETA) in both the UK and South Africa over the past three years. “In order to win the business it’s

important to develop good relationships with the right people and raise levels of trust, as well as making sure we present the UK offer in a way that our services are relevant to each overseas market.” >> www.exponentialtraining.com

Solarglide, a company that specialises in blinds for seagoing vessels, offshore rigs and other marine applications, has entered the southeast Asian market. Having signed up for UK Trade & Investment’s Gateway for Global Growth programme, which helps companies seek new customers and agents, the company is celebrating a string of new orders from clients in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, which have added around £120,000 to turnover. Commercial director Paul Pringle

explained: “We now have in place a multitude of great agents out there who are really hungry to support us. As a result of the new business we are moving into new premises in Durham, which will give us considerably more space to expand both the company and the product offering. The support from UK Trade & Investment has been second to none and has helped us take our export business to the next level.” >> www.solarglide.co.uk

US food fi rm dishes up UK Amy’s Kitchen | California

A leading American organic food company is launching in the UK. Amy’s Kitchen, a family-owned business established in California in 1987, produces organic gluten- free and dairy-free vegetarian meals. It has selected Corby for its UK site, initially employing 30 staff to prepare more than 170 lines by hand, eventually leading to more than 100 jobs. The company fi rst visited the region in 2009 with support from UK Trade & Investment. Steve Warnert, director of international business development, said: “Corby is a perfect location for us. It is very central, there is a high-quality workforce and room for us to expand as sales grow across Europe.” In the UK, Amy’s Kitchen’s products are already available in Waitrose, Holland & Barrett, and several independent health-food stores. >> www.amyskitchen.com