roundtable
their supply chain, and check for risks of foreign corruption. Be aware that the US will apply legislation even if any transactions are only obliquely relevant to the USA, and that the new attorney general has already said that he will uphold the Foreign Corrupt Practises Act, despite Trump previously saying this was a terrible piece of legislation. Think back to the FIFA scandal – only a very small element pertained to the USA (involving the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar), yet it was the FBI who started to arrest people …”
Sansalone agreed, stressing the need for good distributors and third-party agents, especially for smaller exporters unable to afford teams of consultants and lawyers.
Labour and funding
Murray asked the participants whether they saw labour and controls on immigration as a likely threat?
Tatham pointed out that at his Milton Keynes factory, he had had no UK applicants for the past two years. Romanski followed up on this observation, confirming that it was not just confined to factories; there were also many non-UK applicants for jobs at her head office.
Regarding Ward’s plea that ‘the Government needs to put this residency issue to bed very quickly’, Taylor responded that ‘the Government is listening, but has very little influence at present.” He stressed the need for industry to keep putting their message across, the more vocally and frequently the better.
Murray continued to press the issue, asking what help businesses would specifically like from the Government?
‘Do something sensible with DIT’, was Ward’s immediate reply, highlighting the limited support for SMEs (Small Medium Enterprises) whilst large companies continue to receive substantial funding via HVO’s (high value opportunities):
“BAE doesn’t need government money – it’s being directed in the wrong place! Almost all of the help provided to SMEs is remote and online, whereas the ‘physical’ help available to exporters such as embassy staff or up-to-date Foreign Office (FCO) research has been cut back so severely, that in some places that we’ve completely lost our credibility.”
Stoter agreed with Ward that there needed to be greater focus on practical help rather than vague political support, but had this plea for businesses.
“The Government (via departments such as the Department of Trade) bases its support about what you say you need, but greater political engagement is required, so write to your MP and tell him/her clearly what you want, don’t have, would like ... . Some
MPs think that the support is already there ... when in actual fact, it isn’t. I would have loved to have seen an MP here today as part of this roundtable, I would love them to be an integral part of the business network – they need to be made aware of your needs.”
At this point, one of the roundtable observers, Tony Silver, international trade liaison for the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce (TVCC), highlighted that the Chamber did regularly invite MPs to its working lunches, and this had proved very successful.
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
Murray posed the final question to the roundtable: “Do you think the UK will be a stronger or weaker exporting nation in five years’ time?”
Jenkins: “I’m a glass half-full guy, and completely agree that we have to get our boots on to visit and engage with overseas customers. Perhaps Brexit will force us to be more internationalist and outward-looking as a nation ...”
Sansalone: “As a Canadian I think I can say don’t be so hard on yourselves. In the UK, you have a great pool of untapped talent, a strong currency, and so much potential.”
Ward: “I don’t think the landscape will be all that different in five years’ time. However, the extent to which we thrive will depend upon co-ordinated support from the Government and Chambers of Commerce ... to ensure that companies aren’t simply left on their own.”
Stoter: “I spend every day of every week talking to amazing people, and always come away filled with enthusiasm ... but then reality often strikes. I agree that a support network is essential; peer-to-peer engagement, banks, chambers, business organisations and commercial bodies (such as The Business Magazine) are all essential to disseminate the mass of information and feedback out there.”
Towner: “I’m optimistic for three reasons: confidence, language, and relationships. Most businesses are positive, English remains a global language (for example, the ECB still debates in English), and it’s in everybody’s best interests that we continue to work closely with the EU. When we look back in five years’ time, it may be that Brexit was the turning point which stopped the EU stumbling towards federalism and instead moved towards a more trading-orientated approach, which was its original intention.”
Shaw: “In the past, it’s been relatively easy to export to Europe. This new era will force people to step outside their comfort zone and contemplate the rest of the world – that has to be a good thing.”
Romanski: “Yes, I’m optimistic that we will THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MARCH 2017 David Murray
businessmag.co.uk 23 Alex Tatham
be able to adapt and will be stronger in five years’ time. Whether the UK overall will be stronger than it would have been had Brexit not happened, however, is another question … perhaps five years’ is too short a time period to judge that?”
Tatham: “If you’re an entrepreneur, you have to be able to cope with change … that creates optimism in itself. So, in that respect, Brexit shouldn’t even figure on the radar – all businesses need to be agile.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
