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FOCUS FEATURE


EXPORTING As well as the positive impact that international trade


can have on individual businesses – see the interview feature in this month’s publication as a case in point - the Government is all too aware of the significant impact exporting has on the UK economy. That impact is highlighted by a previous Government target to export £1tr worth of goods by 2020. While this target has been acknowledged as being


unattainable in the short term, it doesn’t dampen the desire and necessity to get UK businesses exporting and at the heart of this drive is support. In an interview for this publication last year, Ian Harrison,


Regional Director for the East Midlands at the Department for International Trade, spoke of the importance of collaboration between internationally-focused public and private organisations tasked with encouraging and facilitating exports. “The Government cannot deliver these objectives alone,”


he argued. “We work closely with local enterprise partnerships


(LEPs) and the growth hubs – the business-facing element of the LEPs. We have partnerships with all the major banks and the ‘big four’ accountancy firms among others. “We also work with trade associations, organisations


from the professional services such as lawyers and architects, professional institutes and, of course, Chambers of Commerce, both in the UK and overseas. “We need to make sure there are more opportunities for


new businesses to export. We have a focused effort around new exporters because we want to ensure that by 2020 we are generating 100,000 more exporters.” The network of organisations and individuals tasked with


assisting businesses on their exporting journey continues to grow in strength and diversity. From the Chamber’s own award-winning international


trade team, which offers dedicated information, advice and support for companies trading, or looking to trade, internationally, the Enterprise Europe Network, which helps ambitious small businesses move into new markets as well as access funding, to the Department for International Trade’s 28 Export Champions, created last year to promote Midlands-based businesses to the world, there is a tremendous amount of specialist, expert support charged with helping businesses to succeed overseas. These organisations and individuals are active and


passionate about facilitating activity that has a proven track record of delivering results in taking UK businesses to new heights; namely through international trade forums, events, conferences and expos – such as last October’s successful BCC International Trade Summit – as well as carefully- planned strategic trade missions. One service that ticks all the right boxes in terms of


collaboration, expertise and support is the Global Business Network. In 2012, then Prime Minister David Cameron launched a


partnership between BCC, the Department for International Trade (then UKTI) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to create an international UK business network offering increased export support in high growth markets. The aim was to increase the range of practical, business-


to-business support on the ground, initially in over 40 high- growth and emerging markets. What materialised was the Global Business Network (GBN). The GBN, coordinated by BCC but delivered


internationally, utilises the knowledge and expertise of market experts based at over 40 chambers in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania. Providing a comprehensive range of services including


market insight, partner search, export documentation advice and regular trade missions, it has supported companies across the Chamber network to take their business to new international markets.


‘The BCC’s Global Business Network is an effective and engaging channel for Chamber members seeking international trade support’


48 business network February 2018 Exporting can have a phenomenal impact on a business's ability to grow


As an accredited member of BCC, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) is part of the GBN, and as such is able to tap-in to the network to the benefit of members. The GBN epitomises the level of support to businesses


looking to trade internationally at every level. A point highlighted by the Chamber’s Head of International Trade, Laura Howard. “The BCC’s Global Business Network is an effective and engaging channel for Chamber members seeking international trade support,” she said. “The real value is that the delivery partners, overseas chambers, are based in-market and as such are able to draw on their acute understanding of their respective markets as well as their network of contacts. “We have supported many East Midlands companies to


trade internationally through the Global Business Network, brokering conversations with market experts based around the world. My message to Chamber members would be to make full use of this valuable network and engage with the GBN wherever possible.” So what’s the message from all this? It would be flippant


to suggest that challenges don’t exist surrounding exporting – be that within legislation, lack of knowledge of certain markets and customs or uncertainty surrounding Brexit. It’s also clear that the nuances between businesses and


sectors mean that a one-size-fits-all model of support is unlikely to herald the kind of impactful results desired by the Government. Support, where possible, needs to be tailored to the needs of each business. Yet what is crystal clear is that for those toying with the


idea of beginning their export journey – or indeed those already on it – there is an overwhelming level of support on offer. The potential to grow and harness the power of


international trade could be a conversation away and that potential is something that the Assyrian merchant colony, early trade pioneers and all those who followed could have only dreamed of accessing.


Laura Howard, the Chamber's Head of International Trade


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