Business News The Griffin Report
Harry Reilly has been at the sharp end of global business, especially in the United States, for many years. As a result, he is the latest recipient of the Chamber President’s Medal. Here he shares with Jon Griffin, Chamberlink’s award-winning columnist, his views on the US election and the toppling of Trump, ending “four years of outrage and unpredictability”.
Trump years – against a backdrop of increasing trading uncertainty over Brexit. Prominent West Midlands business leader
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Harry Reilly, the honorary chairman of the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce, says a Biden administration could usher in a new dawn for Anglo-US relations following the protectionist policies of Donald Trump. But he warned that Brexit posed a minefield
for many West Midland firms, with the outcome of negotiations over a trade deal still unresolved as the UK prepares to leave the EU on 31 December. Harry, a former managing director of Land
Rover UK and of Brintons carpets in Kidderminster, the deputy chair of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and a the latest recipient of the Chamber’s coveted President’s Medal, said the incoming US president needed to oversee the “American economic engine firing again”.
‘History will tell you that tariffs do not work in the long run. You need free trade around the place. If you want to pick a fight with China, good luck’
“I was hoping for a Biden win but I had some concerns. In the Democrat Party, there are some quite radical left-wing factions that could be quite dangerous. A controlled Biden Presidency which would include a balance of sensible Republicans in the Senate would be good for this region. “Trump stood for the economy and the stock
market but there were so many deals he walked away from – climate change, the World Health Organisation, NATO. He was more protectionist, but history will tell you that tariffs do not work in the long run. You need free trade around the place. If you want to pick a fight with China, good luck.” Harry said the toppling of Trump marked an
end to “another four years of outrage and unpredictability” with White House strategy seemingly determined by “his next tweet”. He added: “I do not think that the world has
ever seen anything like it. He was so non- establishment and unconventional that it was a real shock to the system. “I met a guy in Toronto who had been an
investor in one of Trump's projects and he said he is a challenge to deal with because he has to win. The guy said: ‘I have done business with
20 CHAMBERLINK November 2020 A reward for 50 years of hard work
Steve Allen has awarded his President’s Medal 2020 to Harry Reilly for his outstanding contributions to Birmingham , the West Midlands and international business over 50 years. Harry is honorary chairman of the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce and
a well-known figure in the West Midlands business community. He is currently the deputy chair of University Hospitals Birmingham, the largest Foundation
Trust in the country. He is also a non-executive director of a Toronto-based group and non- executive chair of several other early-stage growth companies. His previous roles have included senior positions in the automotive industry with BMW and
Land Rover and he was the group managing director of Brintons Limited, the world's leading supplier of premium carpets. Harry has considerable experience in developing worldwide business structures and
relationships, particularly in North America and the Far East. Steve said: “Harry is passionate about Birmingham and the West Midlands and has been a
friend of the Chamber for many years. His work and knowledge about trading internationally are unsurpassed. He has made a very significant contribution to our region in many different ways. He is not someone who seeks recognition for all the good work that he does which is one reason why I am delighted to award him the President’s Medal for 2020.”
him, either he wins or he litigates.’ Now he is litigating as a way of doing business as the (outgoing) president. “If you had said to me that there would be a
president who would try to buy Greenland, pay off a porn star, get impeached and then acquitted, who would have believed it? But 70 million people voted for him. They can see something that resonates. “But from the West Midlands' and Birmingham’s point of view, you have to hope
that the US comes through this and drives economic growth.” Harry warned that Brexit posed a clear threat
to trade for the UK. “I worry about the UK. I do not feel that people are ready for Brexit. Biden was Obama's Vice-President when we talked about a US-UK trade deal and Obama said that if we did leave the EU we would be at the back of the queue. “I do not think that it will be an easy trade deal to do. Any importer or exporter will have to
controlled Biden Presidency could help bolster the West Midlands economy after the “outrage and unpredictability” of the
Congratulations: Steve Allen (left) presents Harry Reilly with the President’s Medal
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