The Importance of Partnerships

This Government is building towards some ambitious targets for 2020: 100,000 new exporters, ￡1 trillion in exports and ￡1.5tn in inward investment stock. As we enter a new financial year, these are at the forefront of my mind.

As CEO, I’m clear that UKTI alone cannot deliver our stretching targets: working with the whole of government and partners is integral to our plans.

In my interactions with public and private sector organisations, I am struck by three things. Firstly, the level of expertise partners can bring to the table – stemming from their experiences in helping businesses on the ground. Secondly, their goals chime very much with UKTI’s. They want to see a thriving UK economy, full of exciting and ambitious companies ready to conquer the world. Finally, they have a keen desire to work with government to improve the fortunes of UK plc. My job is to harness all of this energy and focus it on where it will have the biggest impact.

This week, I am delighted to welcome a pledge by Lloyds Banking Group to help 25,000 new exporters by 2020, including 5,000 businesses this year. This announcement is part of a wider set of commitments Lloyds is making that form their SME Charter, and will go a long way to helping the Government achieve its target of 100,000 new exporters by 2020.

What pleases me most is that this isn’t a one off. This is part of a growing pattern: government operating in a smart and collaborative way to achieve its goals.

As I write, UKTI is developing global commercial partnerships with the six largest banks in the UK – HSBC, RBS, Lloyds, Santander, Barclays and Standard Chartered - and the ‘Big 4’ consultancy firms - EY, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC. These organisations have significant international reach, expertise and reputations. By working with such partners, government can multiply the positive impact on exports and investment for the UK economy.

UKTI is doing great work with all its commercial partners and there is already significant progress, which we can highlight.

In January 2016, Barclays Bank joined forces with UKTI to help further develop international trade and inward investment for UK businesses, including a pledge to support 15,000 businesses exporting for the first time.

Last year, Santander made a commitment to support 44 000 businesses over 2 years to export through their digital platform and events programme. UKTI is also working with them to develop an SME trade mission programme. Launched in 2011, this programme is delivering results for UK businesses such as I Like Music, which has now signed agreements in North America and Australia as a direct result of participating in a trade mission to New York in 2013.

Partners are also helping to deliver the Government’s Exporting is GREAT campaign. There are currently over 40 commercial partners and membership bodies signed up, from technology providers to freight companies, all with the ambition to inspire and support UK companies on their export journey. 

I am excited and inspired when I think about the heights government can reach, and the difference we can make for businesses, when we pool our resources with partners around a common goal. When businesses, the true drivers of growth, succeed – everyone wins.

Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”

In that spirit, let’s look forward to many more years of fruitful partnerships.