Strategy | Newsletter - 26th January
Dear Members and Friends ,
A week of D Group member events, ranging over the tensions on the Korean peninsula, the challenges facing the UK infrastructure sector and President Macron’s progress in reforming France’s labour market.
BBC leading journalist Jane Corbin, who recently reported for Panorama on North Korea, took us through an analysis of what is happening and the likely direction of travel. Whilst combined women’s ice hockey teams and unified flags are welcome thawing in north/south tensions, the Kim regime’s nuclear agenda is an inescapable and major source of concern, whether aiming at Japan and the US or assisting other nations with their programmes.
Barclays and D Group welcomed leading executives to Grafton St to a Barclay’s transport sector initiative to listen to the newly appointed chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, Sir John Armitt, an old friend of ‘D’. Some familiar themes, but none the less hugely relevant ones, had a very engaged and robust airing, as well as a fair amount of discussion around UK procurement and its impact on the future of the domestic UK infrastructure sector.
On Thursday member Squire Patton Boggs hosted a fascinating audience with Pierre-Andre Imbert the driving force behind the Macron agenda of major labour market reform and social transformation. A heavily funded Euro 57bn programme is being rolled out with vigour. More collaborative and inclusive than the wrenches of the Thatcher years designed to drive UK competitiveness, but not without similar challenges facing down embedded ways of doing things.
A reminder to all D Group members that we have a revised programme of engaging with the new faces in Cabinet and their key civil servants, as follows;
28/2/18: Alex Chisholm, Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy VIEW EVENT
15/3/18: NEW. The Rt Hon Esther McVey MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. VIEW EVENT
22/3/18: NEW. The Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP, Secretary of State for Education .VIEW EVENT
25/4/18: NEW. Philip Rycroft, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union .VIEW EVENT
BEI’s week was exceptionally busy...
Image - Crown Copyright/FCO
The week kicked off with a day long series of events for some 70 members and guests attending the annual Turkmenistan-UK Trade & Industry Council (TUKTIC) meeting with senior representation from Turkmenistan. FCO’s Sir Simon MacDonald gave the opening address and the day zeroed in on bi-lateral relations and business outlooks in a range of sectors including energy, financial services, combating corruption and agriculture.
BEI’s week continued with a meeting of the International Development Working Group, with incoming Chair, Linda Aaslien of AECOM running the proceedings. The meeting focused on key issues affecting the industry including the recent DFID Secretary of State, Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt's Five Pledges for the Future of UK Aid in an article for the Daily Telegraph. Of great interest to members was a learning session on Politically Agile Programming which gave insights on how to work politically smart in difficult environments.
Anna French, Deputy Head DFID India shared insights on how DFID is working in partnership with the FCO, DIT and BEIS to deliver joint economic development priorities in India. UK’s support in India is designed to help accelerate its development as well creating new markets for trade and investment for UK and Indian businesses. Some specific areas of focus include: a Global Partnership Programme, a Green Growth Equity Fund, Energy markets and sharing British expertise in urban Smart Cities development.
Next week we have a presentation in partnership with The Caribbean Council on Recovery and Reconstruction Post 2017 Hurricanes in the Caribbean, this will explore opportunities that may flow from the consequent reconstruction for UK businesses.
To conclude the month, the British Expertise International - Middle East Access Group (MEAG) will host a Business Briefing entitled MENA Outlook 2018 providing a review of the MENA region and what 2018 could hold in store for British business.
So, with all this activity, experts and insight who needs to be schmoozing in Davos when you can at a fraction of the price get it all at 23 Grafton Street?
Regards,
Peter O'Kane - Chairman, Strategy International