Gateway to London
Hugh James hosts lively discussion to build better
business links between Wales and London
23 I 07 I 10
On 9 July Hugh James welcomed Gateway to London to their offices
in Cardiff to discuss a variety of issues, challenges and
opportunities in their respective regions. Also present were
leading representatives from the Welsh business community including
Bill Savage, chairman of Cardiff and Co, Robert Lloyd Griffiths,
regional director of the Institute of Directors, Tony Watkins,
managing director of Monmouth based company Cyclamax who are
heavily involved in the Thames Gateway region and Noreen Bray,
chair of Good Relations.
Gateway to London is an agency tasked with
attracting inward investment into the Thames Gateway region in East
London. The group, led by Chief Executive John Williams, is focused
on promoting sustainability and clean technology in line with the
Mayor of London’s pledge for a greener London.
Speaking about the purpose of the discussions,
Dominic Marshall, head of Hugh James’ London office, said:
“During discussions with John Williams earlier
in the year it became very clear that there is a great deal of
similarity between the current regeneration of this exciting area
of East London and Cardiff’s development over the last decade or
so. We felt it would be particularly beneficial to discuss the two
regions with leading business figures to identify areas of mutual
interest and capitalise on any business opportunities for Welsh
companies".
The discussion itself examined the culture of
business in the two geographical locations and how both had tackled
challenges such as attracting investment into brownfield sites and
working effectively with the public sector.
John Williams introduced his region as one
that was "open to companies across the UK and benefited from
excellent infrastructure and trade links as well as more than £24
billion of public investment over the next few years".
All of the delegates enjoyed the afternoon and
thought that it resulted in a highly constructive and stimulating
discussion. The overwhelming theme for the discussion was to
create a "bridge of business opportunity for our two regions" and
every delegate left the discussion enthused about the
possibilities. Hugh James and Gateway to London will be working
together over the course of the year to raise the issues with
appropriate public bodies and drive forward business opportunities
in both regions.
For further information about the event
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