16th November 2011

Lord Green’s Exporting for Growth Initiative

The National Challenge: Exporting for Growth
Supported by HSBC and PwC.

Government is helping small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to survive and grow, but we will achieve much more by working in partnership with the whole business community. Encouraging export growth and ensuring businesses are financially fit for growth is critical.

The Exporting for Growth event was held on 10 November 2011, supported by HSBC and PwC, is part of a long-term initiative to encourage professional advisers to business to join in a national challenge and play their part in increasing the number of SME exporters. We all have a role to play in ensuring businesses are aware of the help and advice available, not just from Government, but also from the wider business community.

You can catch up with the questions and responses from the event by using twitter @UKTI and the hashtag #ukgrowth.
Trade and Investment Minister Lord Green launched a national campaign to highlight the valuable role professionals and organisations closest to UK firms can have in encouraging them to pursue growth through exports.

The inaugural business event, which took place in the lead up to Global Enterprise Week, saw more than 400 people attend the event from banks, accountancy and legal firms, trade networks and representatives from key trade bodies and devolved administrations.
These groups have a unique ability to influence the companies they work with, many of them potential exporters, and can act as powerful ‘multipliers’ when it comes to helping boost UK export growth.

Exporting for Growth Guide
UTKI has created a guide to exporting which multipliers can take and add details from their company for SMEs. Details of how to get copies of the guide can be found on the Exporting for Growth Guide page.

Lord Green, Minster for Trade and Investment stated, ‘Government needs the help of those that interact with SMEs on a regular basis to get the message out loud and clear that competing in the global marketplace makes business sense. Against a difficult economic backdrop we know that growth in the UK economy is only going to come from improving our export story, especially to the emerging economies around the globe.’

Supported by HSBC and PwC, the event will be followed by a series of regional UK events over the next six months, to engage more of these influential business advisers.

Exporting for Growth Prize
UKTI has launched the Exporting for Growth Prizefor the most workable new export idea ready to be converted into a successful international opportunity. Applications are invited from innovative SMEs throughout the UK.

The scheme is part of a concerted campaign led by Lord Green and UKTI Chief Executive Nick Baird to increase the number of British companies who export, from current levels of around 20% to 25% or more. By increasing the number of companies who export by roughly a quarter, about £36 billion could be added to the UK economy.

You can watch the Prime Minister’s speech at the event on the No. 10 website.
You can read Lord Green’s speech from the event.
More details about the announcements made at the event are in UKTI’s press release.