APRIL 2006
21/04/2005 - US Visit Boosts Foreign Investment
Northamptonshire is set for increased investment from US businesses following a visit to the county by Bill Brickley, Vice President of The British Midlands, an organisation that promotes the UK to US investors. Bill, who is based at the organisation's offices in Washington D.C., spent a day in discussions with hosts Invest Northamptonshire, the county's investment promotion agency and several local business people.
The talks were held at Castle Ashby House and were followed by a tour of Barclaycard at Brackmills. The visit was a fact finding exercise to broaden awareness of the opportunities for shared service centres and in the financial service sectors. He was also keen to hear about the county's strong logistics base and IT businesses. As well as meeting Paul Taylor, Chief Executive of Invest Northamptonshire, Bill met foreign investment specialists from the East Midlands Development Agency, who operate The British Midlands. They were joined by Stephen Dobson of Haines Watts, Srinandhan Srinivasan of Dataforce and Ian Brooks of UCN.
Paul Taylor said: "Bill's visit was a great chance for us to highlight the advantages of doing business in Northamptonshire and he was impressed with what the county has to offer. Bill explained that many US companies have their UK headquarters in London and need additional premises where they can undertake the operational aspects of their business. We are perfectly placed for this, not only in terms of location and access, but because we have a strong performance in a number of industries.
"Companies need to be sold a business idea and we need to promote the industry sectors where opportunities exist for joint ventures and investment. Two key areas are shared service centres and financial services, and meeting with three companies from these fields gave Bill a realistic account of what it's like to work here. The US is an important market for us and one that we cannot ignore. Already, 60% of foreign investment into the UK is from the USand we must attract more of that investment to Northamptonshire. Bill's visit is a step forward in achieving that goal."