Big profits could be unearthed in Chile
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Chile is an excellent market for UK and Irish businesses
Chile is a country that has featured prominently in the news over the last few months, firstly due to the earthquake and secondly for the amazing good news story of the rescue of the 33 miners. These events and the subsequent visit of Chile’s President Sebastian Piñera to London have dramatically raised the profile of a country that until now has been relatively overlooked in terms of UK and Irish businesses interested in expanding overseas.
I have had the good fortune to work extensively with the Chilean market and to have travelled there frequently for business. I have worked in 55 different world markets and Chile certainly rates in my top 5 favourite places to do business. I first travelled out to Chile in 1998, working for a Northern Irish company who had ambitious growth plans for Latin America. I had at this stage already been working overseas throughout Europe and South Africa, but for me Latin America was something really exotic and I didn’t quite know what to expect. I think I expected llamas and panpipes but what I got was the modern capital city Santiago which would not look out of place somewhere in Spain or Italy. There is a distinctly European feel to the cities in Chile, both in how they look and how business is conducted there – much of the population is made up of immigrants from Europe.
Slovenian Ambassador to London HE Iztok Jarc and Honorary Consul Suzanne Hill open Consulate in Belfast
The Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia HE Mr. Iztok Jarc, on Friday 21 January 2011 officially opened the Slovenian Consulate in Belfast with Ms Suzanne Hill as Honorary Consul for Slovenia in Northern Ireland.
Commenting on the appointment Ambassador Jarc said:
“We are delighted to be appointing Suzanne Hill as Honorary Consul for Slovenia. Slovenia is a country similar in size to Northern Ireland, with a population of approximately two million. We believe that opportunities exist to build upon commercial and non-commercial relations that have already been established between the two countries.
Slovenia is a member of the EU and Euro Zone and has excellent transport and infrastructure networks. Many companies involved in exporting consider Slovenia as a strategic market, as it has excellent trading links and offers access into other markets linked to the former Yugoslavia. Through this appointment we hope to provide a visible presence in Northern Ireland through which businesses can develop linkages and grow trade.”
Exchange in goods between Slovenia and UK increased in the first nine months of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009 by almost 20%, amounting to some € 527 million. In the period January-September 2010 Slovenian exports to the UK amounted to over € 337 million, which is 20% higher than in the same period in 2009.
Suzanne Hill, who has worked frequently in Slovenia, through her role as Managing Director of Handel Export Consulting, outlines the sectors where linkages currently exist:
“A number of Northern Ireland companies already do business in Slovenia across a range of sectors. Activity Breaks, based in Belfast, operate in the tourism sector and offer activity holidays in Slovenia. Within the agri-food sector, Rooney Fish, has firmly established itself as a key distributor of langoustines and shellfish. Meanwhile, in the construction sector, Brett Martin has carved out a niche in relation to the supply of roofing products, while George McIvor Ltd, has secured contracts to refurbish airport ground support equipment at Ljubljana airport. Local company Bridgedale, who specialise in manufacturing socks for hiking and walking, has also successfully developed distribution channels in Slovenia.”
From a cultural perspective, there have also been exchanges. Last year the Belfast Youth Orchestra went on a tour of Slovenia and Italy and performed concerts in both Ljubljana and Novo Mesto. Strong associations have also been developed through football, with Northern Ireland fans supporting the Slovenian team in the World Cup. Through my role as Honorary Consulate I will be aiming to foster further business and cultural linkages.”
To contact Suzanne Hill, Honorary Consul for Slovenia, telephone: 02890 923378 or e-mail: suzanne(at) handelexport.com
Target exports towards Brazilian powerhouse
By · CommentsThe following article also appears in today’s Irish News www.irishnews.com
To offset the impact the recession is having on the market, businesses are being encouraged to consider exporting their goods and services to regions that are experiencing growth. Suzanne Hill, director of Handel Export looks at key traits of the Brazilian economy.
Brazil is a huge country, with a land mass that is almost twice that of Europe. It has a population of around 195 million and unlike the rest of Latin America where Spanish prevails, Portuguese is the primary language. Sao Paulo is the main industrial and commercial centre and has a population of around 18 million people. It is the largest market in Latin America and is ranked 10th in the world in terms of GDP at present. However it is anticipated that in the coming year, Brazil will overtake Italy to become the 9th largest economy in the world. In the last decade, the country has experienced massive upward social mobility, which has resulted in a growing middle class. Recently the country’s former president Lula da Silva predicted that Brazil would become the world’s fifth largest economy by 2020.
So how can companies tap into this growth? There are strong business opportunities across a wide spectrum of sectors, such as education and life sciences, consumer goods, telecoms, food and drink, water and power to name a few. Brazil is also set to host the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. Both of these events require an expansive supporting infrastructure – especially when you consider that there is approximately 1.6 million kilometres of state, municipal and federal highways in Brazil, only 12% of which is paved. Prior to the games, Brazil will be investing significantly in developing its road infrastructure. This presents a range of opportunities for construction companies.
Listen to the interview of Suzanne Hill of Handel Export with Jeffrey Peel of Oxford Economics at the Bled Strategic Forum.
Bled Strategic Forum is a major global conference held in Slovenia every August, this year’s forum being the 5th such event. The conference was attended by leading policy makers from 40 countries from the European Union, the BRIC countries, Middle East and CIS.
If the international community needs to entirely and effectively face the numerous challenges and problems of the upcoming decade (financial and economic crisis, poverty, climate change, development questions, international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism, etc.), global cooperation needs to be strengthened, and the existing institutions need to either adapt to the new situations in the world, or new ones have to be created; was the key message of the main panel titled “The Global Outlook for the Next Decade” at this year’s Bled Strategic Forum. The speakers of the panel, moderated by the Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Samuel Žbogar, were H.E. Mr. Yves Leterme, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium and the President of the Council of the EU, H.E. Mr. Amre Moussa, Secretary General of the League of the Arab States, H.E. Ms. Preenet Kaur, Minister of State for External Affairs of the Republic of India, and Ambassador Antonio Patriota, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Brazil.
Winning construction contracts abroad
The Construction Employers Federation has teamed up with Suzanne Hill of Handel Export Consulting to deliver a training programme on conducting business overseas. The course which starts on the 29 September 2010 will provide 15 individuals from the construction industry, with an opportunity to explore how business principles should be applied in different markets.
Mark Browne from the Construction Employer’s Federation explains the importance of building skills in this area:
“The local construction industry has been severely affected by the recession, and has experienced a greater fall than at any time since the early 1980s. In order for construction companies to maintain their cash flow and sustain employment, they are looking to markets that are experiencing growth and investigating opportunities that exist.”
