On Monday 20 January 2020, our Scotland Representative and Project Manager Davide Bargna was invited by the Consulate General of Italy to take part as an in-market expert for Italy in the International Trade Conference organised by the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) in Edinburgh.
Sponsored by TSB, KPMG and Dentons, the event featured speakers including Ivan McKee, Scottish Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation; Andrew Mitchell, HM Trade Commissioner for Europe; Sean McGuire, Director of CBI Brussels; John Crawford and Chris Keenan of Scottish Enterprise; and many others. Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, also discussed her Government's objectives for Scotland's future in international markets.
Updates were shared on the Scottish Government's Export Mentoring Scheme and Trading Nation strategy, which sets a target of increasing exports to 25% of Scottish GDP by 2029. During the "Ask the Experts" round tables, our Scotland Representative presented import/export opportunities to companies from a range of sectors interested in the Italian market, offering advice and answering their questions. Katie Birrell also presented an interesting case study on Nairn's Oatcakes.
The Scottish Office of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the United Kingdom stands ready to support Scottish companies interested in doing business in Italy, and vice versa, even during such an uncertain period as the months ahead.