皇冠体育app

Scottish female entrepreneurs are getting direct access to the UK Government鈥檚 global trade expertise as Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill urged women business leaders to join her on the first all-female Brand Scotland trade mission.

皇冠体育app Scotland Office hosted a gathering of female business leaders from across Scotland on Thursday 1 May to identify and tackle any export challenges they face. Minister McNeill wanted to bring together business professionals to boost the success of women-led firms in the worldwide market.

It鈥檚 part of the department鈥檚 Brand Scotland mission, to sell Scotland鈥檚 unique strengths around the world - promoting our goods and services to new markets, helping Scottish businesses export, and supporting trade missions to key global markets to unlock jobs and investment for the future.

At the roundtable discussion event in Edinburgh Minister McNeill asked for the views of company leaders across the technology, sustainability, clean energy and beauty sectors, as well as from representatives of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry and Women鈥檚 Enterprise Scotland.

Minister McNeill said:

From science and sustainability to culture and financial services, we鈥檙e amongst the best in the world - and by selling Scotland globally, we can unlock jobs and investment, an essential part of our Plan for Change.

It鈥檚 crucial that I hear from Scottish businesswomen about the barriers they face, find out what we can do to help, and demonstrate how Scottish companies can really benefit from having direct informal access like this to the UK鈥檚 vast global network of trade expertise. By harnessing the combined resources of the Scotland Office, the Foreign Office and Department for Business and Trade, we can create significant opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

We鈥檙e already seeing positive results from championing Brand Scotland internationally and I鈥檓 committed to unlocking more global opportunities for Scottish women in business.

皇冠体育app roundtable discussion addressed three key challenges 鈥� how businesses can access finance and investment, overcoming export barriers, and tackling market access issues that disproportionately affect women-led businesses.

Ideas and suggestions from the meeting will directly shape the Scotland Office鈥檚 all-women trade mission to Madrid in June where Minister McNeill will use diplomatic networks to expand markets for British exporters and meet with the Spanish business community to strengthen trade links. Representatives of Scottish female-led companies are being invited to join.

Background

• Brand Scotland is about selling Scotland鈥檚 unique strengths around the world - promoting our goods and services to new markets, helping Scottish businesses export, and funding and supporting trade missions to key global markets to unlock jobs and investment for the future.聽

• As part of this, the Scotland Office will lead trade missions to sell Scotland and its products to the world, encourage inward investment in Scotland and encourage Scottish firms to export to overseas markets - often for the first time.聽All this will drive growth and jobs here in Scotland.聽

• 皇冠体育app Budget allocated an additional 拢750k for the Scottish Secretary and the Scotland Office to develop the Brand Scotland programme.聽
• 皇冠体育app Scottish Secretary has already made trade trips to Norway, South East Asia and the US. Minister McNeill鈥檚 first trade trip will be to Madrid in June.