Gulf trade delegation visits Yorkshire
The Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership this week welcomed a delegation from the Department for International Trade and its partners based in the Gulf.
The delegation is in the UK as part of the Gulf Tour 2017 and when in Leeds, the senior representatives focused on trade opportunities with healthcare and life science sectors in the region. They attended a breakfast meeting and local company visits to explore growing trade opportunities in the Gulf for Leeds City Region SMEs.
Adrian Hall, managing director of Leeds-based Brandon Medical, said: “Trading overseas is a vital part of our business model, and I know the demand is there for high-quality British made products. Building up market presence is the challenging part of export so to have influencers come and visit us is a significant opportunity.”
The region’s healthcare and life sciences sector boasts the largest concentration of health informaticians in the UK, 22% of UK digital health technology jobs,9% of Medtech patents submitted by UK inventors originated in the City Region and it is home to four out of five NHS headquarters.
A recent report commissioned by the LEP identified the region’s top selling export as medicinal and pharmaceutical products, worth £2.5bn to the economy, 25% of the total value of exports.
Local companies participating in the day included Paxman Scalp Cooling, Brandon Medical, TPP, Tissuemed, and representatives from peer-to-peer export community ExportExchange and Medilink. The delegation visited Brandon Medical and TPP in the afternoon to learn more about the innovative healthcare products being developed in the region.
LEP Chair, Roger Marsh OBE, said: “It’s so important to build relationships with the team based in the Gulf so that we can make personal connections and find trade opportunities for Leeds City Region businesses. We have showcased great local SMEs who have world-class products and services that growing economies like the United Arab Emirates need.”
The Gulf Tour 2017 is sponsored by Pinsent Masons, Santander, Emirates and Links Group.
