Chamber welcomes new international divisions head
Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) new international expert Chris McFarlane Baxter is a man on a mission - to drive up UK exports, writes Jon Griffin.
Chris (pictured), who has joined the GBCC as head of international divisions, has issued a rallying cry to firms throughout the West Midlands to bounce back from Covid-19 by boosting their export markets.
“I am here to tell businesses that there is huge untapped potential growth to be gained through exports.
“It is alarming that only one in 10 British businesses currently exports on a regular basis despite the fact that exports account for 27 per cent GDP.
“If you compare that with Holland, they export half of their GDP. There is absolutely no reason why Britain should not be doing more. We need to be looking for ways to grow businesses through international opportunities and a great way to do that is exporting into international markets. ”
Chris said the GBCC 's international divisions had a key role to play in helping steer UK companies towards new export markets - including outside Europe.
“If we can help businesses get around the paperwork and barriers to sell into Europe, customers can be found anywhere in the world. ”
He said the post-Brexit climate presented new opportunities for ambitious firms despite some of the negativity surrounding the UK 's decision to leave the EU and a subsequent fall in exports in the aftermath of the pandemic.
“I am not one to sit down and complain about difficulties. I am more one to say let 's make the most of the situation and turn it into a positive. ”
Chris, who hails from Glasgow, has joined the Chambers from the Department for International Trade, dividing his time between London and Manchester.
He began his career as a teacher, working in Madrid and Barcelona for 13 years where he taught English to senior management figures in Spain who were keen to break into new export markets.
“I came back to the UK and did a stint as an export sales adviser in the steel industry in South Yorkshire and for the last two years I have been working as an International Trade Adviser at the Department for International Trade.
“Now I am looking forward to getting to know Birmingham and the companies around here. I am sure we can build relationships of mutual benefit. ”
Chris will now take the reins of the Transatlantic and Commonwealth Divisions to better support current members and push to grow membership as West Midland firms seek to take bigger steps into overseas markets.