Think London’s Route to 2012 with UKTI now underway with panel discussion in San Francisco

10-Jun-2009

The event, attended by senior executives from clean-tech and sustainability companies, was the first of a number of high profile business events in North America to promote London as the number one destination for North American companies looking to expand overseas.

Panelists at the event discussed the current opportunities that are available in London for companies in the San Francisco Bay area, including the role of sustainability in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

routeto2012_sanfran_panel The panel comprised of influential speakers from the sustainability sector: Padmesh Shukla, head of finance at the Mayor of London’s Climate Change Programme; Wade Crowfoot, director of Climate Protection Initiatives, San Francisco Mayor’s Office; Diarmuid O’Connell, vice-president of business development at Tesla Motors; Dallas Kachan, managing director, Clean Tech Group; Dan Epstein head of sustainability at the Olympic Delivery Authority and Janet Coyle, director of 2012 Games at Think London. Sean Randolph, chief executive for the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, moderated the discussion.

Janet Coyle said: " London still presents significant opportunities for companies from North America and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been a catalyst for investment in the UK’s capital. London’s commitment to sustainability is demonstrated by the ODA delivering the first Sustainable Olympic Games by integrating sustainable practice throughout the Games’ lifecycle. Furthermore, the Mayor of London’s carbon reduction initiatives have generated many opportunities for businesses in his aim to make London the Low Carbon Capital of the world. Companies operating in the sustainable or clean-tech industries will find that London’s environment is extremely fertile for green innovation and green investment.”

Sean Randolph said: “Sustainability and clean technology features high on any organisation’s agenda and is one of the few sectors which is still relatively resilient to the global recession, which is why today’s discussion generated a great deal of interest from the business community here in San Francisco. Many local companies are looking to grow and London’s innovative and dynamic sustainability sector will provide an ideal platform for development and further expansion in to Europe.”

Sir Alan Collins, British Consul General in New York, said: “Although the focus of the ‘ Route to 2012’ road show will be on the digital and sustainable sectors, it is hard to think of any sector that will not benefit from the business opportunities that London, and UK more generally, will offer in the run-up to the 2012 Games.”

routeto2012_sanfran_talking Over the coming months, the Route to 2012 road show will reach out to potential investors and showcase investment opportunities in the UK's sustainability sector, including the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Think London and UKTI will visit 12 cities across North America hosting a series of VIP events to highlight the sustainable, digital and general business opportunities that London offers North American businesses. Having visited Palo Alto and San Francisco, Route to 2012 will stop in Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, Washington DC, New York, Boston, Toronto, Chicago and Vancouver.

Even in the current economic climate, the UK continues to be an attractive destination for overseas companies. It is the largest recipient of overseas investment in Europe, second only to the US globally. Since 2000, Think London has assisted nearly 900 companies from North America expand their operations to London including Delta Airways, Amgen, Google, Raytheon, Wells Fargo, LinkedIn, Microsoft, MySpace and Facebook. In the past year, UKTI has helped 20,700 businesses to generate £33.6bn.

Notes to Editors:

Speakers include:

Wade Crowfoot, Director of Climate Protection Initiatives, San Francisco Mayor’s Office
Diarmuid O’Connell, VP of Business Development, Tesla Motors
Padmesh Shukla, Head of Finance, Climate Change Programme, Mayor of London’s Office
Dan Epstein, Head of Sustainability, Olympic Delivery Authority
Dallas Kachan, Managing Director, Clean Tech Group
Janet Coyle, Director 2012 Games, Think London Moderator
Sean Randolph, CEO, Bay Area Economic Forum

About Think London
Think London is the foreign direct investment agency for London, assisting companies moving to the UK capital by offering access to business networks , people and opportunities . Think London is a not-for-profit, private-public partnership delivering expertise and advice to international businesses. The agency’s service is completely free, comprehensive and confidential. Think London’s experts work with government and the business community to help companies access the best people, places and opportunities in the city. Think London’s principal funding partners are the London Development Agency (LDA) and our network of commercial partners . Other key partners are the City of London Corporation , which also provides funding, UK Trade & Investment and the business community through London First .

About UK Trade & Investment
UK Trade & Investment is the UK Government's international business development organisation that helps businesses locate in the UK and grow internationally. Every year we help hundreds of firms, from hi-tech start-ups to global industry leaders, discover global growth from a UK base. UKTI staff have unparalleled knowledge of commercial, political and social issues, along with contacts and opportunities available to UK businesses and overseas investors. Our services are offered across a network of business specialists in the UK and British diplomatic posts in some 100 markets all around the world. For more information, visit the web site at www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk.