UK STRATEGY: CHANGES IN THE US NETWORK
A letter to the Chairman of the Committee
from the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, 12
September 2006
Dear Mike,
I wanted to alert you at the earliest opportunity
to changes in prospect in our commercial network in the USA. These
will be the first changes in the overseas network arising from
the implementation of UKTI's new five-year strategy Prosperity
in a Changing World, which was published on 20 July.
As you are aware, UKTI is committed to respond
to the growing opportunities in the emerging markets, such as
China and India, by increasing the support it offers to UK companies
looking to do business in those markets. To meet that objective,
UKTI will shift resources from more developed markets, mainly
in Europe and North America, where UK businesses already have
a well-developed presence.
The key changes I have just approved are that
UKTI will:
— withdraw its two-person team
from Denver (the Consul will remain) and transfer rsponsibility
for delivering UKTI objectives in Colorado to UKTI's Chicago team;
— withdraw its three person-team
from Seattle and close its office there transferring the resource
to enlarged UKTI teams in San Francisco and Los Angeles;
— enlarge the team in Miami (in
addition to the teams in San Francisco and Los Angeles) where
demand for UKTI services is increasing; and
— reduce the size of the teams
in Atlanta, Chicago and New York.
The changes involve a net loss of jobs in the
US network and amount to a 13% cut in the overall level of our
commercial resource in the US. I believe they will leave our commercial
resource better focused on the US states offering real export
and inward investment opportunities for UK companies and enable
UKTI to continue to provide them with a first-class service.
Staff in the US network will be informed about
the changes over the coming week. I should be grateful, therefore,
if you regard the changes I have outlined as embargoed until 22
September.
I will provide you with details of other planned
changes in the UKTI networks later in the year.
Rt Hon Ian McCartney MP
Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs
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