Oxfordshire: UKTI and LEP to boost county's exports

Two key trade organisations have teamed up to ensure businesses across Oxfordshire are getting the best possible help to boost overseas sales. 

Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and government export body UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) South East, have signed an agreement which sets out how the two organisations will work together.

They aim to combine forces to help achieve the key LEP objectives of increased economic activity and employment across Oxfordshire, and help UKTI get an additional 100,000 UK firms exporting, increasing exports to £1 trillion by 2020.

Nigel Tipple, chief executive of Oxfordshire LEP, and Rory Pereira, South East deputy regional director for UKTI, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the LEP’s New Road base.

Tipple said: “This agreement will benefit businesses across Oxfordshire. Building overseas relationships between Oxfordshire and the rest of the world is crucial to help the local economy thrive. Access to international markets, and the goods, services and talent they provide, is vital to help Oxfordshire businesses grow and to attract foreign direct investors, creating more jobs in the county.

“Working closely with UKTI will help the LEP to ensure that businesses across the county get the support and help that they need to make their exporting ambitions a reality, especially for our world beating bioscience, advanced engineering and space technology businesses.”

Pereira said: “UKTI is responsible for helping businesses maximise their potential in overseas markets. I am therefore delighted to have signed this MoU as a signal of our commitment to supporting Oxfordshire LEP and the businesses we each serve. It’s my job to ensure that businesses across the South East have the capability and support they need to venture into overseas markets and this partnership should be another step to help.”