US MoUs- What do they mean for business?

Event Information

Join the Department for Business & Trade in partnership with the Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce for an exclusive afternoon of networking and knowledge to hear all about how these agreements work and how your business can benefit.

What are Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs)?

MoUs on trade and economic cooperation, are flexible tools that help to maximise collaboration on a state level and work by:

• supporting the removal of trade barriers
• enabling greater trade and investment opportunities
• growing and increasing jobs

The UK has signed seven MoUs so far – with the states of Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Washington, and Florida. Talks with other states are ongoing.

Why attend the event?

• Hear about the current economical & political trends in the US Market
• Learn about the MoU’s, how they work and what states they operate in
• Be inspired by successful export businesses who are currently trading in the US
• Network with trade experts and advisers over lunch
• Receive an overview of opportunities in the US and upcoming activity taking place in market.

Agenda:

12.30 – Registration, Networking & Lunch

13.15 – Welcome to Birmingham from DBT Midlands

13.20 – Headline overview of US market conditions with DBT US Country Director, Rachael Bishop

13.35 – Understanding the MoUs: What they do and what don’t they do…

13.50 – The Business Benefits of the MoUs

14.20 – Recent & Upcoming state activity

14.30 – Doing business in the US: Champions of Trade panel discussion

14.55 – Closing Remarks

15.00 – Event to Close

Meet the Speakers: 

Dr. Raymond Davies, B.Sc. (Hons), Ph.D., D.I.C.

Dr. Davies is highly experienced in international business  and Global Value Chain (GVC) development enabling sectorial market capture within niche markets arising from geo-political opportunity and innovation. He has extensive business experience in the United States having lived and worked in Seattle/Puget Sound for over a decade before returning home to the UK.

Working across a number of sectors including aerospace, defence, health/care, space and sports in the UK-US Trade corridor he is Chair of the British American Business Council of the Pacific Northwest (BABC-PNW) and a Board Member of the British-American Business Network (BABN). He obtained his B.Sc. (Hons) from Aston University, Birmingham and his  Ph.D./D.I.C. from Imperial College, London.

Sian Timmins – Head of International Divisions, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

Sian Timmins joined the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce as international partnerships manager in July 2023 before being promoted to Head of International Divisions in November 2023. Sian has previously worked with local and international stakeholders at the West Midlands Growth Company and the NEC Group, where she spent nearly a decade working on live events and corporate conferences before taking the role of account manager for International Associations.

Sian then spent time working for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as Client Services Manager for Transport, liaising with Games Family and the competing commonwealth nations.

Sian has overall responsibility for managing the Greater Birmingham Global and Transatlantic Chambers of Commerce and heads up the Birmingham Chapter of the BritishAmerican Business Network.

Mick Ventola, Ventola Projects Limited,  Managing Director

Based in Leicester, Ventola Projects are specialists in electrical installations such as LED lighting, shop fitting, building maintenance and metal/acrylic fabrication, and provide services to a range of businesses, offices, residential projects, outdoor installations and entertainment centres across the globe.

Formed in 1989, this company has been exporting services for over twenty-five years and supplying overseas for the last six years. 70% of their turnover now comes from exporting with completed projects in USA and the Middle East. Over the coming year they are looking at expanding into Mexico, the Caribbean and South America.

Managing Director, Mick Ventola, who has overseen this expansion into the global marketplace says that new exporters should “prepare well, don’t mess up and be patient”.

Rachael Bishop, US Country Director, Department for Business & Trade

Based in Washington DC, Rachael is the Country Director for the US.

To find out more or to register please click here.