Marco Forgione, IOE&IT director general (left), and Andrew Griffith, exports minister (right).
The Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT) yesterday met with UK exports minister Andrew Griffith MP and a delegation of British trade officials.
Griffith, appointed to the role in July, met with IOE&IT director general Marco Forgione to discuss practical steps to help businesses import and export, as well as the needs of IOE&IT members.
Top officials from the Department of International Trade, including director of UK exports Paul McComb, were also in attendance at the meeting held at DIT offices in the Old Admiralty Building, London.
‘Productive meeting’
After the meeting, the minister wrote on Twitter: “Really productive meeting with Marco Forgione of the Institute of Export & International Trade. Together we share a passion for getting more businesses exporting.
“The Institute has been helping businesses to export since 1935, and I look forward to seeing this continue into the future.”
Working in members’ interest
“I was delighted to meet yesterday with Andrew Griffith MP, the minister for exports,” Forgione said. “We discussed a wide range of strategic and practical steps to enhance the UK export performance. At this challenging economic time, international trade offers UK business a huge growth opportunity.
“Research shows that businesses which trade internationally are more resilient, more sustainable, more innovative, employ more people and are more profitable.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with the Department for International Trade, working on issues that are at the heart of our members’ interests and support the wider business community.”
Biography
Griffith replaced Mike Freer MP, who resigned in July. Griffith, MP for Arundel and South Downs, had previously served as the first governmental ‘Net Zero Business Champion’, as well as minister for policy and head of the prime minister’s policy unit, and sat on parliamentary committees for procedure and science and technology.
He described himself as “honoured” to take the role when his appointment was announced on 8 July at an exports event in Sussex. “There is no greater mission than helping British businesses export more, grow the economy faster and add high skill, high wage jobs,” he said.
Griffith began his career as a corporate finance manager at PWC in the mid-90s before climbing the ladder at Sky over a 20-year period, culminating in becoming the firm’s chief operating officer in 2016.