The Department for International Trade (DIT) has announced 13 business figures as the first Export Champions for Scotland.
These voluntary roles should help DIT and Scottish Development International (SDI) to promote the benefits of exporting and encourage other companies to consider selling to overseas markets.
They will do this via export events, sharing exporting stories with those in their sector, and providing advice to other businesses about how to break into new markets.
Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said: “We know exporters create jobs, pay higher wages and help grow our economy, and Scottish businesses are playing a key part in making the UK an export-led economy.
“That’s exactly what these Scottish Export Champions all hope to achieve – and I look forward to working closely with them to achieve our goal of a trillion pounds of exports a year by 2030.”
The Export Champion community was introduced in response to a desire from businesses to receive peer-to-peer exporting support.
The DIT worked in partnership with SDI to select each champion, which all have an international trade track record and want to share their knowledge and experience with others.
One of the new champions is Alastair Walker from Walker’s Shortbread, which exports bakery products to more than 100 countries worldwide.
The head of international sales at the company said: “Walker’s shortbread has a long and successful history of exporting, and it’s made a huge difference to the growth of our business.
“There’s massive demand for Scottish produce around the globe, and we should be doing all we can to encourage other Scottish businesses to sell overseas.
“We’re hopeful that by sharing our experience and offering advice to other Scottish companies, we can help increase the amount of goods that Scotland exports.”
Started in 2016 with headquarters in Edinburgh, Quorum Cyber is one of the fastest growing cyber security companies in the UK, with more than 150 customers in four continents.
Federico Charosky, founder and chief executive of Quorum Cyber, commented: “Scottish businesses make and provide many high-quality goods and services, and we should shout about the benefits of selling them to markets all over the world.
“Together, I’m sure we can encourage many businesses and entrepreneurs to make the most of the exciting opportunities that are out there today.”
In addition to James Varga being appointed as an Export Champion, his company DirectID has also been appointed as the new FinTech Champion for Scotland.
This scheme was established by DIT last year as a way of better supporting the UK's fintech industry. DirectID will be tasked with working alongside other industry leaders to elevate Scotland and the UK’s status as a global fintech hub.
Varga, the chief executive and founder at DirectID, said: “Whether it’s working with other industry figures to promote the UK as a place to do business, or sharing knowledge of our experience exporting to multi-national organisations, I’m proud to be supporting the growth of the £11bn UK fintech economy.”
The full list of Scottish Export Champions is as follows:
- James Varga, Direct ID
- Lee Hanlon, Cesscon Decom
- Hassan Heshmat, Hydro-C
- Luis Gomes, AAC Clydespace
- Robert Kennedy, Optos
- Katie Birrell, Nairn's Oatcakes
- Alistair Walker, Walker's Shortbread
- Martin Murray, Dunnet Bay
- Shahida Imani, Chromacity
- Anna White, ScotlandShop
- Poonam Gupta, PG Paper
- Ian Stevenson, Cyacomb
- Federico Charosky, Quorum Cyber
According to a statement, each Export Champion will support exporting by: using their experience and provide advice to their peers; taking part in events as speakers or panel members; acting as exporting role models in marketing campaigns; hosting or taking part in ministerial visits; providing business insights to help inform policy; keeping DIT up to date about the business community’s views.
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