Up early  to visit the Tokyo fish market. It is a really fascinating place where you can find an enormous variety of fish from around the world. The bustling, noisy market is certainly a must see.
In Tokyo we’ve held discussions about social media, marketing, OMIS services and investment work.  I shared the value UKTI Australia [...]

On the way back to the Britain I arranged to stop off in Japan to learn from the UKTI team there and to share the UKTI Australasia journey with them. It’s my first time in Japan so this adds an additional air of excitement to the trip.
Arriving at Tokyo Narita airport sets the scene for [...]

In 2005, Glenn McGrath suggested that Australia would win the series 5-0. Actually, with McGrath, Warne, Ponting et al that was perfectly possible. The first test went to Australia comfortably.
Just before the second test McGrath twisted his ankle by stepping on a ball while warming up in the outfield and this piece of bad luck [...]

If you are English or Australian and love cricket then there is no more important sporting event than the biennial Ashes series. The genesis of these great contests date back to 1882 when Australia beat England for the first time in England at the Oval in London. The next day a satirical obituary was published [...]

Warrington is home to the UKTI NW team which is right next to the North West Development Agency (NWDA). Like all of the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and Devolved Administrations (DA) the NWDA www.nwda.co.uk has responsibility for regional economic development in the North West and, importantly to us, supporting inward investors from Australia into the region.

I’ve been to Birmingham a couple of times before but have stayed in the centre of the City. My exercise regime has suffered since being back in the UK so thought I’d have a go at finding somewhere to run in Birmingham. Not usually the easiest task in the centre of a city, but actually Birmingham is set on a series of canals and the tow paths make a perfect running track. Winter has started to set in but I can imagine that an evening drink next to a canal on a hot summer’s day would be lovely and so close to the centre of a big city.

I’m surprised by the conscious, obvious, effort that UK companies are taking to reduce their carbon footprint. It’s everywhere and it has changed so much even though I’ve only been gone a year.

After Exeter I drove up to Worcester for the Export Factor an event where over 100 companies from the West Midlands met to hear how UKTI can support them to export. The West Midlands, with its dominant automotive, minerals and metals and advanced engineering industries, has had a tough time in the recent recession. Unemployment has risen sharply. The Export Factor brought together businesses that were looking to export their way out of the slump.

I left the UK a year and a month ago, to the day. And now I’m on my first business development visit (BDV) back in Blighty.

After a long flight, I land at Heathrow and, apart from the rain, spot the new Terminal 5 building. I’m taken aback by the sheer scale of glass in the building, and honoured by the fact that Lord Richard Rogers, the architect of this sustainable terminal, spoke less than 48 hours earlier in our boardroom back in Australia.

This is my first time in Exeter. I enjoyed the drive down through Somerset and into Devon. I tried out my best West Country accent in the car on the way down with lots of drawn out vowels. Glaaaaaastonbury, Yeooooooovil and salvaaaage! Probably good that it stayed in the car!