Last week I had the honour of being part of the UK Delegation selected to attend the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance (YEA) Summit in Moscow. The Summit brought together over 400 entrepreneurs representing 20 of the world’s most powerful economies, to discuss and try to solve many of the challenges facing Small Businesses in the current economic situation. The UK delegation led by Alex Mitchell of Young Brits and Helen Gale of YBI, were represented by 12 young entrepreneurs – the largest UK delegation to attend any YEA Summit to date.
The Summit took the form of a combination of panel discussions, breakout sessions and guest speakers. Ernst and Young presented their findings on their ‘Entrepreneurship Barometer’ and Accenture presented on ‘Innovation as a major factor of growth and employment’, there was also a very interesting panel discussion on doing business in Russia. It was discussed how Russia’s strong telecommunications infrastructure, balance of labour cost vs. skills and above average education levels continue to make it a prime target for international investment and trade.
Web-Translations and many of our clients have long been aware of the importance of developing a presence in Russia by positioning our brands and sites for a Russian audience. It was encouraging to hear from the panellists, EY and Accenture, that entrepreneurship and international business are rapidly growing trends, with many Russian businesses looking to expand their influences and develop connections further afield. The research and findings of EY and Accenture were clearly reflected in my conversations and interactions with the Russian delegates and by the fact that organisations such as the JCI are some of the largest in the world.
Apart from engaging with many of the Russian delegates it was also invigorating hearing the drive and ambition of delegates from other represented countries, to drive international trade and business. This sentiment was particularly strongly felt in my interactions with many of the European delegates, many of whom believed that together SME’s can drive Europe from its current despair.
Overall, the three day summit was successful in providing a number of new business leads, connections and opportunities that I’m confident will add value to the service we provide to our clients.
9 July 2013 08:40