Indian entrepreneurs ‘have lots to show Yorkshire businesses’

The private sector consortium which has taken over the running of the World Trade Centre Hull & Humber believes many local firms could learn a lot from the dynamic entrepreneurs of India and other emerging nations.

The partners behind the world trade centre, which recently moved to a new home in Queen Street, Hull, want to help local firms gain a foothold on the world stage.

In order to do this, they are encouraging more Yorkshire businesses to use the centre as a place to innovate and grow.

The move to Queen Street marks a new era in the World Trade Centre’s development.

It opened at One Humber Quays, Hull in 2008, after securing funding from Yorkshire Forward and Hull City Council, and support from UK Trade and Investment and the University of Hull.

The centre had been managed by Hull Forward, which closed in September last year as part of the public sector spending cuts. The baton was passed to the private sector.

The centre, which is part of a 320-strong network of World Trade Centres in 96 countries, is run as a not-for-profit limited company, with financial support from a number of private sector partners.

The partners include law firm Andrew Jackson, design company Garthwest Creative Agency, translation company Language is Everything, public relations firm MAPA, HSBC and Henderson Insurance Brokers. Hull City Council is also a partner, but the centre isn’t receiving any public money.

Rob Penrose, the managing partner of law firm Andrew Jackson, said the centre hoped to help firms develop relationships with a small number of regions that are enjoying rapid economic growth, such as Tamil Nadu in India, Qatar and Brazil.

He said he was excited about the prospects for forging international ties in the digital and gaming sectors, because the University of Hull has expertise in these areas.

“We want inward investors to become aware of what we are doing,’’ he said.

Mr Penrose said the base in Queen Street, which is owned by the property firm Wykeland, had 30 desks which could be rented by fast-growing local firms.

The World Trade Centre offers international market research, video conferencing facilities, cultural advice and access to international trade consultants.

Catherine Ackroyd of MAPA, said, that, unlike the previous World Trade Centre, its success would not be measured by “numerical outputs”, in other words, by whether it hit pre-set targets.

She added: “Our overall aim is to generate international business for the region, particularly in renewable energy and digital gaming.

“Another measure of success will be in attracting organisations to use our facilities, which will help the business to thrive as well as raise awareness of our aims.

“Attracting new businesses to use our incubator space will be another measure of success.”

Ms Ackroyd said the World Trade Centre aimed to become a hub for businesses working in renewable energy.

She added: “The Humber is set to be at the heart of the UK’s renewable energy industry.

“Its position means that it is ideally placed to provide the infrastructure for the planned North Sea offshore wind farms.

“It is home to innovative tidal and wave technology. There has also been investment in biomass and top-level research has been carried out into carbon capture due to its proximity to power stations that meet much of the UK’s electricity demands.

“The Humber has the potential to lead the UK’s new energy economy and the World Trade Centre aims to become a hub for businesses operating in the sector.”

Ms Ackroyd said the centre employed a manager, Ian Archibald, and shares two apprentices with Language is Everything.

She added: “The partners help with the running of the centre in terms of finance, day-to-day activities and strategy.

“A number of the partners are very hands on.”

A Hull City Council spokesman confirmed that One Humber Quays, the World Trade Centre’s old home, is still owned by Yorkshire Forward.

The building will be disposed of by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, the spokesman added.

Centre targets digital games industry

The World Trade Centre Hull & Humber is licensed by the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), which has its headquarters in New York.

The WTCA was formed in 1969 and now has more than 800,000 member businesses.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has a number of trade advisers based in Hull’s World Trade Centre. The centre has also recently created Platform Expos, an annual event in the digital gaming and entertainment calendar.

The centre aims to provide support for businesses in the digital gaming and entertainment industry, which is worth more than £70bn globally.