We were delighted to host Colin Barker, Senior Trade Commissioner for Canada in the UK when he visited Inverness last week (4 April).
Inverness Chamber of Commerce brought together a group of key representatives from businesses, industry trade bodies and enterprise agencies to discuss challenges, opportunities and shared learnings between Canada and Scotland in relation to the Energy and Renewables sector.
The opportunity for offshore wind in Scotland is unprecedented – and it’s moving at pace. With this momentum comes a range of opportunity and a range of challenges. International collaboration is vital to minimising risks and avoiding repeat mistakes. As Canada looks to scale up it will be looking for expertise from markets that are ahead of the game in the areas of port infrastructure, energy and clean tech. So, it is evident that there are collaboration opportunities between our two countries.
Key opportunities identified from the roundtable discussion were focussed on workforce skills; community benefit; innovation; collaboration and investment opportunities for the Highland and Islands region.
Challenges to be considered include global supply chain issues; planning and regulatory hurdles; systems efficiency; infrastructure and route to market.
Sarah Findlay, International Trade Manager said, “This was a valuable opportunity for businesses to meet with Colin Barker, Senior Trade Commissioner for Canada in the UK, allowing us to explore collaboration and partnership opportunities in key sectors between Canada and the Highland and Islands region. There are clear synergies between our two countries and it is important to share learnings, challenges and encourage bi-lateral trade and investment with a key trading partner like Canada.”
Inverness Chamber of Commerce look forward to continuing to work with key stakeholders to strengthen our ties with Canada and explore opportunities for businesses across our region – both in terms of both, exports and imports. To discuss how our international team can support your business, get in touch by emailing international@inverness-chamber.co.uk