By Sarah Findlay, International Trade Manager, Inverness Chamber of Commerce
Last week, Richard Oppenheim, Director of the Diplomatic Advisory Hub, joined Inverness Chamber of Commerce for a two-day visit to the Highlands, meeting businesses and hearing first-hand about the opportunities and challenges facing our region.
The Diplomatic Advisory Hub is a joint initiative between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), providing a link between the Chamber network, businesses and Government.
For us, Richard’s visit was an important opportunity to bring the experiences of Highland businesses directly into those conversations. Our role at Inverness Chamber is not only to help businesses grow, but to make sure their voices are heard by the people shaping the policies and decisions that affect them.
Understanding the opportunities at Ardersier
We started Richard’s visit at the Port of Ardersier, where we met the team at Haventus, alongside representatives from the Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and The Highland Council, to discuss the opportunities emerging through the Freeport and the wider potential for investment and economic growth. There was a clear shared ambition to ensure the region is well positioned to turn these opportunities into long-term benefits for the Highlands.
The visit allowed us to explore the pipeline of projects and the opportunities these could create for the Highland economy, alongside the practical challenges that need to be addressed if the region is to realise that potential. While the ambition and appetite to invest are clear, there is a need for greater certainty and pace around UK Government policy and decision-making to give projects the confidence and conditions they need to progress.
The discussion also looked beyond individual projects to some of the wider issues facing businesses in the Highlands, particularly around attracting and retaining the workforce needed to support growth and ensuring there is sufficient housing and infrastructure to accommodate it.
These are exactly the types of conversations we want to facilitate. Through our advocacy work, Inverness Chamber works to ensure that the realities of doing business in the Highlands are understood by decision-makers.
International trade in a changing world
That evening, we brought together nine internationally trading businesses for a private roundtable dinner with Richard.
It was an opportunity for businesses to speak openly about some of the geopolitical and market challenges affecting them, from the continuing impact of Brexit to the complexities of trading in individual international markets.
The conversation also looked firmly towards the opportunities ahead. International trade is about much more than moving physical goods across borders. Our businesses are exporting expertise, knowledge and services, building relationships in markets around the world and creating opportunities for growth here in the Highlands.
As we saw during our recent trade mission to Lille, successful international trade is often as much about relationships and having access to the right people as it is about understanding regulations. Richard’s visit gave businesses another valuable opportunity to build those connections and, crucially, to have their experiences heard.
A Highland product with a global reach
Day two took us to Dingwall to visit Loch Duart’s salmon processing facility.
The visit provided Richard with a first-hand look at an internationally focused Highland business and an opportunity to hear about Loch Duart’s operations, their export markets and some of the challenges facing the seafood sector, which as an industry is vitally important to the Highlands & Islands economy.
Getting Richard out to businesses and sites across our region was an important part of the visit. Rather than simply talking about the Highland economy, we wanted him to see it in action and hear directly from the businesses operating within it.
Creating another route into Government
Richard rounded off his two days in the Highlands by addressing businesses at the Highland Business Awards, the closing event of Highland Business Week 2026. More than 270 business leaders, finalists, sponsors and guests attended the event, where Richard highlighted the support available to businesses navigating international markets and an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.
Reflecting on his time with businesses across the region, Richard Oppenheim, Director of the Diplomatic Advisory Hub, said:
“It was a real privilege to spend time in Inverness and see first-hand the ambition, innovation and resilience that exists across the Highlands. From renewable energy and major investment projects to seafood exports and international trade, I met businesses with global ambition and a clear focus on growth. The discussions were open, practical, and forward-looking, and I left Inverness encouraged by what I saw and excited about the opportunities ahead for businesses across the Highlands. Through the Diplomatic Advisory Hub, we look forward to supporting more of these businesses as they explore opportunities and navigate challenges in international markets.”
Perhaps the most important takeaway from Richard’s visit is that the Diplomatic Advisory Hub provides another route for Highland businesses to have their voices heard within Government.
Through our connection with Richard and the wider global British Chambers of Commerce network, we can raise the challenges businesses are experiencing, provide real-world examples of how policy and geopolitical developments are affecting companies on the ground across all sectors, and we will help ensure the Highland business perspective is represented in wider conversations.
Our advocacy is strongest when it is informed by the experiences of our members. Inverness Chamber’s annual Business Insights Survey, for example, is designed to ensure our policy positions reflect the priorities and views of Highland businesses and give us evidence to take into discussions with decision-makers. Richard’s visit strengthens another important connection within that work.
If there is an international trade, geopolitical or policy issue affecting your business that you think needs to be heard, we want to know about it. Speak to the Inverness Chamber team and help us make sure the voice of Highland business reaches the right people. Get in touch with us at international@inverness-chamber.co.uk