World Traders' Seminar 2009
30th September 2009
Until the 1800s the livery companies used to travel to Westminster each year in the procession of the Lord Mayor's Show. These days the procession ends on the Strand at the Royal Courts of Justice, but the links between the companies of the city and Westminster are as strong as ever. This strong bond between the business and political communities was reinforced on 30 September 2009 when the Worshipful Company of World Traders gathered at the Westminster Conference Centre for a seminar on the theme World Trade - An Open Europe.
The event was hosted by Claire Durkin, who in addition to being a Freeman of the Company is the Director of Europe, International Trade and Development at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. In her keynote address, she outlined how the UK had met the challenges of the recent financial downturn through partnership with other countries, emphasising the importance of improvement through the exchange of both knowledge and skills.
This theme of exchange between countries, and particularly across Europe, was echoed in the presentation by H.E. Staffan Carlsson, the Ambassador of Sweden to the UK. His observations on the recent discussions at the G20 Summit emphasised how important international collaboration is in these times of difficulty and how success is being achieved not by pulling back and becoming protectionist, but by opening up to include a wider range of partners in international discussions.
The presentations that followed all picked up on the opportunities and threats to be found in the current world trade environment, ranging from cautionary tales about the dangers of corruption and protectionism, through penetrating analysis of the financial systems that have come under fire and how they can be reformed, to examples of the new opportunities for trade that are emerging such as the European Services Directive.
This was the final event under the stewardship of the outgoing Master of the Company, the Baroness Garden of Frognal. In her closing remarks she emphasised the importance of discussions like this to the future of the trading community. The seminar was not only an opportunity to learn from experts, but for an exchange of knowledge between world traders from all walks of life that continued long after the presentations had ended. It demonstrated in graphic terms how the combination of commerce and honest friendship with all as encapsulated in the Company's motto is not just a pretty sentiment but a guide to how we should go about make a difference in the world trade community.
