ACCA Cymru Wales (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) held its annual St David’s Day Business Breakfast on March 1, welcoming a virtual audience to discuss how Wales can perform on the international stage.
Nan Williams, Chair of GlobalWelsh, was the keynote speaker of the event which also included contributions from Lloyd Powell, Head of ACCA Cymru Wales and John Cullen, Partner at Menzies.
GlobalWelsh is a not-for-profit organisation which has 11,000 members across 50 countries worldwide. Working in partnership with the Welsh Government, GlobalWelsh’s focus is on business, entrepreneurship and supporting the economy through inward investment, trade, exporting, mentoring, sharing expertise and making connections.
During the course of the event, Nan Williams explored how Wales could build economic impact on an international stage, noting the progress made in the last decade and looking forward to the next five years with the Welsh Government’s international and diaspora strategies.
Key sectors highlighted for growth and global opportunities included compound semi-conductors, cyber security, life sciences, renewable and marine energy, and advanced manufacturing.
Nan Williams said: “Wales is in a good position to take advantage of international opportunities. We now have clear and compelling strategies to build economic impact and could see significant acceleration in the next five years if individuals, businesses, organisations and professional advisers join together and collaborate.
“This will be particularly important in a post-Brexit and Covid world and diaspora engagement will be essential as well.”
Presenting the latest research by sapient.d, conducted in 2020, Nan Williams shared with attendees the role and impact of the Welsh diaspora around the world.
Nan continues: “The diaspora sapient.d has surveyed has only positive associations of Wales and reinforces the Welsh Government’s strategies with areas such as manufacturing and technology identified as key industries in both. Other notable associations from our research include sustainability, authenticity, culture and innovation and these should not be under-estimated in future plans.”
Lloyd Powell, Head of ACCA Cymru Wales, said: “We were delighted to welcome Nan Williams of GlobalWelsh to our St David’s Day breakfast event. These valuable insights will provide food for thought for all who attended. It is clear that there is support and an appetite for Welsh businesses to achieve on the global stage.”
The event, which was sponsored by Menzies and the University of South Wales, also featured a performance by Only Men Aloud and encouraged donations to its chosen charity, Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal.