Sir Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England and Chairman of the Monetary Policy Committee, will address business leaders from Wales at a special dinner in the Millennium Centre on Tuesday 23 October.
The dinner, organised by the South Wales Chamber of Commerce, will be Sir Mervyn King’s most significant visit to Wales to date and will see him use the opportunity to make a major policy speech.
Prior to the dinner, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with members of the Monetary Policy Committee, and senior Bank of England staff.
Graham Morgan, director of the South Wales Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are thrilled that Sir Mervyn King is taking time out of his schedule to address the business community here in Wales.
“His decision, and that of the Monetary Policy Committee, to spend time in all parts of Wales during this visit is a demonstration of their determination to understand the intricacies of the Welsh economy.
“With such an important visit taking place, the eyes of the world are going to be on Wales and this can only be beneficial as we look to leverage international opportunity in the wake of the many ‘brand GB’ activities of the last 12 months.
“Businesses in Wales need to continue to think outside of their locality, to the UK and abroad, if they are to grow and prosper. This visit will highlight the importance for businesses to think worldwide when it comes to their potential market places.”
Sir Mervyn King was chief economist and executive director of the Bank of England from 1991 and deputy governor from 1998 to 2003. Born in 1948, he studied at King’s College, Cambridge, and Harvard, and taught at Cambridge and Birmingham Universities before spells as visiting professor at both Harvard University and MIT. From October 1984 he was Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics where he founded the Financial Markets Group. In addition to the speech, members of the Monetary Policy Committee will be meeting with business organisations across Wales, including partners of the South Wales Chamber of Commerce such as West Wales Exporters and the Welsh Automotive Forum.
His speech is part of an on-going series of high-profile talks organised by the South Wales Chamber of Commerce which has seen speakers such as the former Chancellor Alistair Darling, Business Secretary Vince Cable and Lord Sassoon, visit Wales. The talks will continue into 2013 with more names to be announced later in the year.