Jonathan Knott: GB has a great offer for Hungarian enterprises

AP: What is the major goal of the GREAT campaign?

J. K.: It's a global campaign – we would like to bring Britain's image up to date. There is a picture that remains in people’s minds about us. We think it is the time to refresh it with relevant information. Britain is excellent in innovation, knowledge, sport, culture and many other fields.

Business is a very important thing we offer to the whole world. We have a great ease for doing business, and we are looking for opportunities in collaboration with everyone. From my viewpoint, Central Europe, including Hungary, is a valuable region where we are open for partnership.

What is the strength of the UK?

I have to repeat: the UK is the home of innovation. I'm sure we are the leaders in the world in creating quality for the best price. For example, even if Great-Britain isn't famous for making cars, there are almost 3,500 British suppliers for Formula 1.

How can the British Embassy help find new business opportunities and partners?

There are two major types of our activities. We are leading teams to go to the UK, let them understand the whole country, giving information about actual possibilities. On the other hand, we are doing the GREAT campaign itself, travelling across Hungary, explaining everywhere what the UK offers.

We have a large database of UK companies, and also a big list of Hungarian companies. These help us letting the potential partners getting closer to each other. We invite companies to get into a supply chain and stay there.

Which industrial sectors are the most fruitful for investing in Hungary?

I see many of them. Infrastructure, healthcare, energy, and obviously the automotive industry. Though we don't measure by sectors, but high quality, high-end solutions. I'm sure there are plenty of possibilities here.

What are the advantages for UK enterprises to invest in Hungary?

First of all, I believe people usually don't see what Hungary can offer. However, this country growing at a good rate, it has a very large market. Hungary is also an industrial hub in the automotive sector, with all its benefits. Hungarian companies are good at tool manufacturing, engineering, sophisticated solutions. Those who invest here receive quality for money. Hungary has a very good infrastructure, the government is taking positive steps towards investors, and it's very easy to reach other states in the region from here.

In which fields do the Hungarian enterprises have to improve their competences in order to become ideal partners for UK investors or enterprises?

It depends on the various companies. What is common that Hungarian firms need to open their minds for new ideas, finding new fields. They have to recheck their partnerships, they need quality check more frequently. The world is changing, new solutions, new partners are coming, so I suggest the companies to be more flexible.

You held a webinar during this July for UK businessmen, where you invited them to come to Hungary and do business here. Are there already any concrete results of this call?

Yes, they are, and we were really encouraged to redo it. We invited businessmen for a trip on the GREAT Flagship, which travels from Vienna through Bratislava and Esztergom to Budapest.

In Esztergom, which hosts one of Hungary’s largest automotive factories, we held a new webinar entitled „Key factors of success in the automotive sector in Central Europe” where we had more than 25 British businesses joining us online to learn about the business potential Hungary and the region can offer them. We believe there is so much potential for collaboration between the UK and Hungary that we want to continue the campaign.