News Features

Simone is top of the class

BANGLADESHIS are passionate about social and economic development and determined to create their own distinct international identity.

So says Simone De-Gale, an architectural designer based in central Croydon.

She is working with a charitable organisation to build a new school in Sylhet, the second largest city in Bangladesh.

Simone was the special guest at the July meeting of the South London Export Club, where she spoke about this project in particular and the country in general.

The school will ultimately expand to provide an education for 300 children of primary age.

The first phase will accommodate 100 in an urban scheme which will become a mixed use development.

SIMONE DE-GALE: planning a new school for young Bangladeshis.

The work is being commissioned by the Newham Welfare Trust, a charity based in east London that is raising the £50,000 needed to make the plans a reality.

Ms De-Gale said: “I visited Sylhet in February and carried out site investigations from which I was able to prepare proposals for building elevations. I was also able to build a model of the proposed development that the Newham Welfare Trust could present to potential benefactors.

“The first phase will cost about £50,000: it doesn’t sound much in terms of British building costs, but the money will go a long way in Bangladesh, using local labour and materials to provide a quality building at a reasonable price.”

The new school will be built in Sumanganj, a semi-rural suburb on the outskirts of Sylhet.

At the moment the trust is using temporary accommodation to teach the children because the nearest school is ten miles away.

DESIGN CONCEPT: an impression of how the mixed-use development might look

Ms De-Gale said: “Without a proper school the children’s horizons are very limited. They would learn agricultural skills or housekeeping from family members, but the lack of any formal education would severely limit their prospects.”

The first phase of the building will include a series of retail units, the income from which will contribute towards the running costs of the project. Residential accommodation above the shops is likely to be used to house school staff.

There is no requirement for planning permission in a British sense, but there are formalities to be agreed with the local authorities in Bangladesh.

Work is expected to start early in 2011 and take about 18 months. Ms De-Gale will visit the site at the outset to brief the builders and again at crucial points during the construction.

For more information about Bangladesh please click here

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Have you considered Croatia?

SOUTH London firms are missing a trick if they don’t consider Croatia as a place in which to do business. That’s the view of Natasha Kalauz, UK Trade and Investment’s woman in Zagreb and herself a Croatian.

She reminded the March meeting of South London Export Club that Croatia’s European Union entry is expected by January 1, 2012 at the latest and that British firms are not as prominent as they might be in areas of trade where Britain is renowned for its expertise.

She says: “Croatia has traditionally done most of its international business with Austria and Germany, but that is changing rapidly as the country enthusiastically embraces its role as one of the newest members of the EU.

“The country is developing its port structure to become a major point of entry for goods from Asia and East Africa. Its position on the Adriatic means it can cut as many as eight days off the journey to

NATASHA KALAUZ: 'Croatia needs engineering, logistics and security skills.'
Picture by Gareth Curtis

central and western Europe compared with sending cargo by sea around the Iberian Peninsula. So it needs engineering, logistics and security skills for which Britain is famous.

“Croatia is also in the process of rebuilding its tourist industry, based on a middle market model with new marinas, golf courses and luxury hotels. It would benefit from the creative skills that the British could bring to marketing a truly wonderful holiday destination.”

Ms Kalauz says there is also much work to be done in upgrading infrastructure: roads and railways, water and waste treatment, as well as the creation of renewable energy resources. And these are all areas in which Britain excels.

“You will find a well-educated and skilled workforce with a reputation for innovation,” she adds. “Croatia invented the GPS satellite and the systems needed to pay parking charges by mobile phone. There are top-class software engineers ready to embark on development projects for about one-third of what you would pay in Britain.”

She agrees that much of the money for larger projects is coming from the EU and accessing it can be cumbersome, but this former Croatian government officer and United Nations executive, says: “That’s why we’re here. My team and I know the right buttons to press. All you need to do is ask us.”  

For more information about Croatia please click here

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More work on offer in paradise

PENT UP demand makes the Caribbean a good prospect for the export of expertise in the form of joint ventures in construction, sales and training.

A scarcity of tourists over the past 18 months has halted a significant number of multi-million dollar projects, including in the Bahamas, Jamaica and St Lucia.

Typical designs show houses and apartments set around an exclusive hotel, a golf course and a marina; maybe even a casino.

The developments are funded by the sale of the yet-to-be-built real estate, much of it as timeshares.

Now the world economy is starting to turn there will be a need for builders, estate agents and those able to train the staff needed to provide appropriate levels of pampering for European and North American guests.

Hadford T. Howell, our man in the Caribbean, says its always a good time to do business there and promised would-be international traders from south London a warm welcome in every respect, including the climate.

SEA VIEW: Here's a typical luxury leisure development - in  Montego Bay, Jamaica

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African trade prospects look better

SOUTH AFRICA beats Britain out of recession and it looks less bruised than many of the world’s economies.

Its sound banking sector – rated 15th out of 134 countries by the World Economic Forum – and a government pledge to spend $98 billion on infrastructure over the next three years have shielded it from the worst of the global economic storms.

Analysts believe the country’s economy will resume steady growth in 2010, helped by its hosting of the Football World Cup towards the end of the year.

This could be a good time to think about investing in this promising market, which is increasingly seen by many as an economically and politically stable platform from which to launch operations in other African countries.

But be prepared to make a long-term commitment that includes joint ventures with quality training for indigenous staff.

TOP MAN: South African president Jacob Zuma, elected in May 2009, who has set himself the task of creating additional jobs by investing substantially in his country's infrastructure.

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Central Europe avoids a perfect storm

ECONOMIC APOCALYPSE has so far been averted in central Europe.

Speculators who counted on contagion toppling countries like dominoes have little to show for it, while those who bet the other way have made juicy gains.

Poland’s stock market is up by nearly 40 per cent since its low in February 2009, while Hungary’s has risen by half.

So-called ‘scrapage’ schemes to boost car sales will add significantly to gross domestic product this financial year - an estimated one per cent in Slovakia, and 0.5 per cent in the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The International Monetary Fund, the European Commission, national governments and banks have been acting together and pre-emptively. In May last year the IMF gave a $21 billion credit facility to Poland, the biggest and strongest economy in the region.

FUTURE PERFECT: This is the courtyard of the University of Technology in Warsaw, Poland, where the nation's bright sparks receive their top flight education.

Manners maketh man (and woman)

THE ENGLISH are more polite and less arrogant than the Dutch, according to Concheeta de Kromme.

The 17-year-old from Arnhem in Holland made her judgement based on a number of visits to Britain, most recently a four-week work experience placement.

Concheeta was assigned to Bryan Treherne, chairman of SLEC, and his colleagues at UK Trade & Investment where, among other jobs, she helped to prepare a presentation on Mexico for an export club meeting.

Concheeta is a student at the Dutch city’s Titus College, which has close ties with the Croydon business community.

Bryan was delighted with her positive attitude to the tasks she was set and he was much impressed by her excellent command of English.

GOING DUTCH: Concheeta de Kromme prefers English manners to those of her fellow countrymen.

Mark squeezes into the British Library

SLEC MEMBER Mark Sheahan is the British Library’s first Inventor in Residence.

In his post Mark attempts to steer novice inventors around obstacles that litter the path between creating something and earning money from it.

Mark devised a new form of squeeze-to-open plastic container ten years ago that he has since sold successfully around the globe to firms making products ranging from snuff to sweets.

According to Mark, the first step to making money from your bright idea is to ensure it doesn’t exist already - an obvious consideration, but one that many people overlook, he insists.

Filing a patent application is the next step - Mark recommends employing a patent agent, despite a cost of £800 to £5,000. Once the patent is granted you can shout about your invention, but be careful how much detail you volunteer without a confidentiality agreement.

EASY SQUEEZY: Mark Sheahan with a selection of the simpler-to-open containers he invented.

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SLEC is sponsored by HSBC - the world's local bank