It’s a pleasure to be contributing to my first BABCNE newsletter since taking over from Peter Abbott OBE as His Majesty’s Consul General for New England in mid-August. In the six weeks I have been here, I have seen what an important role BABCNE plays in bringing together the British-American business community in New England. I look forward to working closely together during the four years of my posting in Boston. 

​

The new Government in the UK has been clear that promoting economic growth is its top priority. This means that the work that the Consulate does to strengthen trade and investment links between the UK and New England is more important than ever. I am fortunate to have an excellent trade and investment team to lead this work, headed by Tripp Whalen, who arrived just a couple of weeks before me. But the mission to support economic growth extends to the other sections of the Consulate, from our team that deals with science and innovation to our press, politics and public affairs team. 

​

Since arriving in Boston, my priority has been to begin to build the relationships that I will need to deliver my objectives in this job. BABCNE President Rick McKenna kindly invited me on board his boat in week two to talk me through the role of BABCNE and give me a primer on how to do business in Boston and New England. It is the only meeting I have attended where I have seen an osprey fly past with a fish in its beak. I have had excellent conversations with several other BABCNE members during my first few weeks in the role and have no doubt that I will meet many more as I spend more time out and about in Boston and New England. 

​

I have really enjoyed getting to know companies and organisations working in a wide range of sectors including higher education, tech, life sciences, clean energy and insurance. In my view, there is no substitute for face to face meetings and I am keen to ensure that I hear directly from businesses on how the Consulate can support them. I was particularly pleased to visit Hartford CT to learn more about our cooperation with CT on insurtech and insurance. I was delighted to hear that the International Economic Development Council recognised the UK/Connecticut Insurtech Corridor as the best innovative economic development project in the US during its annual conference in Denver. Congratulations to Mike Hendy from the Consulate, who has been at the heart of this project for a number of years.

​

One of the things that has struck me since starting this role has been the breadth of the role of the Consul General, reflecting the many strands of the UK’s relationship with New England covering education, sport, the arts and cooking to name just a few. The long history of the relationship will be a theme over the next year and a half. As a (very amateur) student of history, it’s been great to hear about Massachusetts’s plans to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the revolution in 1776 and visit some of the historical sites connected to the events that led up to the revolution. There will be a lot of opportunities to showcase the long history of the relationship, and how the hostilities of 250 years ago has transformed into one of the world’s strongest alliances. 

​

Outside work, it has been great to start to explore New England with my wife Sophie and three kids Ellie, Harriet and George. Our very first visit out of Boston was to the England v USA polo match in Newport RI, which was a wonderful event sponsored by BABCNE. My family and I were shown great hospitality by the whole BABCNE team and we really enjoyed the experience (especially the last minute England victory). I’m looking forward to many more BABCNE events over the next four years and getting to know you all.