Skip to main content
  • The CBI chevron_right
  • How a prosperous partnership can work in practice both domestically and globally

How a prosperous partnership can work in practice both domestically and globally

International Trade conference: hear from Carolyn Fairbairn, Lord Mandelson and Alex Cruz on how business and government can build an effective partnership on trade.

15 Oct 2020, 2 min read

CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn is joined by former EU Trade Commissioner, Lord Mandelson, and British Airways CEO Alex Cruz to talk about how businesses can engage with government, and why an effective partnership between government and business is vital as the UK emerges from the pandemic. The panel also explore geopolitical tensions and how trade can contribute to the levelling up agenda.

Speakers 

  • Daisy McAndrew, Broadcaster
  • Carolyn Fairbairn, Director-General, CBI 
  • Lord Mandelson, Co-Founder and Charmain, Global Counsel 
  • Alex Cruz, Chief Executive Officer, British Airways  

Watch the session

Highlights from the session:

  • Carolyn Fairbairn raised the importance of trade to the economic recovery, and how the domestic agenda can play its part 
  • Carolyn also pointed to the good progress made by DIT in creating a stakeholder engagement architecture and said this can lay the foundations for government and business to work closely together 
  • Lord Mandelson offered advice to business on engaging with Ministers and officials, particularly on the need to provide solutions to any issues that companies are facing 
  • The panellists agreed that there’s much more to trade than trade deals, and Lord Mandelson described the softer policy tools in breaking down market access barriers that can make a significant difference to business 
  • Alex Cruz discussed the importance of showing that the UK is open for business, pointing to international travel, as well as a welcoming environment for people coming to the UK from overseas, as critical for economic recovery 
  • Carolyn concluded by saying the collaborative nature of government in supporting business through the pandemic shows what can be achieved when strong partnerships are built, and that this can be replicated for the UK trade agenda.