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"As first a diplomat and then as a banker, I have seen at first hand the tangible benefits which have flowed from the work of The Duke of York as the UK‘s Special Representative for Trade and Investment. There are too many examples to quote them all but I recall those US firms I knew who only decided to invest in the UK after his personal intervention; or that major Korean Pension Fund which only began to do business in the City after his personal invitation to come to see what was on offer in London; or those banking licences granted to Standard Chartered and HSBC in Vietnam after he had raised the issue at the highest level on a visit to Hanoi. Much of his work is necessarily unpublicised but, in current circumstances, we are fortunate to have a Royal envoy who is knowledgeable about business and devoted to the promotion of economic prosperity in his country."

Sir Thomas Harris
Vice Chairman, Standard Chartered Capital Markets

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The Duke of York’s career

In 2001, after serving for 22 years in the Royal Navy, The Duke of York was invited to take on the role of the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.

View the Duke’s Public work

View the Duke’s Naval career

The Duke’s Role

The Duke’s Role

The Duke of York was invited to take on the role of the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment in 2001, after serving for 22 years in the Royal Navy,

Working with Government, and in particular, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), His Royal Highness’s role involves promoting the UK as an attractive inward investment destination for foreign investors; creating more positive business conditions for British businesses investing overseas; and helping UK companies export their products to emerging and established markets.

The Duke of York is not paid for his work, although some of the expenses of the Office of Special Representative are met by UKTI and the Department for Transport.

The demand for His Royal Highness’s services has increased steadily since 2001. The Duke of York has been involved in numerous major bids on behalf of British companies with considerable success. Projects with which His Royal Highness has been involved include the work of Rolls Royce, Foster+Partners, BG, Shell, Biwater, Serco, Premier Oil, International Power, HSBC and Standard Chartered to name a few. The Duke of York focuses his programme on markets where he has the most significant impact with developing and securing relationships for the benefit of the UK. Key focus markets include the Middle East, South East Asia, Central Asia, India, China and North Africa. His Royal Highness believes that helping to export British expertise and experience leads to employment in both the UK and overseas.

The role of His Royal Highness varies from being directly involved in meeting with Ministers and senior officials on behalf of British companies, to building relationships over time and promoting the expertise and experience of the UK at the highest levels. The Duke of York’s role is considered to be important to many British companies, particularly in areas such as the Middle East where his long-term commitment to the job enables him to get access to the highest levels of decision makers.

Current activities

In 2008 The Duke of York undertook a total of 628 engagements in the UK and overseas. Of these, 529 were business-related, which was an average of 10 trade/busines related engagements a week in addition to his other Royal engagements.

In 2007 His Royal Highness undertook 357 engagements in his capacity as Special Representative. In 2006 The Duke undertook 324 business engagements and in 2005 he completed 263 engagements.

Objectives

The Duke’s objectives and activities vary depending on the country and general market status. Broadly defined, his responsibilities include:

  1. Maintaining strong government and commercial contacts and relationships in the UK and abroad in order to maximize opportunities for UK companies.
  2. Delivering high-level access to British companies. Supporting UK projects and bids directly with Government lobbying overseas.
  3. Marketing the UK, particularly in emerging markets such as India, China and ASEAN countries. This includes representing the UK at major trade fairs and conferences and delivering keynote speeches on trade issues.
  4. Hosting high-level trade conferences in the UK to showcase business opportunities in particular regions e.g. Abu Dhabi, Jordan and Vietnam.
  5. Providing regular, direct feedback to business and government through UKTI and the CBI on business issues both in the UK and overseas.
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Video

The Duke of York gives an interview to David Frost on Frost over world

Frost over the World – For the last seven years Prince Andrew has been the UK’s ‘special representative for international trade and investment’. In this role he travels the world promoting British business.

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