US visit marks first overseas mission for new SE head
Lena Wilson will make her first visit to the US next week as chief executive of Scottish Enterprise (SE), in a trip which will see her meet some of the biggest foreign investors in Scotland.
The visit, which is part of a series of overseas trips designed to promote Scotland and Scottish businesses internationally, aims to explore new trade and investment opportunities for Scotland in the region.
As former chief executive of Scottish Development International (SDI), Wilson already has well-established relationships with companies in the US, but this visit will be her first at the helm of SE. And, with internationalisation and inward investment high on the agenda, she will be meeting several US investors plus a number of Scottish companies working overseas.
Commenting, Wilson said: “Scotland has a long trade history with the US and our two nations have a mutually beneficial relationship. For US companies looking to invest in Scotland, there are significant opportunities in sectors such as life sciences, electronics, financial services, textiles, tourism, food & drink and energy & renewable sectors. In the last five years alone, US companies have created or safeguarded 15,202 jobs in Scotland through direct investment, so clearly this is a relationship that we need to nurture and protect.
“And, on the other hand, the US really is the land of opportunity for Scottish companies looking to internationalise. We are actively encouraging more Scottish companies to develop the ambition to work overseas, and through Scottish Development International we have an excellent range of products and services to help them to achieve this.”
Wilson’s visit will include meetings with US stalwarts such as IBM, Pfizer, Morgan Stanley and McKinsey & Company. The trips also coincides with an SDI trade mission involving Scottish technology companies such as ABSL Power Solutions, Alpha-Data, A2E and OrbisIP Ltd, designed to help them target new business in Washington DC and New York.
Wilson will also attend the launch of an international fashion competition at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, which marks the institution’s first collaboration with Scottish Development International.
Read more about our links with North America.