Neil Gray was in Japan recently meeting with Sumitomo Electric in a bid to seal a deal to build a factory in the HighlandsEurope
EY’s Annual Attractiveness Survey 2022 showed that Scotland once again is leading the UK in that category. The country has maintained its position as the top-performing Foreign Direct Investment destination outside London and is outperforming the rest of the UK and Europe in terms of growth in the number of FDI projects attracted – up by 14% from 2020, compared with a 5.4% increase in Europe and a 1.8% increase in the UK.
In New York, he met firms such as XPO, Mirador, Rockstar North and Amp Energy and said Scotland had long benefitted from the investment and domestic benefits its international network had helped to deliver. Written evidence provided to the UK Parliament’s Scottish Affairs Committee inquiry into the UK Government promotion of Scotland internationally revealed that key organisations are unhappy with the UK Government’s efforts to promote Scotland’s distinct strengths.
“We are not selling off the crown jewels here,” he pointed out. “We are trying to make sure we plug strategic gaps in supply chains, improve Scotland’s productivity and look for strategic partnerships where international partners can add real value.” Last week, it was reported that a Japanese company is preparing to build a large factory in the Highlands to make sub-sea high-voltage cables.