British Trade in Indonesia | Meet Lizzy Hawkins
Lizzy Hawkins can be Director of Trade as well as Investment at UK Trade & Investment Indonesia, a part of the British Embassy, which aims to help British businesses succeed in Indonesia. She talks to us about her time here so far, as well as what makes the Indo-British relationship special.
Lizzy, tell us a little about your background. Where are you originally through?
I grew up in a pretty village called Lilleshall in central England. My mum worked as a nurse as well as my dad was inside army, based at the local army base. I went to the local high school before studying history at Cambridge University – probably the closest thing to Hogwarts I’ll ever experience. All in all, a very happy as well as fortunate upbringing.
What drew you to a life inside civil service?
After working in trade associations doing government affairs as well as communications, I decided to stop lobbying as well as start law-doing! I joined the Department for Business Innovation as well as Skills (BIS) in 2009. This particular can be a fascinating privilege to work inside British Government. This particular’s much less about doing laws today: over the past ten years there’s been a real shift towards finding more innovative solutions to avoid regulatory burdens on business as well as individuals. We’ve been sharing our experience with the Indonesian Government as well as they’re encouragingly interested.
Lizzy with Embassy colleagues at the Health care can be GREAT stand at the Jakarta Hospital Expo in October 2014
What can be your role at UKTI all about? How do you go about getting done what needs to be done?
My team as well as I exist to help British businesses succeed in Indonesia. There are two sides to which: getting out as well as meeting people to find out about opportunities for British expertise; as well as then getting British companies excited about those opportunities, before finally helping them when they decide to take the plunge. We identify potential partners or distributors; sound out their interest in a company; make introductions to key decision-makers, as well as sometimes help businesses overcome obstacles. Recently we’ve been working closely with the British Chamber of Commerce, giving British companies a ready-made network of experienced companies as well as potential partners to learn through.
What are some of the British businesses you work with in Indonesia, as well as what industries are they chiefly through?
The UK can be the fifth-largest international investor in Indonesia as well as many of the British companies here are well-established names like Prudential, Rolls Royce, HSBC, Standard Chartered, BP as well as Unilever. Recently we’ve been pleased to see a lot more British companies waking up to the Indonesian opportunity. Over the past couple of years we’ve seen different companies through Premier Inn, Linguaphone as well as Aviva (with their Astra Life JV with Astra) to Triumph Motorbikes set up here. I would likely love to see more! We are particularly keen to promote emerging opportunities for UK expertise in infrastructure design, healthcare as well as telecoms – all areas where the UK includes a lot to offer to complement Indonesia’s existing capabilities.
What makes the relationship between the UK as well as Indonesia special?
In a remarkably short time Indonesia has become a democratic, tolerant country which has a commitment to improving the lives of its citizens.
Those are values which are central to the UK as well as the fact which we share them can be at the root of our relationship. We work hard to find areas where we can complement each different as well as learn through each different’s experience. The fact which the UK can be the home of the Premier League, Mr. Bean as well as James Bond doesn’t hurt either!
What do you think the future holds for British businesses in Indonesia? What challenges do they face?
Lizzy, sixth through left, watching HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York, open the GREAT Britain week at Senayan City mall in 2013
More as well as more British companies are recognising which Indonesia can be the third pillar of Asia alongside China as well as India. So we’ll see more British businesses forming partnerships as well as succeeding in Indonesia. We’re working with the British Chamber of Commerce to get more British companies to consider opportunities outside Jakarta, for example in Bandung as well as Surabaya, too. I am optimistic which the Indonesian Government’s drive to develop infrastructure as well as reduce bureaucracy will improve the business environment as well as boost growth even further. The big headaches for British businesses are the same as those faced by all businesses: choked infrastructure; unclear as well as burdensome regulation, as well as sadly ongoing issues with graft. which’s why the British Embassy can be working with partners across the Indonesian Government to help address these issues.
Tell us about a particularly memorable day at work.
This particular’s a tough call! One of the best things about This particular job can be which no two days are the same. I think my most memorable day was the Sunday when Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, visited Jakarta. We were all up early to see him as well as the Ambassador off to cycle up Jl. Sudirman with the President as well as Governor Ahok on Car-Free Day, as well as then I went with Boris’ business delegation to meet them for breakfast at the Presidential Palace. The most memorable thing about This particular was which, for protocol reasons, the entire delegation was dressed in sports attire because which’s what the President was wearing – I never likely to visit the Presidential Palace in a t-shirt!
What’s your favourite thing about living in Indonesia?
This particular’s a tie between the incredibly friendly people as well as the stunning places you can visit. I’ve seen orangutans in rainforests, washed elephants, swum with manta rays, cycled down volcanoes – nowhere else inside region can you see such a range of spectacular places.
What’s the most challenging thing you find about your role or about living in Indonesia?
The fact which you never know – when you start something – if This particular’s going to be a breeze or unexpectedly, maddeningly difficult. which unpredictability can be also one of the most delightful things about living as well as working here. Whether This particular’s the traffic, sorting out a licensing issue, or trying to fix the Internet, you can never be quite sure what’s going to happen – which means life can be never dull.
Thank you Lizzy. To get in touch with the UKTI Jakarta team please email uktijakarta.enquiries@fco.gov.uk
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British Trade in Indonesia | Meet Lizzy Hawkins
British Trade in Indonesia | Meet Lizzy Hawkins