Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Part of UK in Hungary

4th August 2014 Budapest, Hungary

"Innovation is GREAT: Regional Automotive and Aerospace Workshop" – Exploring the business potential in Central and Eastern Europe

One of my main professional targets as the Business Champion of Emerging Europe is to help increase the flow of trade between the UK and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Our economists reckon that there’s a potential of 20 billion Euros of business to be done if we could just get Central and Eastern European businessmen to consider the UK offer more often – and if we could get UK companies more excited about opportunities here in the region. One of the big opportunity areas for all that business is in advanced engineering – mainly the automotive and aerospace industries. Did you know that 3.5 million cars are made in Central and Eastern Europe every year and that, as well as being the home of motorsports, by 2017 2 million cars will be built in the UK?

So we organised a large scale workshop for automotive and aerospace-linked companies here in Budapest last week, involving 30 British companies and 70 from the CEE (of which around 40 were Hungarian and the rest from throughout the region). And we got them talking to each other. They heard presentations about opportunities for partnerships and the industry environment in both places. And then they networked and started to get towards doing some business. Why in Budapest, why in July? Because Budapest is home to the Hungarian Grand Prix and F1 is such a compelling example of British engineering and innovative excellence.

Ambassador Knott and Mr Scott Thompson of Caterham Technology & Innovation at the opening of the regional workshop
Ambassador Knott and Mr Scott Thompson of Caterham Technology & Innovation at the opening of the regional workshop
Mr Stefan Putzlocher of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary presenting at the Workshop
Mr Stefan Putzlocher of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary presenting at the Workshop
The Aerospace section saw great presenters such as Mr Constantin Dinischiotu of ROMAERO at the Innovation is GREAT: Regional Automotive and Aerospace Workshop in Budapest
The Aerospace section saw great presenters such as Mr László Tamás of Welow Aviation Consulting and Mr Constantin Dinischiotu of ROMAERO at the Innovation is GREAT: Regional Automotive and Aerospace Workshop in Budapest
Attentive audience listening to presenters at the Regional Automotive and Aerospace Workshop in Budapest
Attentive audience listening to presenters at the Regional Automotive and Aerospace Workshop in Budapest

Did you know that 8 of the 11 teams are based in the UK? The only exceptions are Ferrari, Toro Rosso and Sauber. That last year 17 of the 19 GPs were won by British-based teams. And that (before the Hungarian GP) 900 of the 1,000 points won in the F1 championship had gone to those British teams. F1 is a great advert for the UK!

So we brought a little F1 magic to our event. CaterhamTechnology and Innovation (part of the Caterham Group, having extensive Formula1 experience) delivered a presentation to our participants. And in the networking reception we held at my Residence that evening we welcomed Paddy Lowe, Technical Director of Mercedes F1 (yes, based in England and with a British design and technical team behind the car) as well as the team principals from Lotus and Caterham.

VIP Reception organised for workshop participants, members of the F1 community and senior decision makers of the automotive and aerospace business community
Networking Reception organised for workshop participants, members of the F1 community and senior decision makers of the automotive and aerospace business community

Perhaps the highlight of the reception, though, was listening to a speech by Wing Commander Andy Green, the driver/pilot of the British supersonic car “Bloodhound”, which will break the land speed record next year and in 2016 and take it to over 1,600 km/h. This 100% British car is a marvel. Powered by jet engine and rocket, it has 25,000 bhp more than a QE2 ocean liner, and accelerates to its top speed in less than a minute. Awesome is an over-used word, but this thing IS awesome. And another fabulous example of why if you’re looking for cutting edge engineering, top class design and the very best in performance you should look at the UK.

Wing Commander Andy Green and BLOODHOUND SSC team members presenting the supersonic Show Car to a regional audience for the first time
Wing Commander Andy Green and BLOODHOUND SSC team members presenting the Supersonic Show Car to a regional audience for the first time

As I said in my few words at the reception: if you have a good idea, a good product, a good company, find a British partner and together you will make it GREAT.

InnovationisGREAT image

About Jonathan Knott

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take up his post. He left this post on April…

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to
Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take
up his post. He left this post on April 2015.
He has previously held a variety of diplomatic posts at home and
abroad, several with a particular focus on commercial and corporate
finance issues. Jonathan has served in a number of positions in the
British Diplomatic Service since joining in 1988:
Before his appointment was Deputy Head of Mission and Director for Trade and Investment in South Korea from 2008 to 2011.Between 2005 and 2008 he held the post of Deputy Finance Director in the FCO.From 2000 to 2005 he served as First Secretary (Trade, Corporate Affairs and Finance Negotiator) in UKDel OECD Paris.From 1996 to 2000 he was First Secretary (Head of Political/Economic/Aid Section) in Mexico.From 1995 to 1996 he worked in the FCO as Deputy European Correspondent at the EU Directorate.Between 1991 and 1995 he served as Third later Second Secretary (Political / Press and Public Affairs) in Havana.From 1990 to 1991 he was Desk Officer in the FCO’s First Gulf War Emergency Unit.Between 1988 and 1990 he worked as Desk Officer in the FCO in the Anti Drugs Cooperation Department.
Jonathan holds an MA in law from Oxford University, and he is a
member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He speaks
English, French, Spanish and Hungarian. He is married to Angela Susan
Knott and has one daughter and two sons.

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