Maria Pia Gazzella - Live life fully so that memories will last forever

I have been blogging for the last 4 months and it has been an interesting experience. I have received very supportive comments through the blog and directly to my email from places like Manila, Qatar, Rome, Chilean Patagonia and Brazil, which proves the effects of telecommunications and globalisation.

I hope that you were able to get a feeling of what it is to be a Commercial Attaché serving UK’s interest without being part of the diplomatic service. To end this blog I would like to share with you my father’s words “ La vida hay que vivirla intensamente, para luego recordarla siempre” / “ Live life fully so that memories will last forever”.

Posted at 14:24 01 February 2008 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |  Comments[1]

New British company in town

It is good to know that despite the current global financial crisis, some British companies are still considering opening branches in emerging countries such as Chile picking up good business opportunities. Chile is not immune to a downturn of the world’s economy, inflation is rising – like in most parts of the world - and the weak dollar is hurting agriculture and wine exporters. Being the world’s largest producer of copper  - with the largest bonanza period in copper price - any industrial downturn could have an impact an Chile's growth. However, Chile´s sound macro financial policies, with an important surplus in public accounts, and solid financial regulations are helping Chile to soften the impact of the international crisis and the economy is more resilient than in the past.

What makes a company decide to open a branch abroad is a strategic decision that could have many different reasons. In this case, Balfour Beatty Rail Projects decided to establish a company in Chile as a result of winning a new rail contract worth around US$80 million for the extension for Santiago’s Metro and the possibility of working in a pipeline of projects. I have been working closely with Metro Santiago to support their projects and getting British companies to participate in them. Some years ago we invited Metro’s senior management to go to the UK as part of a “Meet the Buyers” event - matching relevant buyers and sellers for private, individual ‘face-to-face’ meetings –,  and organised other activities to encourage British participation. As a result, British companies have been successful in different areas e.g. consultancy, modelling pedestrian flows, operations and railtrack installation. This is the second contract that Balfour Beatty has won with Metro Santiago. The previous contract won by Balfour Beatty was to build the 64  km extension line to the southern part of the city, which finished in 2006 and was inaugurated by at the time President.  I have been working with Balfour Beatty since they first became interested in the Chilean market so it is very encouraging that they have decided to open an office here and also to see how a company develops over a period of time.

In my view, it proved strategic for Balfour Beatty to develop a good working relation with Metro, based on trust and long-term commitment. It was also useful to carefully select local partners and to carry out an Overseas Market Introduction Service - UK Trade and Investment chargeable service that provides accurate and up-to-date market information and tailored assistance.

I have also just started working with a company in the environmental sector, helping them with their assessment for a possible joint venture with a Chilean company. If the evaluation proves to be positive we will soon have another British company in town.

 

Posted at 14:49 30 January 2008 by Maria Pia Gazzella  | 

Business as usual

Like life, business is a mix of things that you enjoy doing and others that you must do. Sometimes things go as planned, or even better, and others fail despite your efforts. These last weeks has been a mix of all the above. I was sick - with fever - from 8 until the 12 and got back to work only on 14 January. It started with a head of section’s meeting where we talked about President Bachellet`s change of cabinet. I have been answering commercial enquiries from British companies interested in this market from very different sectors such as GPS, cables, equipment for fumigation, biotechnology, aquaculture, and PR for local British companies. I had a very interesting meeting advising a British company interested in participating in a tender in the energy sector and I participated in a meeting with the Ambassador and Diageo´s representative to talk about their presence in the market.

Last week we  had some positive news from companies that I have been working with or assisting. One company won an important tender and a British consultancy firm has been asked to participate in the advisory committee for the Ministry of Transport. However, on the other hand, another company that we have been supporting decided to withdraw their participation in Chilean PPP projects. So, as I mentioned,  this is just how things are. Hopefully at work you could end up enjoying doing things that at the beginning you thought were things that you just have to do.

Posted at 12:05 21 January 2008 by Maria Pia Gazzella  | 

What are your dreams for 2008?

As my first day back from holidays, it has been very rewarding to find some very kind messages to this blog and in my email account, so thank you all!

I spent the last two weeks at the beach with my family and we celebrated New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks at the sea.

The New Year always makes us think of the dreams that we have and how can we make them real. This brings to my mind the dream that a Chilean lung and respiratory physician, Hector Anabalon, had. It was mid 2005 and I had just given birth to my daughter. At the clinic I got the flu so once back home I had to continue with the treatment. That is how I met Dr. Anabalon, since he came to my house to do a medical check. We started talking and he mentioned that he had always thought of developing a sleep centre to treat sleeping disorders in an integral way. I offered to check if there was some centre in the UK. So once I got back from maternity leave I helped him to exchange information with British companies. We got in touch with the Medical Director of the London Sleep Centre, Dr. Irshaad Ebrahim MBChB,MRCPsych, who got interested in the idea of developing a centre in Chile. We supported this UK-Chile association and organised a seminar at the Embassy where Dr. Ebrahim spoke about sleeping disorders and its impact on productivity. Finally, in March 2007, the Santiago Sleep Centre was opened and it has been very successful.

So, I wish you all an excellent 2008 and that all your dreams may come true.

Posted at 16:31 08 January 2008 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |  Comments[1]

Sunny Christmas - warmest wishes at Christmas time

This is a brief message to wish you all a lovely Christmas. In Chile, Christmas  is in summer time, so our Christmas trees have cotton to imitate snow. Yesterday, while most people were doing last Christmas shopping we were enjoying an afternoon in the pool. Today most people work only half day and then families get together to celebrate. So, my warmest wishes to you all.

Posted at 15:32 24 December 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |  Comments[3]

Annual Conference for Innovation on Infrastructure

As you all know this time of the year is always full of activities, alongside work related activities there have also been, final presentation of my children at school and also final exams at the MBA and everything has worked out smoothly.

Last week and this week I have been working on some overseas market introductory services (OMIS) for 3 British companies, 2 in the consultancy one for retail sector and the other on infrastructure and another in the rail sector.

Last Thursday we sponsored the Annual  Conference for Innovation on Infrastructure. There were around 500 people from the construction, consultancy, equipment and supplier and government sectors.

This photo was taken at the Annual Conference for Innovation on Infrastructure. Maria Pia Gazzella  with some of  delegates from private and public sector that visited the UK:Carlos Rubilar, Head of the Highways and roads from the Ministry of Public Works; Francisco Gatica, Advisor to the Minister of Public Works; Jorge Letelier Vice President of the Committee of Public Infrastructure of the Chilean Construction Chamber of Commerce, and Juan Carlos Leon  General Manager of the Technological Developement Corporation.

At the conference, the Chilean delegation that visited the UK in September to learn about  British capabilities in innovation in the infrastructure sector and, in particular, in roads, roads management, and PPP on road maintenance,  presented the main findings and suggestions on how they could be applicable in Chile. For example in 2004 the UK started PPP on road maintenance and Chile is currently developing a programme worth US$1 billion for road maintenance whose first phase will be on tender next year. This is a new challenge for Chile and the Construction Chamber invited as guest speaker  Divisional Technical Director Transport Management Consultancy at Mott MacDonald to present the British experience in this field.

Posted at 13:56 21 December 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  | 

My approach to environmental businesses

I started to look at this sector in 2003. Since the early days, we established a close collaboration with the Chilean Environmental Association-AEPA and the Business Groups in UK Trade and Investment, which helped to foster communication and highlight business opportunities. In July 2006 I participated in an Industry Briefing Course in the UK that helped me to better understand the expertise and competitive advantages that the UK has.  Today we hosted the meeting of the international committee of  AEPA.  At the end of November the Association participated with a stand at Pollutec 2007 and we co-ordinated 11 meetings between Chilean and British companies which were very successful. Other areas covered during the session were the results of ExpoAmbiental 2007 which is becoming a regional fair on environmental issues and where some British companies participated with stands. New areas of opportunities where international experience will be valuable are rural water management since the government is launching a new law with more strict regulation and also waste and environmental management, CDM and renewable energy.

Transcript

(Maria Pia) Today we are here in a meeting with AEPA association which is the environmental trade association for Chilean companies and the meeting has covered the Pollutec trade fair that a group just visited and we organised meetings for companies that participate at the fair and also ExpoAmbiental 2007 which is a trade fair that is now getting well known in the region and the world so British participation at this trade fair and obviously we are touching as well on the challenges for next year and areas that AEPA and all the members would like to cover during this next financial year, such as energy, renewable energy and waste and the idea is that together we highlight the environemtnal areas and that we cooperate to get the best of this sector and with me there are members of AEPA and also the Director of AEPA and delegates from the French Embassy and the British Embassy also, so now Fernando Avila, the General Manager fo AEPA, will speak to us. Thanks.

(Fernando Avila) We have had a long-standing collaboration with the Commercial Section of the British Embassy, with the participation of some British experts in areas of water, hospital waste management, etc. The Commercial Section has been one of the founders of the Chilean Environmental Association - AEPA. One of the characteristics of our association of environmental companies in Chile is that European Embassies, plus US and Canada, also form part of it. Today we are with the international committee which meets once a month to inform about the results of the trade fair Ambiental, which is a Latin American environmental fair held every 2 years. We are already starting to work for 2009 where we would like to see the participation of British experts. We are also covering the results of the participation at Pollutec fair where Chile for the first time had a stand and 15 companies participated from different sectors such as water, waste and energy. At Pollutec we had meetings with British representatives and with representatives from UK Trade and Investment where we shared ideas to work together. We are sure that the collaboration with the United Kingdom will continue to be as close as it has been until now.

Posted at 12:14 12 December 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  | 

Developing New Business Areas

In my opinion, successful business does not happen by just identifying opportunities and selling the right products that will satisfy customers needs. In this ever changing world  successful business happens by anticipating new  market trends and its main actors. Therefore it is important to be aware of decisions made by government and how these can create new markets.

The video attached to this blog is from a meeting at the Chilean Minister of Energy. The video showcases Andres Romero, Advisor for the Energy Minister and Claudio Huepe, Chief of Studies Development. On the video, the Energy Advisor refers to how is looking forward to working with the British Embassy. "I have had an excellent experience working previously with  the British Embassy (Maria Pia)on the healthcare reform. In the area of energy, we think there is scope for collaboration, since there are many issues to be addressed". The Chief of Studies Development added that "in the area of studies, we are working with the Embassy on a rather unexplored issue which is marine energy, in which the UK already has expertise".

The main challenge for this Department, which was created this year, is to combat  an energy crisis due to a reduction of gas supply from Argentina and to diversify the energy grid, as well as to define a renewable energy policy and establish an energy sector reform in Chile. At the British Embassy Santiago, we are supporting this process and encouraging the creation of new areas for businesss and support businesses looking to invest or introduce new technologies, as well as expertise.

Transcript

(Andres) I have had an excellent experience working previously with the British Embassy, Maria Pia, on the healthcare reform. In the area of energy, we think there is scope for collaboration, since there are many issues to be addressed.

(Claudio) In the areas of studies we are working with the Embassy on a rather unexplored issues which is marine energy, in which the UK already has expertise.

Posted at 16:00 05 December 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |  Comments[1]

Just Keep Focus

I would like to answer in this blog the question raised by Vanessa about the way I combine professional duties, with the challenges of being a postgraduate student, a wife and mother. My answer is very simple: I focus on a few key things.

Family is my priority and where I get the strength to do all the rest. I have always worked and studied so it has not been too difficult for me since I already had a method to study and I have a good team of friends to study with. I usually study at night when the children are sleeping and I try not to modify their activities with my studies, so I have time to help them with their homework (the last one for the 4 year-old was a presentation about vitamins!) or just to play with them. My two sons have hearing loss and as a family we focus in providing them all the necessary support and reinforcing their therapies at home and they are doing great! At work I also try to keep focussed on the areas where there are good business opportunities for British companies and I try to process things immediately to avoid lists of pending things to do. Keeping the balance between all this is the real challenge and I am grateful for the support that I receive from my husband, mother, nanny, from my line managers at work (Tim Torlot, Paul Taylor and Duncan Hill), and, as a catholic, I also thank God.

I have tried to simplify my life and enjoy what I do. Every Friday I have a night out with my husband to take out all the stress from the week and to get energised for the next one. So tonight, after an exam at the University, I will enjoy my night out.

Posted at 14:35 30 November 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |  Comments[1]

Word of mouth

I was invited to participate IN a Conference on PPP-Private Public Partnerships, organised by Libertad y Desarrollo, Chilean Think Tank, recently elected the most influential Think Tank in Chile.  The key speakers were the former Chilean Minister of Health and Ignacio Sanchez de Ocaña Ruiz de la Prada, Spanish consultant at IESE Business School Universidad de Navarra.

The reason why I would like to share this event with you is because although there was no direct British presence, all the presentations highlighted the expertise of British companies in this field and the importance of having an organisation like Partnerships UK assisting in the process.  This was excellent publicity for the UK PPP sector, especially because it came through opinion leaders and it is clear example of the power of word of mouth. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools at the moment especially since we are all bombarded with information.  We have had several activities on PPP to facilitate the adoption of the model and to facilitate market access in the past. So, it is refreshing to see that the message is expanding through word of mouth.

Last August, I had the opportunity to assist a presentation by Phillip Kotler, one of the world's foremost experts in the marketing field. He considers that "The 21st century is going to be the century of 'word of mouth,'" and companies and organisations should consider using more effective public relations campaigns and word of mouth to promote their products.  Do you agree?

Posted at 20:21 22 November 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |  Comments[2]

Earthquake in Chile

I would like to thank all the people that have expressed their concern about the earthquake that has recently affected the northern part of Chile an hour ago, where most of the mining activity is developed.

The earthquake was 7.7 on the Richter scale and was located 780 miles north of Santiago. There is no electricity in the area at the moment and there are 45 people injured and recovering at the hospitals so far. Major cities affected are Antofagasta, Iquique, Calama and Tocopilla.

In Santiago everything continue to be normal as usual, but obviously we are all concerned about the injured people and the damage that the earthquake has caused. There is no risk of a tsunami and the government is carefully managing the situation.

Posted at 19:05 14 November 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |  Comments[1]

Positive feedback

Yesterday the day started with the 9.30 head‘s of section meeting where we had an interesting exchange of views on the Iberoamerican Conference held in Chile over the weekend; where Presidents of most of the Iberoamerican countries participated. It was a big change from the previous day when I was at the pool with my 3 children.

It has been a good week so far, as I received very positive feedback from 2 companies that we have been helping.

Dr. Jagdeesh Dhaliwal, Course Director MSc. in Health Services Management at Warwick University sent a nice email with feedback on the 4th Internship on Primary Care that they are conducting for members of the Chilean Health Service. This was a project that started as a joint effort between Michael Valdes Scott from Canning House, Dr. Dhaliwal from Warwick University and ourselves in 2004, and that has led to a consecutive award from Warwick University of the international internships on primary care from the Chilean Ministry of Health.  This internship scheme is a unique mix since it is taught entirely in Spanish - a first for any UK based Management course - and at the same time it supports Chilean Healthcare reform through a strong emphasis on primary care which is an area where the UK has built great expertise.

I also received a very supportive email from Paul Willets Director - Healthcare Development at Ryder HKS who has also been working at the National Health Service in the UK for over 30 years with specific expertise in PPP/PFI hospital procurements. We have been helping Ryder HKS through the OMIS system and I arranged and accompanied them to meetings with the companies that prequalified at the first PPP hospital infrastructure tender in Chile. As a follow up we included a visit to Ryder HKS in the UK by a group of Chilean architects that visited London this week, which was led by Monica Eggers from our commercial team. The exercise has proved very successful so far and we are confident that it will lead to business opportunities for Ryder HKS, specially since they are open to exchange knowledge and expertise with the Chilean architects.

Posted at 18:27 14 November 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  | 

Executing UK Trade and Investment’s Strategy

I am back again at the office after spending a few days in Ecuador participating at the Latin America Trade and Investment Conference.  UK Trade and Investment launched its strategy last year, but as it is known a good strategy without a proper execution is just good intentions.  So, after the meeting in Buenos Aires where we discussed the focus and the measurements to drive the performance of UKTI’s new strategy, we followed up with this conference. The purpose of this meeting was to work on the synchronisation and generation of both horizontal alignments between headquarters and posts, and vertical alignment within the Embassy and between the commercial sections in the Latin American region.  UKTI is no different from any organisation that wants to have sustainable growth by creating value for its clients and at the same time engage its employees. This is the challenge for all of us.

Ecuador is a fascinating country. People’s positive attitude and service are remarkable. In this competitive and challenging world, customers want to feel unique and appreciated and in Ecuador they have implemented this philosophy across different sectors.

During my visit, I had the chance to spend some time with my family and also with dear friends. The photographs posted in this blog are courtesy of my good friend Pablo Corral Vega, who is an Ecuadorian world class photojournalist. (www.pablocorralvega.com)

Posted at 12:35 08 November 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  | 

All Saints' Day

Yesterday it was All Saints' Day, a feast celebrated on November 1st by Roman Catholics and it was a National Holiday in Chile. It is an important day in Chile and most people spend time with their family, visit their loved ones that have passed away and go to mass. I celebrated it with my children and some friends. We were all in masks of positive characters  (as opposed to the American Halloween full of monsters and witches). I felt very secure having Superman, Spiderman and a flighty Minnie mouse with me. Today, most schools are closed so people took a long weekend to go the beach or the country side (Santiago is privileged since it is located only 1 hour to the coast and 1 hour away from the mountains). In fact, my sister is enjoying the beach at the moment.

So, since most people are away today I will catch up with some emails and reports that I need to prepare. Also if possible I will speak with two Chilean businessmen interested in establishing partnerships with British companies in the health sector and another in the energy sector. Based on the information provided I will send a Business Opportunity lead through the UKTI portal and also contact the relevant organisations.

Posted at 15:47 02 November 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  | 

In Buenos Aires

I have spent the last 2 days in Buenos Aires participating in a workshop on implementing UK Trade and Investment strategy. Delegates from Peru, Argentina and Chile participated, making the learning process more valuable since we were able to share our best practice to deliver better services to our clients.

I arrived in Buenos Aires on Sunday, the same day as the Government Elections for President. The quietness and order in the city positively surprised me, but some Argentines I spoke with suggested that it was due to an apathy for the election since it was well known who the winner was going to be. Cristina Kirchner, wife of the current President, became the first woman to be elected president in Argentina's history.

I asked Simon Brier, Head of UKTI 's Commercial Section in Buenos Aires, about the impact of this election on Argentina’s economy. He explained how rapid economic growth (8-9% p.a.) has been one of Argentina's strengths during the (Nestor) Kirchner Presidency. He said that many analysts believe growth will continue, but they also see some economic challenges (e.g. on inflation and energy). He added that Cristina's electoral campaign messages suggest that she will be active in promoting foreign investment in Argentina. 

So, without getting into politics, the better the economic prospects in neighbouring countries are, the better we are positioned to identify useful opportunities for British companies that could operate/sell their products in South America.

I got back to Santiago late at night and unfortunately now my husband is in US for 3 weeks and our paths only crossed at the airport.

Posted at 15:35 02 November 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |