About Central Europe Link for West Midlands Business

Central Europe Link for West Midlands Business has been set up in response to a demand from the Business Community in our Region. There has been a significant increase in enquiries and requests for assistance from companies looking at Business Opportunities in Central Europe and Russia.

The Team
Eric Brown
Director of International Trade

Eric has worked in a variety of roles in International Trade in a number of companies, including Chemicals, additives and packaging industries.

Before joining the Chamber of Commerce he worked as a private Export Consultant, individually and with a number of other consultants in a company which he formed and ran. In that time he worked for a number of multinational businesses.

He has worked for the Chamber as Head of the International Trade team for over 13 years. In the period 1999 to 2005, he sat on a national body, advising UK Trade & Investment on the development and delivery of Export services to business. He is a Member of the Institute of Export and Institute of Credit Management.

Linda Smith
International Trade Manager

Linda has worked in the electronics manufacturing industries developing international markets.

She has worked within the international trade development service for nine years and now manages the team across the three counties. Her background includes experience in export finance, market development and joint venture work.

In May 2008 Linda was awarded the International Trade Advisor of the Year Award for the West Midlands.


Paul Thompson
International Trade Advisor

Paul Thompson has worked for the team for the past nine years but brings a wealth of export logistics, documentation and shipping experience from his career at Carnaud Metalbox where he was responsible for a freight budget of £ 9M per annum.

Paul has specialist interest and contacts in Romania, as well as experience in leading visits to this country

Paul can also offer in-house training to shipping staff providing bespoke information and guidance.

Information
Our site will answer questions about business opportunities and trading conditions in these markets. It should also enable you to make an informed decision on the right market choice for you.

Registration
Will enable you to access more detailed information and a discussion with one of our International Trade Advisors. It will also enable us to keep you informed of market opportunities of interest to you. In the future we plan to set up a market place where companies will be able to search for potential partners in all seven market places.

Advice
We have a team of International Trade Advisors with experience in the markets of Central Europe and Russia. Our team have visited the markets many times and taken Business groups to visit key Exhibitions or for one to one Business meetings.

Market Visits
There are a number of organised business visits to Central Europe and Russia from West Midlands. These may be sector mixed or specific sectors, usually to visit a key Trade Show or Exhibition. In addition, there are a number of Inward Business visits each year from these markets. In some cases there may be financial support for companies, either as part of a group or for individual travel.

Additional Support
In each of the six sub regions of the West Midlands (Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Birmingham, Black Country, Coventry & Warwickshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire), there is a team of International Trade Advisors based at your local Chamber of Commerce.
They will be able to offer companies, interested or involved in International Trade, additional advice and support.