Invest NI confirms new presence in Madrid

The announcement comes as Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton visited Madrid to meet Simon Manley CMG, the British Ambassador to Spain and Andorra and Conor McGurk, Director of the Department for International Trade (DIT).

“Spain is the twelfth largest economy in the world and represents significant opportunities for ambitious Northern Ireland businesses,” Mr Hamilton said.

“Northern Ireland exports to Spain have increased from £110.1m in 2015/16 to £141.3m in 2016/17, an increase of 28%.

“With an increased presence in this region we are confident we can build on this and it is for this reason we have chosen Spain as one of our new international locations.

“Our food and drink products are in high demand across Spain with over 30 Northern Ireland companies now exporting to this market including Irwin’s Bakery in Craigavon and White’s in Tandragee whose products are on the shelves of El Corte Ingles, one of Europe’s most respected retailers.”

The new regional manager will be based in the British Embassy and will identify new business opportunities for Northern Ireland companies and develop strong relationships with companies, stakeholders and influencers in the region to encourage trade development, he said.

The agancy has already announced new offices in Chile, Singapore, Doha and Canada as part of its strategic focus on assisting companies to export to new markets.