Aerospace and defence business decision-makers from across the West of England gathered at the Bristol office of accountants Smith & Williamson for advice on how to set up and operate a company in the US.
Staged by the West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF), the event attracted more than 30 directors and senior-managers keen to hear more from UK and US-based specialists about the opportunities and challenges. 
Among the speakers at the seminar, called Building your US Aerospace and Defence Business, were WEAF chief executive Simon Young, Charles Macdowell, senior consultant UK and Amy Parkhurst, senior vice president at Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, along with Renaissance Strategic Advisors managing partner Michael Formosa, and Brian Cooper, international trade adviser at UK Trade and Investment.
Aran Coker, vice president Americas at Astute Electronics and Nick Harvey, civil sales and operations director at MEL Aviation, brought the issues to life by sharing their own experiences and discussing how they had ‘cracked America’.
Simon Young said: “The event was well received and we were pleased to hear from so many local companies who are thinking seriously about expanding their operations to the US or exploring American market potential. We are grateful to Smith & Williamson for hosting this event which is one of a number of joint initiatives we run during the year.”
Mike Lea, managing partner at the Bristol office of Smith & Williamson, who heads the firm’s aerospace and defence sector group locally, said: “It was a lively event which led to many interesting discussions afterwards. With the UK accounting for 17% of the global aerospace market, in manufacturing and R&D terms, and 22% of the global defence export market, it’s not surprising that many of the firms we met have set their sights on expansion. The US is the logical choice for many as it still has the largest market share.”
For further information about future WEAF events, visit www.weaf.co.uk
