New role for region's Japanese champion

A global trade expert who helped to forge the North East’s flourishing links with Japan has joined a team charged with boosting inward investment into the region.

Jennifer Hartley (pictured), who at one stage headed up the Japanese inward investment desk at regional development agency One North East, has joined NewcastleGateshead Initiative’s (NGI) inward investment team as a senior manager.

NGI’s investment team is tasked with winning business for the area and works closely with Gateshead and Newcastle city councils, private sector networks, and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP).

It targets businesses, industry associations and company clusters throughout the UK and across the globe to generate investment leads and support businesses basing in the area.

Hartley has worked in both the public and private sectors and has worked with several legal firms across the country, including Treasury solicitors, and BAE systems, having gained a Masters in international law.

More recently her experience includes working at One North East where she headed up the Japanese inward investment desk, remotely managing the highly successful office in Tokyo which had involvement in major Japanese investments into the region.

These included Nissan, Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Panasonic.She was heavily involved in organising a senior level FAM visit to the area from members of the Nissan Leaf supply chain from Japan and Europe.

She has also worked as an international trade advisor within the regional trade team at UKTI, helping North East companies to realise opportunities in foreign markets.

She said: “I’m really excited about this new challenge.  Working to attract businesses to locate in this area, which I’m so passionate about, is what I have been involved in for several years and with dedicated colleagues we achieved a great deal.

“Also working with UKTI in the trade sector and my previous experience in the private sector will allow me to bring a multi-dimensional range of skills to this role. NewcastleGateshead Initiative is extremely well-respected for profiling the area to both leisure and business tourists and it is great to now be involved in its more recent agenda, in terms of attracting businesses to come and thrive here.”