Stamford Welcomes U.K. Trade Commissioner To CT

STAMFORD, CT — Mayor Caroline Simmons welcomed Emma Wade-Smith OBE, the United Kingdom's trade commissioner for North America and the consul general for New York, to the city of Stamford on Tuesday for a day of meetings with state officials, Stamford business leaders and community partners.

The visit is the first official meeting between Simmons and her Economic Development team and a trade commissioner, and is part of the Global Stamford Initiative.

The initiative was launched earlier this year in September and focuses on fostering relationships between the mayor’s office and members of the Foreign Trade Commissioners Association and consul generals in New York City, as well as promoting the city of Stamford as a prime location for international businesses to relocate.

"I am honored to welcome Emma Wade-Smith and her team to the city of Stamford. Our diverse population, highly skilled and educated workforce, quality of life and strong business ecosystem makes Stamford an attractive location for businesses and employers and this is the message we want to communicate to international stakeholders through the Global Stamford Initiative," Simmons said in a news release.

"There is no shortage of areas of alignment between the city of Stamford and the United Kingdom, including a keen focus on sustainability and building a greener economy, and I look forward to continuing the conversation with Emma and her team for ways we can partner and move forward on mutually beneficial economic development priorities and projects," Simmons added.

Wade-Smith said Stamford and all of Connecticut are "of great importance" to the U.K., both culturally and from a business perspective.

"It is a privilege to be able to meet Mayor Simmons to understand Stamford’s economic development priorities and discuss how we can both continue to collaborate in the way we have over the past year on the Insurtech Corridor," Wade-Smith said. "The United Kingdom is keen to build on our joint successes and learn more about Stamford’s focus on tech, innovation, and media. The U.K. is responsible for 1.2 million jobs in the US, included in that number is Connecticut. We are committed to building on this record with our colleagues here."