CONGRATULATIONS to our very own Provost, Malcolm Grant, who has been appointed to the Government’s new Business Ambassadors Network.
UK Trade and Investment, the Government’s international business development organisation, claim the network has been created out of the need to promote UK business excellence globally, with ambassadors being hand-selected by the Prime Minister himself.
Business hotspots
Although the role is voluntary, UKTI will be covering Grant’s travel expenses. Which must be a relief, given that dedicated trips are planned to such business hotspots as Australia and China. UKTI told The Cheese Grater that they anticipated the majority of the work would be undertaken within the Business Ambassador’s own travel schedule, but just how many roundthe-world trips does Grant’s busy diary allow for?
And what company the Provost is keeping. The Chairman of Barclays and the Chairman of Lloyds TSB are both fellow Ambassadors, as is Dick Olver, Chairman of BAE systems, a company well-known for supplying military hardware to international buyers and in which UCL hold a £1million stake through the London University Superanuation Agreements. A reliable, trustworthy bunch then, eh?
Lovely bubbly
More worrying is how Grant’s cosying up to the Labour Government will affect UCL’s stance on current issues such as lifting the cap on top-up fees. Grant might not be on the Government payroll yet, but after a few a glasses of bubbly on a business class flight, UCL’s independent stance might look somewhat precarious.