Message from Kassim Ramji, HM Consul General Milan and Director of Department for Business and Trade, Italy

Dear Easy Milano readers,

It is my great pleasure to introduce myself as His Majesty’s Consul General and Country Trade Director in Milan, taking over the baton from the excellent Catriona Graham, whom many of you will have met over the last five years. I arrived in September, fresh off the plane from London, where I have spent the last decade working in a variety of government departments on areas ranging from clean energy to trade and industry. Just over two months into the role I am settling in well, thanks largely to the efforts of my fantastic team at the Consulate, and a very festive-looking Milan that already feels like home.

I feel incredibly fortunate to be taking up this role at such an exciting time. Italy is a key NATO and G7 ally and a founding member of the EU, it is also the UK’s 9^th largest trading partner, with trade between our two countries worth £51.6 billion. The Prime Minister’s visit to Rome in September – one of his first international visits (and one of my first days in the job!) – reflected the importance that this government attaches to the Italian relationship, and we were pleased to be able to announce £485 million of Italian investment into the UK as part of this memorable moment.

And I am writing this letter whilst the Pontignano Conference is in full swing. This annual UK-Italy conference draws together attendees representing the many facets of our bilateral relationship, from business to academia to foreign policy and beyond.

The reset of the UK-EU relationship clearly complements the sound bilateral foundations that the UK and Italy have in place. We want to work closely together with the EU to address global challenges such as economic headwinds, geopolitical competition and climate change. We also want to explore where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, including for our respective economies. I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to consider these opportunities through the lens of our new Industrial Strategy, which will be launched next year and will be truly international in its approach.

This is the positive backdrop for the work that my team and I are doing at the British Consulate in Milan. As Trade Country Director for Italy, I am working hard to support the government’s central mission of delivering secure and sustainable growth, whether working with UK businesses to boost exports to Italy or working with Italian companies to support investment opportunities in the UK. If you would like to see more about this work, please do head over to my LinkedIn page to see what we have been up to recently.

I am also, of course, honoured to be the UK Government’s senior representative in Northern Italy. The poignant Remembrance Day commemorations at the Commonwealth War Graves last month were a powerful reminder of our intertwined history and in my first few weeks in Milan I have been struck by the strong personal links that continue to tie our two great countries together.

I look forward to strengthening these connections during my mandate and to supporting the over 17,000 British people who, as I now do, call this region home. If you are a resident and need support, feel free to check out our pages on Living in Italy – GOV.UK

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Kassim Ramji

HM Consul General Milan and Director of Department for Business and Trade, Italy