In July, a delegation led by Selangor’s Chief Minister, Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, visited Crawley Innovation Centre and agreed on a framework for collaboration with the Gatwick Diamond Business. In October, Brett North, Executive Director of Invest Gatwick Diamond, made the return trip to Kuala Lumpur for the Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS) to present the Gatwick Diamond region to Malaysian businesses and investors.
Brett North, Executive Director, Invest Gatwick Diamond writes about the importance of such trips for our region.
“Just 13 weeks ago, Invest Selangor and Invest Gatwick Diamond knew little of one another. Since then, around 100 organisations from our two regions have met through our events and introductions and we have agreed a framework for working together. Our visit to Kuala Lumpur was the next step.
Invest Selangor hosted gdb Invest in the Gatwick Diamond at SIBS, including SPARK, its investment and industrial park exhibition, which brought together 198 stands from eight countries. Across 16 meetings, I presented the Gatwick region and our investment proposition. I met His Royal Highness Tengku Amir Shah, the Crown Prince (Raja Muda) of Selangor. I also met with senior Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and the Malaysian Trade and Investment Centre.
The programme was designed so that every introduction could lead in more than one direction and the meetings showed why. A Selangor software business exploring the Gatwick region was as interested in UK customers as in a UK base. A property investor looking at sites here was already thinking about the occupiers who would fill them and the markets those occupiers serve. Other business owners came looking for UK partners, whether to distribute, collaborate or for opportunities to invest.
The same is true in the other direction. For a manufacturer in our region, Selangor is a growing market in its own right, as well as a well-connected base with competitively priced industrial land for reaching ASEAN. With the UK and Malaysia now both members of the CPTPP trade agreement, those routes are only getting shorter.
Our two regions have a lot in common. Both have an international airport at their heart and both are strong in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, digital technology, and logistics. Those shared strengths give us a real foundation for collaboration, from sustainable aviation to skills.
Kuala Lumpur also proved a valuable meeting point for a wider international community. I met representatives of the Philippines, Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka, opening conversations across ASEAN and the Commonwealth. The British High Commission’s in-country business team allowed me to present our region and I made the ask that future UK trade and investment visits include the Gatwick region as a destination.
I’m grateful to the Malaysian High Commission in the UK, the British Malaysian Society and gdb members whose support made the visit possible and to Invest Selangor, whose hosting and introductions made it productive.”
Our focus now is SIBS 2027, with a programme built around clear sector opportunities and the right meetings for businesses on both sides. If you’d like to explore Malaysia and Southeast Asia, or join us in 2027, contact Brett North at brett@gatwickdiamondbusiness.com.