Small firms researcher to address Chamber conference

Brian Morgan, Director of the Small Firms Unit at Cardiff Business School, will be one of the main speakers at the conference entitled, "The Single Market: Post Accession Risks and Opportunities for SMEs". This conference is being organised by the Malta Chamber of Commerce and will take place on Thursday, 16 October 2003 at The SAS Radisson Bay Point Resort in St. Julians.
Mr Morgan is an experienced economist and has undertaken a number of policy advisory roles within Wales (for the Welsh Development Agency and The National Assembly), the UK (at the Department of Energy and Treasury) and in Europe (for the OECD and DG Enterprise). Recently, he has been involved in a number of high profile research and consultancy projects. He is also a successful entrepreneur in his own right.
He is Director or Chairman of four businesses in Wales, including:
• Welsh Whisky Company Limited (reviving one of the oldest industries by distilling the first Welsh Single Malt for over a hundred years)
• Tower Colliery (the last deep mine in Wales and now an employee-owned co-operative coal-mining venture),
• Newidiem, (an economic development consultancy focused on sustainable development) and
• Bluestone (a new generation holiday village and leisure park in Pembrokeshire).
Brian Morgan is considered an authority in the field of research on business development and the needs of small businesses in the UK and his works are widely published. His most recent focus has centred on assessing the contribution of clusters and networks to SME growth and economic development. He also specialised in the analysis of the economic benefits of the EU Structural Funds programmes and related Economic Impact Assessments.
In the light of such an impressive curriculum vitae, the Chamber President expressed himself extremely excited about securing Mr. Morgan’s participation at the forthcoming Conference. He stated that this would be of great inspiration to our members and other interested persons who attend the conference. "We firmly believe that with the right guidance, our business community can go a long way in establishing itself as a true force within the single market particularly if the right niches are found and pursued appropriately" he concluded.
The conference will be addressed by a prominent line-up of local and international speakers. Apart from Mr. Morgan, a number of other high-profile keynote speakers will address the conference. These are H.E. Mr. Vincent Fean, British High Commissioner; H.E. Mr. Ronald Gallimore, Ambassador of the Delegation of the Commission of European Communities; Mr. John Collier, Deputy Managing Director, Exemplas; and Prof. E. P. Delia, leading economist and Chairman of APS Bank. Moreover, the Hon. Mr. John Dalli, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs and the Hon. Dr. Charles Mangion, Opposition Speaker for Finance and Economic Affairs will address the afternoon session.
The Chamber of Commerce chose to dedicate this conference to the needs and aspirations of SMEs in the light of their key importance within Malta’s economy as well as in anticipation of the country’s impending EU membership. The conference is intended to formulate serious and concrete proposals to address the practical challenges being faced by SMEs in terms of the important roles to be played by Government, the Opposition, Private Sector Organisations and the European Union.
The conference is being organised with the kind support of the British High Commission and the Delegation of the Commission of European Communities in Malta.