“Investing for Growth: A Comparison of German and British SME Funding”

A half-day conference jointly organised by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung office in London,
the Global Policy Institute and the Industry Forum and the Federal Trust

16 January 2014

14.00 – 18.00 followed by reception

Mary Sumner House, 24 Tufton Street Westminster, London SW1P 3RB

Introduction:
When visions of a sustainable economy in the UK are laid out, especially following the financial crisis of 2008 onwards, the SME is often given a starring role. In Germany, the SME is key to the national economy, though the structure of companies, attitudes towards enterprise and innovation, and the environment for funding, are different. KAS, the GPI and Industry Forum are therefore very pleased to organise this comparative analysis of UK and German SME funding, with the hope of shedding light on both the variance and commonality between the two models.

Programme:

2.00pm Registration

2.30pm Welcome and Introduction
Hans-Hartwig Blomeier, Director, KAS UK & Ireland
Professor Stephen Haseler, Director, Global Policy Institute

First Session: The German Approach to SME Financing

2.40pm Comparison of German and British SME Financing
Holger Wessling, General Manager DZ Bank AG London – German Central Cooperative Bank

3.00pm The German Approach
Dr Margarita Tchouvakhira, Kredit für Wiederaufbau – Credit for Reconstruction, Vice-President,
Economics Department

3.20pm German Corporate Financing
Dr Ulrich Hoppe, Director General, German-British Chamber of Industry & Commerce

3.40pm Panel Discussion and Q&A
Chair and Moderator: Michael Lloyd, Global Policy Institute

4.00pm Coffee break

Second Session: The Challenges for UK SME Finance

4.15pm Problems in UK financing of SMEs
Simon Hanson, Business Development Manager, FSB (NE)

4.35pm SME Financing. New approach and opportunities
Neil Bellamy, Director, Technology Media & Telecom UK, NatWest Specialist Sectors Commercial Banking

4.50pm SME Financing. Risk Capital for SMEs: Asset-based Finance
Lucy Armstrong, Chief Executive, The Alchemists and recent Chair, CBI National SME Council

5.05pm Ideas for Change
Michael Lloyd, Global Policy Institute

5.20pm Panel discussion and Q&A
Chair and Moderator: Hans-Hartwig Blomeier, KAS

6.00pm Reception