Mayor Oliver Coppard to attend trade mission in New York to ‘promote South Yorkshire on international stage’

Coppard will be working with 40 other mayors from around the world, as part of a prestigious programme for leaders run by Bloomberg and Harvard University in New York.

During his stay in the Big Apple, the mayor will hold a series of meetings with businesses and investors to ‘strengthen ties with the US’ for trade and investment opportunities.

The mayor’s flights and accommodation for the programme have been paid for by Bloomberg. All other costs have been covered by SYMCA.

The mayor will be accompanied by SYMCA’s director of trade and investment Rachel Clark, and AMRC’s head of external affairs, Simon Collingwood.

The mayor said the trade mission ‘offers unrivalled opportunities’ for South Yorkshire to build relationships, share information and learn from other regions across the world.

Professor Koen Lamberts, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Sheffield backed the trip and said the USA ‘remains an important strategic partner’ for the university in for research and development, academic partnerships and student recruitment and exchange.

Mayor Coppard said, “South Yorkshire deserves to be shouted about on an international stage and I can’t wait to show the world what we’re capable of.

“We are home to world-class universities, an advanced aerospace cluster and businesses working at the cutting edge of manufacturing and low carbon technology, and I will use this opportunity to highlight our successes, placing South Yorkshire at the heart of any future expansion plans.

“We have unending talent and limitless potential, we’re the ideal place to invest in, and I’ll make that case to future partners in the United States.

“This programme offers unrivalled opportunities for us here in South Yorkshire to build relationships, share information and learn from other regions across the globe.”

Every year the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative works with 40 mayors from around the world, bringing them together to strengthen their capabilities and discuss responses to shared issues like the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis.

A collaboration between Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, it was established in 2017.