Wednesday 16 July 2014

London

The view of Samuel Johnson that ‘when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life’ still holds true for today's expatriates.
Open for business and pleasure By James Pickford
Expatriates who decide to come to London can be certain of one thing: they are arriving in a city that has had centuries to hone its appeal.
London's attributes include a thriving cultural scene, restaurants that rival anything on the continent and generous green spaces. But underpinning this allure is its role as Europe's leading financial centre.
Watch audio slideshow
Leadenhall, an elegant Victorian market
building, is at the heart of the City
of London
The city's success has depended on trade and commerce since the Romans arrived in the first century. For much of the 20th century, it was the world's biggest port, and its bankers and brokers developed an enviable network of international contacts to further trade.
Over time, other merits emerged: a stable legal system with strong property rights, low levels of corruption and a predictable political environment.
London's stability was something that struck Ricardo Figueira, a Brazilian who arrived in the capital earlier this year to take up a role as digital executive creative director with JWT, the advertising agency. “I felt it was so safe compared with the chaos of São Paulo. It makes it very easy to settle here,” he says.
Married with a young child, Mr Figueira made a conscious decision to avoid local Brazilian networks, preferring to form relationships with Britons and people of other nationalities through work and his son's school. “I didn't want to be part of a Brazilian ghetto,” he says.
His native São Paulo may be more populous, but London is catching up fast. Official population projections were recently revised upwards, showing that the UK capital will be home to 9m people by 2020.
This will bring strains. Parts of the city's transport system, built in Victorian times, are already at maximum capacity. But the government is investing in flagship projects such as Crossrail, an ambitious scheme linking points east and west of the city, and an upgrade programme for the Tube.
A frequent bugbear for businesspeople is Heathrow, the biggest airport serving London. Its ability to expand is constrained, as it has reached capacity on its two runways. And persistent problems of long delays to clear immigration have reinforced the sense that the city is struggling to capitalise on its qualities.
Mr Figueira says: “It's very annoying when you face incredibly bad queues at the airport. How can I spend two hours in a queue after travelling for 12, 13 hours? It needs sorting out.”
His view finds ready agreement with Nao Muramatsu, a Japanese executive who arrived in 2010, having done a London stint earlier in the decade. As automotive practice leader at Marsh, the insurance broker, Mr Muramatsu travels regularly. He thinks the airport issue is “a killer for business growth”.
Mr Muramatsu is based at Leadenhall Market, which he describes as “almost a canteen for the insurance market”. The elegant Victorian market building is at the heart of the City of London - the oldest business district of the capital. It has cafés, bars and shops, and sits adjacent to Lloyd's building, the industry's hub. “You can see a lot of underwriters, brokers and clients here,” he says. “It's a great place to have a catch-up.” That is particularly appropriate as Lloyd's started out in a London coffee shop.
London's business culture is admirably open to outsiders, he believes. “If you've got the right talent, there isn't any limit because of your nationality or background. You can go anywhere you want.’
Mr Muramatsu, who is divorced, has a 15-year-old daughter who has been schooled in London. While friendships came via parents at her school, he also found the decision to get a dog, a golden retriever his daughter named Kipper, helped him integrate. “English people are quite dog friendly and it helped me to have access to strangers and a completely different set of people.”
Mr Figueira has his own trick for breaking the ice with Britons. “When you get to a meeting, there is a kind of protocol: two minutes of introductions. I find it's always a good thing to talk about football - it's one of the things British and Brazilian people have in common.”

No comments:

Post a Comment

US star Danielle Collins takes shock Miami Open win in emotional farewell season

Danielle Collins enjoyed a fairytale Miami Open this week, winning one of the biggest titles of her career and accomplishing one of her ma...