His Excellency Sven Sakkov, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the United Kingdom, visited Manchester and the North West as part of an official programme aimed at strengthening business and investment links between Estonia and the region.
The Ambassador was joined by Estonia’s Honorary Consul, Professor Adam Beaumont, and representatives from LHV, Estonia’s largest domestically owned bank. LHV has a growing presence in Manchester and is actively recruiting fintech talent as it expands its UK operations and lending activity.
Hosted by Manchester-based investor and real estate business Shenton Group, the visit brought together leaders from the property, technology, finance and defence sectors to explore opportunities for greater collaboration between Estonia and the North West.
The programme included a tour of Sister, the 4m sq. ft innovation district being delivered on the former UMIST campus, where discussions focused on supporting connections between Manchester’s fintech and technology sectors and Estonia’s internationally recognised digital economy. The delegation also visited BAE Systems’ Warton site before concluding the day with a roundtable discussion hosted by Shenton Group at Manchester Hall.
Colin Shenton, Chief Executive of Shenton Group, said: “Estonia may be home to just 1.3 million people, but it has built a global reputation as a leader in digital technology, fintech, cyber security and innovation. There is a great deal Manchester and the wider North West can learn from that success.
“The purpose of this visit was to showcase the scale of ambition, investment and expertise we have across the region, while identifying practical opportunities to strengthen commercial links between businesses in the UK and Estonia.
“With companies such as LHV continuing to invest in Manchester, there is a real opportunity to build stronger relationships across technology, financial services, property and data infrastructure in the years ahead.”
The visit marks the beginning of further discussions between Estonian and North West businesses, with a particular focus on technology, fintech, investment and digital infrastructure.
