A selection of endorsements for Neil Blakeman’s work in China.


Peter Batey OBE

Chairman, Great Britain China Centre
Member of the Executive Committee and Board, China Britain Business Council
Beijing Representative of the City of London.
Chairman, Vermillion Partners, Beijing

“Neil has strong experience of advising a range of British companies on China. He and his team brought a clear commercial focus to UK Government policy developments. In addition, Neil played the lead role in progressing joint working by Government and Industry in priority sectors, together with extensive lobbying, managing many Ministerial visits and challenging key trade barriers.”


Gary Dirks Ph.D CMG

Group Vice President, BP p.l.c.
President, BP China
Chairman,British Chamber of Commerce, Beijing, 2002-4.
Member, UK Government's China Task Force

“Our work together covered commercial interests specific to BP but also broader issues concerning British business in China and the work of the British Chamber during my Chairmanship.

I always found our collaboration fruitful. Neil has an in-depth grasp of international business, particularly trade and investment. This includes good insights into the varying operating environments in China, as well as a number of other emerging markets. Personally he is engaging and able to be both a good team player and strong leader. Most important for me he was always results oriented.

In our work together I have observed that he has good experience in many areas, including market assessment, entry strategy, problem solving, and working with other cultures. Additionally he has demonstrated a very clear understanding of the needs of both large and small companies.”


Guy Dru-Drury

Director – China, Confederation of British Industry

“We have built an excellent working relationship with Neil and his team in China. He has invaluable insights and unrivalled experience of the inter-relationship between business and government here in China, not to mention his own personal background pre-UKTI as Commercial Director with a variety of top FMCG branded corporations in developing markets such as Central & Eastern Europe.”


Patrick Horgan

Chairman, British Chamber of Commerce, Beijing, 2004-2006
Managing Director, APCO Worldwide, Beijing, China

“I had the great pleasure of working closely with Neil Blakeman over several years, while he served as Director of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) at the British Embassy in Beijing. Neil's consistently positive and proactive attitude was highly effective in dealing with the complex challenges his role presented.  His blend of private and public sector experience enabled him to bring real depth of understanding to business issues, and to address those issues within a government context. Furthermore, his clear thinking, strategic vision and managerial expertise were much in evidence as he successfully restructured and expanded the UKTI team in China.”