The Welsh Assembly Government has announced that it is relocating its New York offices to share space with the British Consulate-General.
The eight staff based in the city will move from their current offices in the Chrysler building to 845 Third Avenue. The role of the New York team is to promote Wales to the important North American market and help attract inward investment. The decision will save the taxpayer £62,000 over the next six months.
Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said,
“This move is a win-win situation, strengthening our ability to attract investment and business to Wales and save money. It will make our overseas operations more effective, allowing staff to work more closely with UK Trade and Investment teams which are also based in the British Consulate buildings. It also means a more effective use of our resources given the current economic climate.”
The New York office assists North American companies with new and expansion projects and it supports companies from Wales wishing to trade in the Americas. In recent years, the office has worked with companies delivering new investments to Wales, including Amazon.com, Virgin Atlantic, and IBM and Conduit on expanding in Wales.
The decision to move location is part of the Assembly Government’s review of all its overseas operations following the launch of the new economic policy, ‘Economic Renewal: a new direction’. The Department for Economy & Transport has also been restructured to deliver the new policy, including an overall reduction of 280 staff and changes to the property portfolio.
