Pictured above:  Doug Mahoney

Doug Mahoney, UK Trade & Investment's International Trade Director for the West Midlands has been appointed OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, in recognition of the exceptional skill, entrepreneurship and focus he has brought to international trade and investment in the region. 

Since 2000 he has led UK Trade & Investment's team of specialist advisers across the West Midlands, providing tailored business support to firms new to exporting or expanding their activity overseas. Among his achievements, he was instrumental in piloting the Passport to Export programme for small to medium size exporters which is now a national scheme central to UK Trade & Investment's offer, assisting over 1000 companies each year.

His personal vision and intervention were key to the successful bids for European funding which have delivered around £1 million of extra support each year in the region, boosting the numbers of businesses trading internationally and creating around 60 jobs and safeguarding a further 100 annually.  

On receiving his OBE Mr Mahoney said:

"I was pleased and honoured to find out that it was my colleagues, partners and businesses in the West Midlands who nominated me.  This really means a lot to me and I was delighted to accept the honour on that basis. I would not have got this award without the work of the whole team at UK Trade & Investment. Although I am the lucky one who gets to receive the honour, it is an award for all of us."

Working with partners has been key to Doug's ethos and success. He has actively encouraged partners to work together for the benefit of West Midlands businesses. His knowledge, expertise and foresight working with a wide range of partners has led to the establishment of innovative facilities in the West Midlands for regional businesses such as the Joint Venture service run by Coventry University to help companies form partnerships overseas and the International Trade Promotion Centre at the National Exhibition Centre which last year facilitated around 3,000 meetings between UK companies and overseas buyers. 

He continued: 

"I look forward to continuing to work with companies; trade associations; partners and business networks to expand and increase effective routes to customers around the world for West Midlands businesses."

Doug Mahoney joined the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (then the Board of Trade) in 1969 and worked on International Trade policy and delivery in the UK and Embassies as well as on secondment to the private sector working on major hydro electric projects and Export Finance.  In 1986 he transferred to the West Midlands working on industrial development and in 1990 moved to head a central Secretariat in DTI West Midlands.  On the formation of the Government Offices in 1994 he took on responsibility for the combined Government Office West Midlands Secretariat, Intelligence and Ministerial Briefings Units, then in 1996 he became Director of Strategy and Resource Management Division, becoming Director of Exports and Deputy Director of the Business Learning Division in 1998.  

In 2000 he took up his present post as International Trade Director for the West Midlands for UK Trade & Investment.

Doug Mahoney, 60, is married and lives in Solihull, West Midlands.