Opportunities Abound for Georgia Companies as UK Launches New Industrial Strategy: British Consul General

Editor’s note: During this time of global trade turbulence and looming tariff deadlines, the United Kingdom, one of the top investors in Georgia, has consistently kept a first-mover advantage, leveraging its vaunted “special relationship” with the U.S. into a deal that avoids the worst of ‘America First’ disruptions. 

But the depth and breadth of the country’s ties with the U.S. means that well beyond manufactured goods, there is quite a bit more scope to improve commercial interactions between the U.K. and the Southeast U.S. Services, where the U.S. tends to have a trade surplus, are a particularly strong opportunity for collaboration, and soccer is an underappreciated kick-starter for business as the 2026 World Cup approaches.

Global Atlanta caught up with Consul General Rachel Galloway to discuss how the U.K. is retooling its economy for the future, and where Atlanta companies can plug into opportunities in its recently unveiled Modern Industrial Strategy. 

Global Atlanta: Tell us a bit about how you’ve found the Southeast to be entwined with the U.K. economically since your arrival in post. Where are the gaps in knowledge that still need to be filled? 

Consul General Rachel Galloway: Well, ever since arriving in Atlanta in July 2022, I have been struck by the strength of economic growth in this region. It’s really impressive, and part of my job has been to sell this story to the UK and persuade British companies and government to take advantage of the opportunities in the Southeast, especially when U.K. companies consider opening operations in the United States.

What many might not appreciate is that the U.S. is the UK’s largest trading partner. In 2024, the U.S. was the U.K.’s top export market with a value of $269 billion. We actually support more jobs in the U.S. than any other country in the world, with more than 1.2 million Americans going to work every day for British enterprises. So this strong foundation already exists and is why the UK’s new 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy is a fantastic opportunity for U.S. businesses, especially here in Georgia.

I do think one thing that the UK may not understand about this region is the incredible growth in soccer over the last decade. One year out from the World Cup, we can expect this major event, as well as other major events such as the Premier League Summer Series to be a great moment for the region and for UK ties.

Sports is a huge investment enabler and Atlanta expects a $500 million economic impact and significant investments into MARTA and the Beltline by 2030 will help make Atlanta even more of a home and international destination for sport.

The UK can be part of this success as we’ve seen similar investments into transportation around major sports cities like Birmingham and Manchester where we have mixed-use sports arenas being developed. This means that we have the knowledge, experience and skills to be a credible partner to the local community and industry.

Global Atlanta: Tell us a bit about the U.K.’s Modern Industrial Strategy — what’s new here, and how does this plan complement the recent trade deal signed with the U.S., as well as the sectoral strengths of the Georgia economy?

Well, the U.K. is embarking on an ambitious and overdue economic renewal. Through the new Modern Industrial Strategy, we aim to deliver the highest sustained growth in the G7, creating jobs and driving up living standards across every part of the U.K.

Along with the UK’s recent landmark trade deal with the U.S., the Modern Industrial Strategy will create unprecedented opportunities for U.S. businesses to thrive in the U.K. and beyond. One of the reasons is that it empowers regional authorities across the breadth of the U.K. marketplace that will help re-energize local industries. The plan also focuses on eight sectors:

• Advanced manufacturing
• Clean energy industries
• Creative Industries
• Defense
• Digital and technologies
• Financial services
• Life Sciences
• Professional and business services

Now these are all sectors where Georgia is a leader and sectors where U.S.-U.K. cooperation is already strong and can get stronger.

Take clean energy, where the U.K. is one of the world’s most important markets, attracting over $3 billion of clean tech investment in 2023. We rank sixth in the world and third in Europe in the EY Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index. 

For Georgia renewable companies looking to grow their business overseas, the U.K. commitment to achieving at least 95 percent clean power by 2030 presents a generational opportunity to break into the market.

Global Atlanta: Fintech and payments have been a particularly strong link between our region and your country. How do you see that developing given the above? And how can the UK and Georgia in particular work together on setting standards and preparing workers in this field and beyond? 

The U.K. is one of the world’s most important markets for financial and professional services with both contributing over $500 billion a year to the U.K. economy. London ranks second to New York in the Global Financial Centres Index while the U.K. fintech sector receives more investment than the next 28 European countries combined.

This presents a fantastic opportunity for Atlanta’s thriving fintech and payments ecosystem to deepen its already strong ties with London and bringing these two important financial centers closer together will significantly boost fintech growth in both Georgia and U.K. We’ve seen many Atlanta law firms move into London and now we’re seeing Georgia payments businesses successfully expanding in the U.K. And of course it’s a two-way street with several U.K. companies successfully entering the U.S. market through Atlanta. This is exactly what our new growth mission is looking to achieve.

Of course, crucial to all this succeeding is the need for and access to talent and skills. The U.K. is addressing this through a range of initiatives, and we can learn from Georgia’s commitment to investing in talent through programmes such as Georgia Quick Start, ensuring people have the right skills for industries of the future.