We need to know plan for the Brexit transition

THIS is an exciting time for the Institute of Directors in Wales. We have recently moved out of our Cardiff offices and will shortly be announcing the location of our new Welsh headquarters, which I’m sure will be hugely and warmly welcomed by members, offering as it does an extensive range of facilities and opportunities.

From a governance perspective we are in the final stages of dotting the Is and crossing the Ts and will be looking to make an announcement very shortly, so watch this space.

One of the drawbacks, however, of being in between offices for me has been the necessity to work from home. While I know in this more flexible working world this works for many, I do relish the opportunity of being in an office environment for at least part of my working day, although in my IoD role I spend much time meeting members and representing the IoD in a variety of ways up and down Wales.

So recent weeks have been slightly unusual but have been made slightly more palatable by the fact that we know where we are going and we have a date in the diary.

One wishes the same could be said in relation to Brexit, which is uppermost in the pecking order of issues that are being discussed with IoD members and, of course, the wider business community and society.

In order to boost investment, businesses need to know what they are preparing for.

So the IoD is therefore urging government to hit the ground running when they return after recess.

The cabinet needs to agree between themselves and then publicly spell out what the Brexit transition process will look like, so that businesses can plan accordingly.

Within the IoD I am in a very privileged position in that I have been invited to engage with both the UK Government’s Office in Wales and the Welsh Government, so that IoD members’ views, opinions and concerns will be communicated at the very highest levels and this will be hugely important in the months that lie ahead as we prepare ourselves for the Brexit challenge.

The IoD can rest assured that our new premises will be a terrific new opportunity for us here in Wales and I hope that the outcome of the Brexit challenge will be equally opportunistic for business and the Wales economy.

Robert Lloyd Griffiths is Director of the Institute of Directors in Wales www.iod.com