of the missioners had now arrived and were just waiting for the final two to finish pouring their coffee and deciding which biscuits to put on their saucers. The tall double doors opened and in stepped Bhavesh Malik. He smiled at Nicola and Vickers and, after placing his umbrella in the stand and brushing the rain from his lapels, took his place.
Nicola started the briefing. ‘Thank you all for coming today. I know that, for some of you, London isn’t the easiest of places to get to. As you’ll see, each of you has a briefing pack which includes our itinerary for today, the proofs of the mission brochure, and copies of the information Wendy and I will be giving you. But first I want to start by introducing our two guest speakers for today. Alistair Vickers is the commercial attaché at the British Embassy in Kyiv. He’ll be giving a business overview of Kyiv and the rest of Ukraine.’
Vickers smiled and looked around the room, finding a sea of expectant faces.
‘Bav Malik is managing director of NewSound UK and his company is somewhat of an export success story. He’ll be letting you in on the secrets of how to make your business work in Ukraine. But first to practical matters, Wendy here, who I believe most of you will have spoken to on the telephone, has some good news. Wendy?’
Wendy unfolded her arms and opened an envelope; her accent, much to Vickers’s chagrin, was estuary English. ‘I’m happy to say that Air Ukraine International has now confirmed your seats and sent me the tickets. You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve managed to get you all complimentary access to the business lounge at Gatwick and on your departure from Boryspil Airport.’
Vickers sipped his tea and listened as Wendy handed out tickets and, together with Nicola, went through the travel itinerary. These were the usual points that needed to be clarified, but Vickers didn’t know why he had to sit through it. Nonetheless he pretended to look interested and not stare at the clock, its hands moving ever so slowly, at the opposite end of the room. The technicalities over with, the floor was his. Vickers delivered the prepared FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) statement on Ukraine, told the story of the country since independence in 1991, and gave an overview of the investment climate, current government and, of course, the inherent risks of doing business in an emerging market. ‘I am now happy to answer any questions you might have.’
‘I saw a lot at the time about the Orange Revolution, in the press and on television.’ It was the language-school rep – or Director of International Studies, to quote his mission entry. ‘What do you think will be the long-term outcome of this and what will be the impact?’
Vickers nodded. He, of course, had two opinions on this: the official HM Government line and his own personal one. He decided to live dangerously. ‘As I’m sure you must be aware, the former president had been in power for two terms so couldn’t sit for a third. More reforms were needed and the new government promised to introduce these. The new president, Victor Yushenko, was a former prime minister and head of the National Bank of Ukraine. His party came to power representing reform and I believe that’s what got the people’s vote. The main rival candidate for his presidency, you’ll remember, was the then prime minister, Victor Yanukovich. He was being backed by the then president.’
‘Leonid Kuchma?’
‘Yes, Kuchma. When Yushenko got elected, he wanted to form closer ties with the West; however, that was over a year ago. In the recent parliamentary elections, Yanukovich gained the most votes and now he’s prime minister once again. He, it’s fair to say, would rather strengthen ties with Moscow.’
The Director of International Studies raised his eyebrows. ‘Do you think the parliamentary election was rigged like the first presidential election was?’
Vickers realised he was on thin ice. ‘I can’t comment on that. I think the electorate might have expected change to come too fast. Perhaps that’s why we now have both Yushenko and Yanukovich, as it were, “in power”. This, however, is only my opinion. The reforms are still going through and so far the business environment has seemed to improve. Yushenko, at least, is working hard to attract foreign trade and investment.’
The next question came from the pharmaceutical rep. ‘In other markets I’ve visited there have been counterfeit versions of my company’s products. Is this likely to be the case in Ukraine?’
‘Ukraine is not yet a member of the World Trade Organisation but is hoping to join. It’s quite common to see pirated DVDs, CDs and some fashion items in the open-air markets. There are imported medical products from the subcontinent which have been investigated. There are, however, many international brands trading in Ukraine and they’ve not reported any serious problems, either to myself or the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce. But that’s not to say some counterfeiting doesn’t exist.’
The pharmaceutical rep made a note on his pad. The last question came from the gift company’s export sales manager: ‘Do you like living and working in Ukraine then?’
Vickers looked at the round-faced missioners and felt awkward. He really did like Ukraine but found it hard to put into words. ‘I do. Kyiv’s apparently got the highest number of chestnut trees of any European capital city, hence the city’s leaf emblem. In May especially, when the trees bloom, the city is full of life. There are lots of parks and the old architecture makes it quite picturesque. I really feel it will be an important European city within the next ten to fifteen years. But no “Easy Jet” yet!’ He was proud of this joke and it drew a couple of smiles.
It was then the turn of Bav Malik to talk about his company and how, as per the handout, it had taken advantage of a tax-free investment zone and set up a factory near Odessa. He spoke at length about what they had done and how they had done it. This elicited quite a few questions from the assembled party. Finally, the formal part was over and light refreshments and wine were brought into the room. Some of the missioners rushed back to their offices to complete their day’s work while others lingered to chat, quiz Nicola and enjoy the complimentary Chardonnay.
Bav cornered Vickers with a glass. ‘That went well. I see you didn’t mention the cheap beer as the reason you like Ukraine then?’ He sipped his free wine.
‘I prefer the cheap vodka,’ countered Vickers. ‘I thought your father was going to be here?’
‘He couldn’t make it. He had some meetings in Odessa to attend so he deputised me.’ It was Jas Malik, father to Bav, founder and chairman of NewSound, who was actually responsible for the success in Ukraine and many of their export markets. Bav, at thirty-seven, had followed his father and would eventually become ‘chairman’; his cousin in Pakistan would then be the MD.
‘Do you get over to Odessa much?’ Vickers knew the answer but had to say something.
‘I didn’t used to but now they’ve scrapped the whole “visa” thing it’s a lot easier. I can just hop on a plane.’
‘That,’ said Vickers, ‘is the most positive thing the Ukrainians have ever done for tourism. It was originally for the Eurovision Song Contest. Did you see it?’
Bav smirked. ‘Not quite my cup of tea.’
‘Really?’ It was Vickers’s.
He let his mind wander back to May the previous year. There had been a real carnival feel to Kyiv, even more so than usual. Vickers had walked along Khreshatik with a broad smile on his face. Closed to traffic every weekend, the boulevard had become a huge pedestrian zone. This was one of the only edicts of the former President Kuchma that had been welcomed. Street entertainers juggled balls and bottles, comedians told anecdotes, tented bars had appeared like mushrooms overnight, and couples strolled from end to end. Many
