Think London's 'Route to 2012' Olympic Games Roadshow With UKTI Underway With Cleantech...

Think London's 'Route to 2012' Olympic Games Roadshow With UKTI Underway With
Cleantech Panel Discussion in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Think London (www.thinklondon.com), the
foreign direct investment agency for London, together with UK Trade and
Investment (UKTI), the government's international business development
organization, hosted today a Cleantech panel discussion at the Ferry Building,
San Francisco, as part of the 'Route to 2012' Olympic and Paralympic Games
roadshow.

The event, attended by 50 senior executives from cleantech and sustainability
companies, was the first of a number of high profile business events that are
being organized in conjunction with the 'Route to 2012' Olympic games roadshow
in North America to promote London as the number one destination for North
American companies looking to expand overseas. Panelists at the event
discussed current opportunities that are available in London for companies in
the San Francisco Bay area, including the role of sustainability in the London
2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The panel comprised of influential speakers from the sustainability sector
including, Padmesh Shukla, head of finance at the Mayor of London's Climate
Change Program; Wade Crowfoot, director of Climate Protection Initiatives, San
Francisco Mayor's Office; Diarmuid O'Connell, vice president of Business
Development at Tesla Motors; Dallas Kachan, managing director, Cleantech
Group; Dan Epstein, head of sustainability at the Olympic Delivery Authority;
and Janet Coyle, director of 2012 Games at Think London. Sean Randolph, chief
executive for the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, moderated the
discussion.

According to Janet Coyle, director of 2012 Games at Think London, "London
still presents significant opportunities for companies from North America and
the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been a catalyst for investment in
the UK's capital. London's commitment to sustainability is demonstrated by the
ODA delivering the first Sustainable Olympic Games by integrating
environmentally friendly practices throughout the Games' lifecycle.
Furthermore, the Mayor of London's carbon reduction initiatives have generated
many opportunities for businesses in his aim to make London the low carbon
capital of the world. Companies operating in the sustainable or cleantech
industries will find that London's environment is extremely fertile for green
innovation and green investment."

Sean Randolph, chief executive for the Bay Area Council Economic Institute,
said, "Sustainability and clean technology features high on any organization's
agenda and is one of the few sectors which is still relatively resilient to
the global recession, which is why today's discussion generated a great deal
of interest from the business community here in San Francisco. Many local
companies are looking to grow and London's innovative and dynamic
sustainability sector will provide an ideal platform for development and
further expansion in to Europe."

Sir Alan Collins, now British Consul General in New York, was Consul-General
in Singapore where the IOC announced the UK's successful Olympic bid to host
the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. Now responsible for trade and
investment in the USA, he commented, "Although the focus of the 'Route to
2012' roadshow will be on the digital and sustainable sectors, it is hard to
think of any sector that will not benefit from the business opportunities that
London, and UK more generally, will offer in the run-up to the 2012 Games."

Over the next ten months, the 'Route to 2012' roadshow will reach out to
potential investors and showcase investment opportunities in the UK's
sustainability sector, including the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Think
London and UKTI will visit 12 cities across North America hosting a series of
VIP events to highlight the sustainable, digital and general business
opportunities that London offers North American companies. Having visited Palo
Alto and San Francisco, 'Route to 2012' will stop in Los Angeles, Austin,
Atlanta, Washington D.C., New York, Boston, Toronto, Chicago and Vancouver.

Even in the current economic climate, the UK continues to be an attractive
destination for overseas companies. It is the largest recipient of overseas
investment in Europe, second only to the U.S. globally. Since 2000, Think
London has assisted nearly 900 companies from North America expand their
operations to London including Delta Airways, Amgen, Google, Raytheon, Wells
Fargo, LinkedIn, Microsoft, MySpace and Facebook. In the past year, UKTI has
helped 20,700 businesses to generate 33.6bn pounds Sterling in revenues.

About Think London:
Think London is the foreign direct investment agency for London, assisting
companies moving to the UK capital by offering access to business networks,
people and opportunities. Think London is a not-for-profit, private-public
partnership delivering expertise and advice to international businesses. The
agency's service is completely free, comprehensive and confidential. Think
London's experts work with government and the business community to help
companies access the best people, places and opportunities in the city. Think
London's principal funding partners are the London Development Agency (LDA)
and our network of commercial partners. Other key partners are the City of
London Corporation, which also provides funding, UK Trade & Investment and the
business community through London First. For more information, visit the web
site at www.thinklondon.com.

About UK Trade & Investment:
UK Trade & Investment is the UK Government's international business
development organisation that helps businesses locate in the UK and grow
internationally. Every year we help hundreds of firms, from hi-tech start-ups
to global industry leaders, discover global growth from a UK base. UKTI staff
have unparalleled knowledge of commercial, political and social issues, along
with contacts and opportunities available to UK businesses and overseas
investors. Our services are offered across a network of business specialists
in the UK and British diplomatic posts in some 100 markets all around the
world.

For more information, visit the web site at www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk.

SOURCE Think London

Liam Rose of Sterling Communications, +1-415-992-3213, lrose@sterlingpr.com,
for Think London; or Misa Numano, 2012 Games Manager of Think London, + 44 (0)
20 7718 5463, mnumano@thinklondon.com