CloudBuy's Gopali appointed as mentor to UK companies expanding in India

CloudBuy, the global provider of cloud-based e-commerce marketplaces and B2B buyer and supplier solutions, has announced appointment of Nilesh Gopali, its Country Head India, as a mentor for Mayor of London’s new International Business Programme.

The initiative aims to help the UK capital’s high growth firms break into new international markets or grow their existing operations overseas. Gopali will advise to fifty of London’s fastest growing companies, which will be the first businesses to benefit from the programme.

The International Business Programme is the first of its kind, using peer-to-peer mentoring and private sector backing, to help London companies to scale up and internationalise. The programme is led by London & Partners, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, and supported by industry partners including BDO, KPMG, PA Consulting Group, Benoy and London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“London has a strong heritage as an international trading city and our position at the centre of the business world means the city offers the perfect springboard for companies looking to expand internationally. London’s businesses and entrepreneurs continue to be at the forefront of innovation and creativity and I have seen first-hand the demand for their goods and services across the world. By helping the capital’s businesses become the next global leaders we will see the creation of more jobs for Londoners,” said the Mayor of London Boris Johnson MP.

Companies joining the programme include the likes of the transport app Gett; the urban cycling company, Blaze, which is backed by Index Ventures and the Branson family, Technology Will Save Us, Kano, Adzuna, Grub Club, Bloom & Wild and Big White Wall to name a few.

Over 28% of London-based SMEs are currently trading internationally, according to research from KPMG Small Business Accounting. Current estimates put the value of London’s exports at £139.9 billion a year, up from £60 billion a decade ago. London is home to more than a quarter (25.5%) of all companies in the UK that are exporting.

“This appointment shows result of many years of practical experience, on the ground, as an executive overseeing the development of successful business models in the UK, and now as Country Head for cloudBuy India. This unique position will help these emerging, fast growth enterprises to establish their footprint in new international markets. We are indeed growing and doing business in a rapidly changing world, in which the multi-cultural nuances of foreign markets such as the one in India, requires both an understanding and practical insight of the diversity, that will ultimately define and determine the success of these new entrants. In my role as a mentor, I will be able to provide the needed guidance to ensure this success both now, and in the future,” said Gopali.