On April 11 British businessman Robert Tyldesley was inaugurated as Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to waste management in Ukraine. The title is granted to Britons who have made an impact internationally and benefited the UK's image abroad and Tyldesley's was the first ever to be awarded for work in Ukraine.
Tyldesley's business history in Ukraine goes back to 1994. Britanica, the company he set up in Lugansk, refurbished and sold British Telecom handsets on the local market.
Smart switch to recycling
"In the process of making telephones, we learnt to recycle plastic," said Tyldesley, explaining that he then discovered a firm in Lugansk manufacturing rooftop tiles using plastic composites.
As the telephone handset business declined due to rising competition from China, Britanica switched its focus to the
manufacture of roof tiles with recycled plastics.
While MBE recipients are usually inaugurated at Buckingham Palace, Tyldesley opted to receive his award in Ukraine, from British Ambassador Tim Barrow. "I thought it would be more personal to receive it here," he said.
Britanica, with more than 200 employees, has been making roof tiles and other building materials using recycled plastics as bonding agents since 2001 and there has been growing interest from abroad in
the process.
Currently Britanica's Ukrainian-manufactured equipment can be found in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Venezuela.
The company was previously a finalist of the international Shell/BBC World Challenge, which recognises companies working to improve the environment worldwide.
Ukrainian engineering expertise
According to Tyldesley, the advantage of operating from Ukraine is the availability of competent engineers. "We can produce at a competitive cost here because of the engineering pool and the fact that engineering costs are not what they are internationally," Tyldesley said.
Tyldesley also noted that the engineering industry is undergoing a boom in Ukraine. "Things have become more competitive, people are generally much busier. There is no doubt that the Ukrainian engineering business has come alive in the past few years, which is good for the country. "
This award also illustrates the growing significance of Ukraine for the UK.
Sara Pickering, Commercial Attache at the British Embassy in Kyiv, said: "Robert Tyldesley's company was one of the first British-Ukrainian joint ventures. It's a tribute to the excellent teamwork involved that technology initially used in Lugansk has now spread as far afield as South Africa and Nigeria. This well-deserved award highlights a very successful commercial relationship."
UK the fourth largest investor
Commercial ties between the two countries have been growing in the past few years. "Britain's exports to Ukraine rose 21% last year and Ukraine's exports to the UK by even more - 38%. A wide range of British companies operates successfully in Ukraine. The UK is the fourth largest investor in Ukraine, with USD 1.52 billion in investment," Pickering said.
