Last week, we welcomed senior business leaders and policymakers on board Queen Anne in Southampton for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Leaders’ Lunch, part of the CBI’s flagship annual events programme.
Hosted in partnership with PwC, the event brought together leaders from across the UK to discuss international trade, competitiveness and the conditions needed to support investment and growth. Speakers included Rain Newton-Smith, Director-General of the CBI; Lord Sarwar, Minister for Trade; Dame Karen Pierce, UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans; and Paul Ludlow, President of Carnival UK, P&O Cruises and Cunard.
Against the backdrop of Southampton’s long maritime history, conversations explored how businesses are responding to a more complex global environment, the importance of the UK’s trading relationships, and the role of strong infrastructure, stable policy and international connectivity in supporting long-term growth.
Opening the event, Paul highlighted the important link between global trade and local economic impact, and the contribution our ships make to businesses, jobs and communities across the UK:
“Our most recent economic impact report shows that when one of our largest ships turns around in Southampton, it can contribute up to £2.5 million to the economy in a single visit. Across all Carnival Corporation’s UK calls, that’s more than £500 million a year. That’s what trade looks like in practice.”
The panel also considered how geopolitical change is increasingly shaping commercial decisions. For a global business like ours, resilience means anticipating different scenarios, identifying emerging risks early and having clear plans in place to keep our guests, colleagues and ships safe while continuing to operate with confidence.
Paul also reflected on what the UK needs to get right to remain internationally competitive, including a stable, long-term policy environment and investment in transport, ports, energy networks and digital connectivity. He highlighted shore power in Southampton as one example where greater grid capacity could unlock investment and support progress towards decarbonisation.
Hosting the Leaders’ Lunch on board Queen Anne gave us the opportunity to showcase our business, strengthen relationships with senior external stakeholders and demonstrate the contribution cruise makes to the UK economy. It also highlighted the importance of business and government working together to create the certainty, infrastructure and conditions needed for businesses to invest and grow.