Facebook's European chief: Creative industries need 'a seat at the top table' in Brexit talks
Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook's most senior employee outside of the US, made the plea during a speech in Parliament on Monday evening, addressing three government ministers who were in the audience: Business Secretary Sajid Javid; Culture, Media, and Sport Minister John Whittingdale; and the Culture and Creative Industries Minister Ed Vaizey.
"We have to put the creative industries at the very heart of the government's new vision and negotiations," she told the audience. "Creative industries are essential to that blueprint."
Mendelsohn, Facebook's vice president of Europe, Middle East, and Asia, was speaking at the launch of the Creative Industries Council's new 5-year growth plan.
The group, cofounded by Mendelsohn, hopes its new plan can almost double UK creative industry exports to £31 billion by 2020. Creative industries - a broad term that covers everything from tech and TV to publishing and fashion - currently account for £17.9 billion in exports and 2.9 million jobs, according to the report.
Mendelsohn said: "As the government turns its mind to what comes next, the creative industries must be seated at the top table because we are able to help shape an outcome that not only protects what we have but shapes the growth and dynamism that we foresee in the strategy document that we're publishing today."
She set out what a good trade deal for creatives would look like, saying:
"Getting this right means we will ensure our highly innovative creative companies - from video games to VFX, TV to advertising - are easily able to hire the best talent from around the world to help drive their growth. It will also ensure our world-renowned orchestras, our music artists, and other great creative talents will be able to tour Europe without being caught up in visas and customs red tape. And it will also ensure the UK remains home to an economic infrastructure and talent pool that makes it the envy of the world when it comes to investments in TV and film. And it will ensure our museums and galleries and great institutions remain protected so that they remain the well-spring of our national creativity, as well as a major draw for people coming from all around the world."
Mendelsohn has already committed Facebook to maintaining "a huge presence in London," telling the audience at a Times event shortly after the Brexit vote that the social network plans to develop its engineering capabilities in the UK.
At Monday's event, she called for the government to "increase its role in supporting the creative industries" because "British creativity is the engine that has shaped both our past and our present but will also continue to drive a brighter future for our country."
Mendelsohn, who worked at advertising agency Karmarama before joining Facebook, added: "Now more than ever we must build a future that looks outward, as it invests at home. There's a universal sense that we're living through history, but this is not a time to look from a distance and be a witness. Instead, we must seize control of that future, we must craft and shape together."
Javid and Whittingdale both spoke at the event and both reiterated their support for the UK's creative industries. Whittingdale called them "one of the UK's greatest success stories," while Javid said: "I look forward to hearing how we can deal with not just the challenges together but also take advantage of any opportunities that are presented."
While Mendelsohn's pleas may have the support of current government ministers, it's unclear how much longer they'll be in the Cabinet. The Tory Party is in the midst of a leadership battle and the new leader will likely enact a reshuffle when they take the position of Prime Minister.