Dear Members and Friends
I hope that you have had a good week, as busy as you want it to be…. We’ve certainly been busy this week and, as I continue to meet more members, I’m always interested to understand better in what ways they benefit from being part of BEI. It will be different, depending on what sector you’re in, which regions and countries you prioritise and what kind of organisation you are. But I’m struck by the power of the “network effect”, both among our members and with our British and international stakeholders. The synergies which we can develop, including with our sister organisations D Group and British Foreign Policy Group, are what makes us unique in the broader “hard” and “soft” infrastructure sectors.
An ever-increasing focus for us – and for all our partners in the UK and around the world – is education and skills. Luisa’s blog on our meeting last week with Sir Steve Smith, the UK Government’s International Education Champion, paints a great picture of how productive it can be when business, Government and the broader sector are all pushing in the same direction.
On a similar theme, on Wednesday I was delighted to chair alongside officials from the Department of Business and Trade two sessions at Grafton Street with the Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, along with a number of BEI members and others who are already working across a wide range of education from early years to schools and higher education, training and edtech. The focus and enthusiasm in the discussions was a strong reflection of the fantastic pace of development in education in Saudi Arabia, in which UK companies, schools and other organisations are very well placed to play a major part.
Our online event with the FCDO Development Director in Ethiopia was another highlight of this week, where some 70+ members were able to hear at first hand about the significant uplift in FCDO’s programmes for the country. We will of course continue to engage with FCDO and our members as the new programmes unfold.
Next week will be no less busy. We are particularly looking forward to the launch of our new Nature Based Solutions report on Thursday. We hope to see you at all the events which reflect your interests and aspirations. In the meantime, I wish you enough of a rest over the weekend to be ready for what’s in store next week and look forward to meeting more of you very soon.
Best Wishes
David Landsman
Executive Chairman
British Expertise International
Recordings of recent past events:
- 13th September 2023: FCDO Development Director Series: Ethiopia
Key events coming up include the following:
- 19th September 2023 09:30-10:30 BST: FCDO Development Director Series: Pakistan - Join us as we host Jo Moir, the Development Director in Pakistan for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) who will present FCDO’s development strategy, programming and pipeline of opportunities in Pakistan.
- 21st September 2023 15:00-18:30 BST: Launch Event: NbS in Urban Areas - a Guide for Local Actors - On Thursday 21st September at 15:00 for 15:30, join BEI as we launch our latest member publication: ‘Financing and Implementing Nature-based Solutions in Urban Areas - a Guide for Local Actors’. BEI members will provide an overview of the publication and discuss next steps and activities with some of our key stakeholders.
- 25th September 2023 09:00-10:30 BST: Peru - Consultancy Opportunities with ProInversión - Join us at 23 Grafton Street to meet a delegation from ProInversión, the Peruvian State agency in charge of structuring and promoting infrastructure projects under PPP. This BEI roundtable will provide an opportunity for UK-based consultants to review new projects and understand how the consultant selection processes work with ProInversión.
- 26th September 2023 10:00-11:30 BST: Intersections with Climate Change in International Development - The BEI ‘Intersections with Climate Change’ event series brings a focus on the intersections of climate change remediation and adaptation with other development priorities. As we re-launch the series for the autumn, our panel will discuss the importance of considering intersections with Climate Change across International Development programming and interventions.
- 27th September 2023 09:00-11:00 BST: Skills and Training WG: Standards - Join us for our quarterly in-person Skills & Training Working Group with presentation from the British Standards Institution (BSI) and Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) on the topic of Standards. This discussion will provide an overview of what standards are and their importance in the education sector.
- 3rd October 2023 16:00-18:30 BST: Ed Tech Panel Event - Join us for an in-person panel event covering the topic of Education Technology. We will be joined by the Education and Training Foundation, Tata Consulting Service and SmartPA. Our panellists will provide an in-depth understanding of the innovation and reach that EdTech provides, as well as best practices in delivering EdTech.
- 11th October 2023 10:00-11:30 BST: Intersection of Climate Change and Education - Education is integral to promoting positive climate action as it aids people in understanding the impacts of the climate crisis and how to address them. Organisations delivering international development programming in education must consider the current and future impacts of climate change. This needs to be reflected in immediate programming (for example, in improving access) as well as curriculum development more broadly.
- 17th October 2023 10:15-11:15 BST: FCDO Development Director Series: Nepal - Join us as we host Pippa Bird, the Development Director in Nepal for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) who will present FCDO’s development strategy, programming and pipeline of opportunities in Nepal.
- 17th October 2023 15:00-16:30 BST: Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures - Join us at 23 Grafton Street or virtually as we showcase the Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework. If joining in person, please feel free to arrive from 14:30 for tea/coffee/networking. If you are joining us virtually, the Teams link for the 15:00-16:00 meeting will be shared with you following registration.
- 19th October 2023 15:00-16:30 BST: Operational Sustainability - In the time of climate crisis, it is paramount that businesses continuously evaluate and improve sustainability within all of their activities. Our panel will discuss how organisations can understand, assess, improve and communicate their environmental sustainability at the operational level, taking into account the international policy landscape and regulation, and building the business case for sustainability.
- 23rd October 2023 09:00-16:30 BST: Engaging with USAID - UK Partners Day - Join us for BEI’s Series of events engaging with USAID. We are delighted to be joined for a one-day event by 4 senior representatives from USAID as well as welcoming back Mike Shanley from Konektid International. Our speakers will run 2 panel discussions in the morning followed by afternoon break out sessions and 1-1 sessions which can be booked by members individually with each of the speakers.
- 24th October 2023 10:00-11:00 BST: Morocco Education Deep Dive with the Department for Business and Trade - Join us for a deep dive into the education opportunities in Morocco. Leading on from BEI’s Ambassador Series, we are following up with a deep dive into the education opportunities in Morocco led by the Department of Business and Trade where representatives will provide us with an insight into the key education priorities for the UK looking to do business in Morocco.
- 31st October 2023 10:00-11:30 BST: Intersection of Climate Change and Conflict Prevention - The BEI ‘Intersections with Climate Change’ series continues with an event focusing on the key intersection of Climate Change and Conflict Prevention. Our panel will discuss how their organisations are adapting their approach in response to climate change across their programmes and interventions relating to the intersection of climate change and conflict prevention.
- 15th November 2023 10:00-11:30 GMT: FCDO Development Director Series: Syria - Join us as we host Peter McDermot, the Development Director in Syria for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) who will present FCDO’s development strategy, programming and pipeline of opportunities in Syria.
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