Dear Members and Friends,
A couple of meetings this week with ambassadors from Central Asia highlighted the very significant opportunities for BEI members business across a geo-politically key region. It prompted a thought as to whether 'Global Britain' , if not exactly overlooking the region , had given it the right priority? We have some pretty impressive U.K. missions across the region. We will be spending more time on this - watch this space.
Meanwhile, I'm delighted to see our young team keen to blog. This week BEI's Katie Duffy writes on Water Positivity- the goal for companies to replenish more freshwater than they use, to ease industry’s pressure on this vital resource. Moving back to the slightly 'older' generation (mine), here is a thought-provoking piece from senior advisor to D Group and BFPG David Landsman, on the need for some longer-term strategic thinking around the nature of UK involvement in Ukraine. You can also see here a short video about the Future Leaders Group, which is now open for applicants to join the 2023 cohort. In 'Out & About ' Luisa shares insights from her meeting with the Uzbek Ambassador to the UK and, as always, we are delighted to profile another new member, Clearview. This week’s events can be reviewed by this link and directly under my sign off. Please see the details of a very busy schedule for next week and some of the key events in the coming weeks.
Warm regards,
Peter O’Kane
Chairman
British Expertise International/Strategy International
Key events coming up include the following:
- 20th February 2023 09:30 - 12:30 GMT: Discussion with International Water Delegations - Join us Monday 20th February as we host senior delegates, representing utilities and water ministries from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Peru, South Africa, the Dominican Republic, Kuwait, Brazil, Tanzania, Kenya and the Philippines.
- 21st February 2023 09:00-10:30 GMT: Doing Business in Saudi Arabia - Online webinar on doing business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where we will hear about the Kingdom’s foreign investment environment, challenges operating in the market and how to navigate these, the fixed and recurring costs, as well as the legal and tax regulatory environments.
- 21st February 2023 16:00-19:00 GMT: Skills and Training Working Group - The Skills and Training Working Group was established to provide a collaborative forum for sharing interest, experience and knowledge to enhance the British Skills offer internationally and support British Expertise International members to convert their commercial opportunities.
- 22nd February 2023 12:00-14:00 GMT: Hong Kong Infrastructure Opportunties - Join us on Tuesday 22nd February as we host a senior delegation from Hong Kong, led by the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) of the HKSAR Government, Mr. Ricky LAU, to showcase the massive infrastructure development and opportunities in Hong Kong and to enhance collaboration with industry stakeholders in UK.
- 23rd February 2023 15:00 - 16:30 GMT: Donor Clinic with USAid - online workshop with a team from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) who will share their tips and tricks on how to work with USAID as well as the challenges suppliers may encounter and how to overcome these.
- 24th February 2023 09:30 - 13:00 GMT: UK India Digital Water Conference - Join us on Friday the 24th of February as we host the UK Digital Water Conference for a Working Group session to explore issues surrounding water and areas of collaboration for solutions. The Working group will host companies from both UK and India, comprising a mix of utilities, private companies and water stakeholders, providing a platform for exchange of information on innovations, technologies and products in the digital water space.
- 28th February 2023 16:00-19:00 GMT: Climate Change Working Group Networking Evening - Join us for an evening of thought-provoking conversation, potential new partnerships and the chance to meet with members of our Climate Change Working Group. After the success of our last Climate Change Networking evening, this is an event not to be missed!
- 7th March 2023 10:00-11:30 GMT: Market Opportunity Overview: Nepal - in partnership with the British Embassy. Nepal has demonstrated its commitment to increasing its renewable energy and to making its infrastructure more resilient and sustainable. It also presents significant opportunities in education and skills development.
- 15th March 2023 16:00-19:00 GMT: Girls Education Challenge: Lessons Learnt - In-person panel event on the Girls’ Education Challenge, a 12-year FCDO flagship programme. We will be joined by the FCDO Girls’ Education Team as well as the alliance partners including Cambridge Education Mott MacDonald, Social Development Direct, PwC, Nathan Associates, and Tetra Tech.
- 28th March 2023 10:00- 11:30 BST: Morocco Infrastructure Opportunities - The relationship between the UK and Morocco is entering a new era of positive relations following the UK-Morocco Association Agreement in 2022. Recent discussions have focused on renewed collaboration on trade, education, climate, clean energy and green growth, as well as the global implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on food and energy security.
- 30th March 2023 9:00-10:30 BST: Global Victoria: Education Opportunities - Global Victoria, the State Government of Victoria's trade facilitation agency will be joint by Invest Victoria, the State Government of Victoria's investment attraction authority in presenting a range of education opportunities in the State on K12, skills and training, and education technology.
- 13th April 2023 10:00-11:15 BST: Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon Education Deep Dive with DIT - Join us for a deep dive into the education opportunities in Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon as led by teams from the Department for International Trade and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. They will aim to provide us with an insight into the key education priorities for UK plc looking to do business in the three countries.
- 19th April 2023 16:00-18:30 BST: In conversation with Andrew Dunnett - In-person roundtable meeting with Andrew Dunnett, Group Director of ESG, Sustainable Business and Foundations at Vodafone. Andrew will lead a discussion on the importance of ESG and private sector’s role in implementing impactful ESG programmes.
- 27th April 2023 11:00-14:00 BST: Donor Clinic: Doing business with USAID, in partnership with Konektid International - In-person donor clinic workshop on Doing Business with USAID, in partnership with Konektid International. Mike Shanley, CEO of Konektid International will share best practice on growing your organisations’ work with USAID, funding opportunities and tips for navigating the procurement process, as well as changes to USAID funding following the New Partnerships Initiative and Biden Administration.
For an overview of our planned events for the early part of the year, you can see a useful infographic here: BEI Winter/Spring Events Programme 2023
Register for an upcoming event →
External Events
- 21st - 22nd February 2023 - World Water-Tech Innovation Summit, London: Join 400+ utilities, engineering firms, regulators, tech pioneers, investors and start-ups for two days packed with discussions and networking opportunities focused on energy efficiency and climate resiliency in the water industry. Save an extra 10% with code BE10: https://worldwatertechinnovation.com/agenda/
- 25th February – 5th March - “Sustainability & Education Immersion Week” In Panama. Providing the opportunity to visit and learn from government agencies, educational institutions and private sector to collectively collaborate in creating innovative instruments to boost student mobility, transnational education (TNE) (in the short- and medium-term) and Clean Growth (in the long-term).
- UN International Procurement Seminar (UN IPS) on 7-8 March 2023 at the UN City in Copenhagen and the registration process. UNGM registration is required to participate in the UN IPS and request 1-2-1 meetings with UN Procurement officers. If your company is already registered on the UNGM, it is possible to already express an interest in participating on the link below (this expression is not a formal offer/acceptance). UN International Procurement Seminar, Copenhagen, 7-8 March 2023 (ungm.org)
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