Dear Members and Friends,
It’s been great this week to see a good number of members in the building for our always popular Meet The Ambassador sessions arranged around the rescheduled FCDO Leadership Conference. We were very glad that a number of Heads of Mission based in high priority countries for BEI members were able to join us at short notice. Our thanks to HE Neil Wigan, High Commissioner to Kenya and David Wallace, Acting High Commissioner to Malaysia, who both joined us on Monday. On Thursday, we benefited from insights on key ASEAN countries, Philippines (HE Laure Beaufils) and Indonesia and Timor-Leste (HE Dominic Jermey CVO OBE), and separately on Oman from HE Dr Liane Saunders. I’m very grateful to all of them for fitting us into their schedules, even to the extent of an 8am session on Indonesia and Philippines, which was impressively well attended!
For those with a particular interest in the Philippines, I should also mention that we are hosting on 25 September at our D Contemporary Gallery in Grafton St a private view exclusively for members, London Embassies and selected gallery clients of Pearls of Colour, an exhibition supported by the Embassy of the Philippines in London. Do sign up and come along if you can.
As not all Heads of Mission were available this year during Leadership Week, we will aim to hold more Meet The Ambassador events in the coming weeks and months when they are next visiting London. Watch this space.
Our regular programme is also firmly back into top gear after the summer break. On Tuesday we hosted two virtual events. First a Market Overview for Ethiopia led by the DBT country team (Sarah Hird, Country Director, DBT; Megbare Negatu, Trade Advisor, DBT; and Deniz Merih Gok, Head of Trade Policy and Market Access at the British Embassy). This was a valuable opportunity to pick up a level of detail about doing business in the country in one succinct session and we’re grateful to the Embassy for fielding such a strong team.
Later in the day, Luisa and I hosted the second in our series of events to connect members of the FCDO SME Forum to a wider group of SMEs in international development including both BEI members and non-members. As always, this was a very valuable exchange of views led ably by members of the Forum Sue Griffiths, Managing Director at Social Development Direct and Charlie Duff, Managing Director at Alinea International. I’m glad we have the opportunity to ensure that a wider and more diverse range of views are available to the Forum and am grateful both to the Forum members for participating and to FCDO to supporting opening up the debate in this way.
Nature is a subject that is clearly rising up the international agenda, as well as on our own and this week we held the first in our new Nature series of events. On Wednesday our virtual event was on ‘Meeting the Global Demand for Biodiversity Credits’. We enjoyed the insights of a deeply-experienced panel including: Felicity Spors, Senior Director of Sustainable Finance and Innovation, Gold Standard; Rabih El Fadel, CEO, Phyla; and Sundar Bharadwaj, CEO & Co-Founder, Terragrn. If you’re interested in our plans for nature, do please get in touch with Sasha, who would be keen to share our plans and hear your thoughts.
Amid all this activity, we shouldn’t lose sight of the world beyond Grafton Street. As many members will have picked up already, this week the Government announced that the implementation of the new procurement regime in the Procurement Act 2023 has been delayed until 24 February 2025 and that the Government will prepare a new National Procurement Policy Statement setting out priorities for procurement in the light of the Government’s five Missions. I know that some members have been concerned about the practicalities of implementing the new legislation. With this latest development we, along with colleagues across Strategy International, will keep a close eye on what the National Procurement Policy Statement means particularly for procurement in pursuit of the UK’s international objectives.
Next week sees the return of our regular Climate Change Networking Evening on Tuesday 17 September. Our keynote speaker this time is Dr Marcela Tarazona, Partner of the Climate Finance and Economics practice at Genesis Analytics. Marcela will reflect on how the conversation on Just Transition has progressed over the course of her career and her hopes for the future. Do join us for a no doubt thought-provoking talk as well as an opportunity to catch up with members of the Climate Change Working Group and other colleagues.
Also next week, our sister organisation British Foreign Policy Group will launch its report on the keynote annual Public Opinion Survey. There’s plenty to interest – and perhaps surprise - members in the findings on public views on the UK’s key relationships, challenges and foreign policy priorities, including international development. We will be joined by an expert panel who will share their thoughts on what the results mean for UK foreign policy. There are a few places left; please email hello@bfpg.co.uk if you’d like to attend.
The reports produced by our Working Groups are very much intended to be of enduring value and to be disseminated far and wide wherever there are opportunities for our members. In this vein, following the release of the Water Resilience Working Group’s recent report “Water Resilience - Unlocking local and global benefits through collaboration’”, on Monday 30 September BEI members will have the opportunity to join a ‘virtual trade mission’ to Jordan, to engage with senior stakeholders from the Jordanian private and public sectors. Speakers will include a senior representative from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation who will provide an overview of Jordan's current water situation, highlight the National Water Desalination and Conveyance Project and outline key areas where they believe British companies can offer support. As part of the session, Working Group members will present some of the key takeaways from the report and case studies relevant to Jordan.
We are pleased to be able to work closely with UKEF to support our members who can benefit from their growing portfolio. As part of British Business Bank’s British Finance Week, UKEF will be hosting a webinar on Tuesday 1 October at 1400 on “How UK Export Finance can help your business to export”. The presentation, aimed especially at SMEs, will offer valuable insights into UKEF’s services for established and newer exporters and will be followed by a Q&A. Please register by 30 September via this link.
Following the amazing (especially for mid-August!) turnout at our day with the Asian Development Bank, I’m sure many members will be interested in ADB’s 12th Business Opportunities Fair (BOF) on 9–10 October 2024 in person only at the ADB Headquarters in Mandaluyong City. The BOF 2024 is a one-stop networking forum for all those interested in opportunities to work on ADB-financed projects. Online registration is open until Friday, 13 September, 11:59 PM (Manila time) or when the event is fully booked, whichever comes first. You can register to attend the event via this link: For any additional information about the event, please contact Patricia Anne Bernice Ermac, at the Department for Business and Trade at Bernice.Ermac@fcdo.gov.uk
Finally, BEI member ASI has extended an invitation to members to participate in an event on "Fuelling Conflict: Inside the Illicit Economies of War" on 16 September at 4pm UK time. In today’s armed conflicts, the lines between combat and crime blur, with various actors engaging in large-scale illicit activities to fund and sustain their operations. These "war economies" are driven by organised armed groups and others who exploit conflict conditions to perpetuate their wartime gains. Traditionally, research has focused on male actors, but Dr. Orly Maya Stern’s forthcoming book "Women and War Economies" sheds light on the often-overlooked roles of women in these economies. This event will feature a panel of experts including Dr Stern and will be an exceptional opportunity to learn more about this important emerging area of research. Please register via Eventbrite.
My thanks to everyone – our speakers, members and of course our team – for making such a packed week possible and for all that we have planned in the coming weeks. My best wishes for a restful weekend in between.
David Landsman
Executive Chairman
British Expertise International
Recordings of recent past events:
- 10th September 2024: Ethiopia: Market Opportunity Overview
- 11th September 2024: Meeting the Global Demand for Biodiversity Credits
Key events coming up include the following:
- 17th September 2024 16:00 – 19:00 BST: Climate Change 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.
- 19th September 12:00 – 13:00 BST: Water Resilience Working Group - The UK has a distinctive offer and world-leading expertise in sustainable and climate-resilient water services. This group, in partnership with the UK government, IFIs and other key stakeholders, aims to define that offer and leverage it to increase exports.
- 23rd September 2024 15:00– 18:00 BST: Creating a Skills Agenda To Support a High Tech Economy: a Case Study and Round Table with Victor Hoskins - As the UK looks to build scale in its position as a science and technology super-power and invest in building regional hubs focused on high tech industries, join us for a fascinating round table with Victor Hoskins, President of the Fairfax County Economic Development Agency. He will examine and share how he and his team have created a skills agenda to support and underpin the economic success of the County.
- 26th September 2024 14:30 – 16:30 BST: Scaling Infrastructure Decarbonisation Through Digital in Emerging Markets - EBRD Green Cities, Connected Places Catapult and Mott MacDonald will explore how the UK’s leadership in digitally-driven infrastructure decarbonisation can be effectively adapted and scaled in emerging markets. By exploring insights from the technical, funding, and government spheres, attendees will gain actionable ideas to accelerate decarbonisation efforts within their organisations and client networks.
- 30th September 2024 09:00 – 11:00 BST: Water Resilience Working Group: Virtual Trade Mission to Jordan - Following the release of BEI Water Resilience Working Group’s recent report, ‘Water Resilience - Unlocking local and global benefits through collaboration’, members are invited to meet virtually with key government and private sector stakeholders from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
- 3rd October 2024 10:00- 11:30 BST: Education Working Group | Including everyone: Supporting people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) - Join us as we host a panel event showcasing best practice for supporting people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in education. The panel will explore the current challenges of and approaches to SEND in an international education context through K12, Further Education and Higher Education.
- 3rd October 2024 15:00 – 16:30 BST: Innovations in Insurance for Climate Adaptation - International development organisations are actively supporting innovations in insurance to enhance climate adaptation. Our panel will discuss how some of these mechanisms are enabling investment in climate resilience while bringing co-benefits and positive social outcomes.
- 8th October 2024 12:00 – 14:30 BST: Working with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development - Join us at 23 Grafton Street or virtually as we host the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for an update on the bank’s strategy and guidance on navigating its procurement processes. In addition, there will be a briefing on EBRD’s infrastructure Project Preparation Facility and a review of the infrastructure project pipeline. If attending in person, please arrive from 11:30. The event will take place at 12:00-13:30, followed by networking lunch until 14:30. When registering, select ‘attend remotely via webinar’ to receive a Teams link for the 12:00-13:30 BST event. For more information, please email Alexandra Barnes.
- 14th – 17th October 2024: Azerbaijan: UK Infrastructure Trade Mission & UK Pavilion at Baku Build - Join a UK Trade Mission to Azerbaijan and participate in the UK Pavilion at the Caspian’s largest infrastructure exhibition – Baku Build. The trade mission, in partnership with the British Embassy in Baku, will include B2B and B2G activities, a networking reception at the British Ambassador’s residence, speaking opportunities and participation in the UK Pavilion at the exhibition. Places are limited to ensure each participating company receives our full attention. Participation in the British Pavilion is free of charge. Delegates will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs. British Expertise International will charge an administration fee of £300+VAT for each participant. For further information and to receive the application form, please get in touch with Sasha Barnes at ab@britishexpertise.org. The administration fee will be payable upon signing the application form.
- 21st October 2024 09:00 – 16:00 BST: Engaging with USAID – UK Partners Day - Join us for our yearly BEI – USAID, UK Partners Day. We are delighted to be joined for a one-day event by senior representatives from USAID as well as welcome back Mike Shanley from Konektid International. Our speakers will run a series of panel discussion in the morning followed by an afternoon breakout session and 1-to-1 sessions which can be booked individually with each of the speakers.
- 23rd October 2024 15:00 – 16:30 BST: Argentina - Market Opportunity Overview - Argentina is a valuable trade and investment partner for the UK due to its diverse economy, rich natural resources and strategic location in South America. We are delighted to welcome DBT colleagues to share insights on Argentina’s strategic priorities and resulting opportunities for UK plc, in sectors including Infrastructure, Security and Mining.
- 12th November 2024 09:00- 10:30 GMT: Tanzania – Market Opportunity Overview - Tanzania offers a range of exciting opportunities to UK organisations in sectors including energy, infrastructure, mining, climate-resilient agriculture and skills development, as well as opportunities in the Blue Economy in Zanzibar. We are delighted to welcome a stellar panel including the new UK High Commissioner to Tanzania alongside her counterpart in the UK, as well as speakers from the Tanzania Investment Centre and UK DBT.
- 14th November 2024 10:00-11:30 GMT: Morocco – Market Opportunity Overview - Wrapping up an eventful and exciting year in UK-Morocco bilateral trade relations, we are thrilled to welcome back our colleagues from the Department for Business and Trade to share updates on recent UK achievements and future opportunities.
Register for an upcoming event →
External Events
- 16th September 2024: Fuelling Conflict: Inside the Illicit Economies of War - This event, led by our members ASI, will feature a panel of experts including Dr Stern and will be an exceptional opportunity to learn more about this important emerging area of research.
- Wednesday 2nd October - Thursday 3rd October 2024: The Global Leakage Summit - Join presenters and panelists from leading UK and international water companies, and explore the latest technologies, data innovations, and software solutions from our exhibitors. In the face of climate change and record-high global investment in leakage management, this two-day conference promises a world-class knowledge-sharing program and invaluable networking opportunities. Follow the summit on LinkedIn here. Please do email us if you have any further questions about attending this event and we can connect you with the right partners.
- 9th - 10th October 2024: ADB Business Opportunities Fair (BOF) at the ADB Headquarters in Mandaluyong City - The BOF 2024 is a one-stop networking forum for consultants, contractors, suppliers, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) interested in pursuing business opportunities under ADB-financed projects. Participants will learn about ongoing and upcoming ADB business opportunities and can meet with ADB sector experts and procurement specialists.
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