BEI Weekly Update - 28th March 2025

Dear Members and Friends, 

On Wednesday evening, I was delighted to be able to join the current Future Leaders Group cohort (including Luisa!) and their sponsors for dinner at Sandhurst during the final two days of their programme, covering strengths-based leadership and crisis management. This was my first opportunity to see FLG at first hand and to hear from the participants on how the programme so far had helped them in their leadership journey. I found it striking how much each of the participants, all already experienced executives or government officials, had gained from their time with the group, learning from the faculty in each other and, crucially, growing in self-awareness as they prepare for a future in senior leadership roles.

The strengths-based approach encourages this: as it will almost certainly be my only opportunity in these newsletters to quote Dolly Parton (thanks to one of the participants for the quotation): “find out who you are and do it on purpose”. If you think that this programme could help support your talent development and succession planning, please do get in touch either with me or with the Programme Director Olivier Beroud.

Back at BEI, on Wednesday, we discussed “Resilience in Action” in a roundtable discussion led by Pauline Schibli, Senior Resilience Advisor at Mercy Corps; Ratri Sutarto, who joined us online from Indonesia; and Taylor Martin, Principal Consultant (Climate Change) at NIRAS. The event explored how resilience can be implemented in practice, touching on many of the sectors that BEI members work in, including international development, climate, GESI, education and stabilisation. Look out next week for a blog by Sofia summarising the key takeaways.

Looking forward, continuing our discussion of resilience, we will on 8th April from 16:00 to 19:00 hold an in-person panel discussion on “Developing Resilient Public Health Systems” with speakers from City St George’s, University of London, International SOS, Options Consultancy Services and Sightsavers. Panellists will provide valuable insights into the range of strategies which can contribute to building resilient health systems capable of tackling acute and chronic public health threats.

Our next Climate Change Networking Evening will take place on 9th April from 16:00 to 19:00. Our keynote speaker on this occasion will be Virginie Fayolle, Head of Climate at Mott MacDonald International Development Services.

We also like to draw your attention to particularly interesting events organised by our members or partners. Next week, our member DAI is holding an in-person panel discussion on "Making Market Systems Development Work for Refugees,” at their central London office on Wednesday 2nd April from 17:00-19:00. This event will bring together leading experts to discuss practical insights and lessons from the SHARPE (Strengthening Host and Refugee Populations in Ethiopia) programme in Ethiopia. The panel, chaired by Nandi Hall, includes Tom Sanderson, Head of Profession for Private Sector Development at FCDO (who recently met with a number of our members), together with other experts, to explore how business partnerships can build markets that include refugees; strategies for driving private sector investment in refugee markets; and expanding the humanitarian-development nexus for sustainable impact. You can find further details and register for the event here.

The 2025 Forecasting Healthy Futures Global Summit takes place in Brazil from 8-10 April. FHF Summit 2025 will convene a broad array of experts and policymakers to explore solutions at the intersection of climate change and human health. This year’s agenda will also address the interrelated challenges of biodiversity and land conservation, in keeping with the stated goals of COP30, and address innovative nature-based and other solutions, policy reform and climate finance for health, co-hosted by the Asian Development Bank. Online participation is at no cost for BEI members: please contact Sofia (sp@britishexpertise.org), otherwise, you can register here.

I’ll look forward to seeing a number of members in the next few days, but meanwhile wish all our readers (delighted to hear that there are quite a few…) a good and restful weekend,

With best wishes for the weekend,

David Landsman 

Executive Chairman

British Expertise International 

Recordings of recent past events:

• 20th February 2025: Unlocking Potential: Expanding Affordable Housing Solutions in Africa (Slides only, recording to come)‍
• 25th February 2025: Education Working Group: Driving Operational Effectiveness in International Schools‍
• 6th March 2025: Angola – Market Opportunity Overview

‍Key events coming up include the following:‍

• 26th March 2025 16:00 – 19:00 GMT: Resilience in Action - Join us on 26th March for an in-person panel and networking event on the topic of Resilience in Action. The panel will discuss best-practice for growing the resilience of people, communities, and systems to achieve transformational change in contexts affected by climate change, conflicts, and other disasters.‍
• 8th April 2025 16:00 – 18:30 BST: Developing Resilient Public Health Systems - Join us on 8th April for an in-person panel discussion on Developing Resilient Public Health Systems with speakers from City St George’s, University of London, Dulas, International SOS, Options Consultancy Services and Sightsavers. Our panellists will provide valuable insights into how different strategies and initiatives can contribute to building resilient health systems capable of tackling acute and chronic public health threats.‍
• 9th April 2025 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. Our keynote speaker this time is Virginie Fayolle, Head of Climate at Mott MacDonald International Development Services.
• 17th April 2025 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 UK government, IFIs and other key stakeholders, aims to define that offer and leverage it to increase exports.‍
• 30th April 2025 10:00 – 11:30 BST: Mauritius – Market Opportunity Overview - Join our virtual Market Opportunity Overview on Mauritius, featuring speakers from DBT and senior Mauritian government officials and industry leaders. We will discuss the UK-Mauritius Strategic Trade Partnership (STP), and focus on key opportunities in Education & Skills Development, Healthcare & Digital Health, Green Economy & Sustainability, and the Blue Economy.
• 22nd May 2025 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. Our keynote speaker this time is Mark Harvey, Founder and CEO of Resurgence – a global social enterprise that supports urban climate risk reduction and resilience. Mark is currently leading DARAJA, an award-winning weather, climate and early warning services initiative.‍
• 26th June 2025 10:00 – 11:30 BST: Achieving Systems Change for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Adaptation - This roundtable will explore the complexities of Disaster Risk Management, with a particular focus on Early Warning Systems and locally-led solutions to resilience, and discuss strategies for overcoming these challenges.

External Events:

• SUMS Consulting: “Understanding the benefits and costs of what universities do” - SUMS Consulting and EAUC are celebrating two years of sustainability support. Over the last two years, SUMS have helped institutions across the sector to embed sustainability into their mission, strategy and the way they do business. SUMS sustainability services are expressly designed for the higher education and further education sectors, and are delivered in partnership with EAUC, the sustainability champion for universities and colleges in the UK. Read more here.
• ‍2nd - 4th April 2025: Energy Week Black Sea 2025 at Sheraton Bucharest. As the premier renewable energy conference for the Black Sea region, the event gathers decision-makers to shape the renewable energy future across Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, Türkiye, and Georgia. British companies can take advantage of an exclusive 15% discount by using the code EWBS_GB during registration. To secure your discounted participation, register now using this link.‍
• 8th - 10th April 2025: Forecasting Healthy Futures Global Summit. Don’t miss this chance to participate in shaping the health agenda for this year’s UN Climate Change Conference. At this year's FHF Summit you will hear from leading adaptation experts, private sector corporations, and regional development banks, on innovative solutions to financing and building health system resilience. Register here. ‍
• 9th - 11th April 2025: ESG Adria Summit 2025 in Tivat, Montenegro - The Summit will provide an action-oriented forum for leaders to explore solutions to challenges in climate, energy, finance, technological transformation, and workforce development. It will include high-level panels, fireside chats, interactive workshops, startup showcases, and closed-door ministerial meetings, ensuring meaningful engagement across sectors. BEI Members can get a 10% discount on tickets by using the following code when registering: DGroupESGAdria2025.‍
• 7th & 8th May 2025: Global Leakage Summit - The premier event for the international leakage community to listen, learn, and build relationships, tackling the toughest challenges together. 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.‍
• 2nd - 6th June 2025: Asia Clean Energy Forum 2025 at ADB Headquarters, Manila, Philippines. This is one of ADB’s signature events where clean energy practitioners from across the world convene to share insights and experience in the design and implementation of concrete actions that accelerate the financing of clean and efficient energy solutions. Registration will be open soon. For more details on how the 2024 ACEF transpired, you may refer to this link: Home ACEF 2024 - Asia Clean Energy Forum.‍
• 3rd - 5th September 2025, KazBuild 2025, Kazakhstan: Stand booking is now open for international exhibitors at KazBuild exhibition in Kazakhstan - the largest international building and interiors exhibition in Kazakhstan, annually welcoming over 7,000 specialist trade visitors to the show. KazBuild will be held 3-5 September 2025 in Almaty, the biggest city of Kazakhstan. Held since 1994, the exhibition showcases the latest products, services, technologies, and projects available on the market, and provides a key platform for governmental and building industry professionals to exchange experiences, establish cooperation and share the latest industry developments. Please contact Mrs. Tatyana Borodikhina by email: tatyana.borodikhina@exhibitions-conferences.com to learn more about how KazBuild can help to establish your business in Kazakhstan.

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