Dear Members and Friends,
I doubt that this newsletter has ever paid much attention to the automotive industry. But over the past few days, everyone seems to have taken a position on Jaguar’s new branding. Having spent several years with Tata, the group which ultimately owns Jaguar Land Rover, I won’t share my own view on the merits and handling of the campaign.
Instead, I wanted to reflect instead on the wider question, very relevant for BEI, as to what it is that we are doing when we promote British expertise. All our members are either fully British or British-based: whatever your status and wherever around the world you work, part of what BEI aspires to do for you is to leverage “Brand Britain”. I’m sure there could be plenty of debate about that too, but we can at least agree that it needs to be more than transactional, drawing on a sense of quality born of deep collective experience, along with the network effects which come from being part of the UK professional ecosystem. It has (some may say fortunately) only passing connection with the country’s reputation from day to day under a particular government and much more to do with the enduring collective weight of what some call “soft power”. If you - and we as we work with you, both in the UK and in our missions and visits abroad - make that sense of Brand Britain work for us, then we’re going in the right direction, whatever the logo looks like.
Meanwhile - and arguably of rather greater significance than a logo, after much uncertainty and a good deal of UK intervention, the COP29 negotiations concluded with a commitment to triple climate finance for developing countries, increasing the annual funding from $100 billion to $300 billion by 2035, with a goal of reaching $1.3 trillion per year from both public and private sources. While not meeting everyone’s aspirations, it still marks a significant additional commitment from a developed world under perhaps unprecedented pressure. We look forward to discussing COP29’s outcomes with our virtual panel featuring the British Ambassador to Azerbaijan and several BEI members next Thursday 5 December. You can register here.
Last week, we were on our travels again. BEI, in the shape of Luisa, hosted a dinner in Riyadh in partnership with our member Etio to mark the launch of their brand in the Kingdom and were glad to welcome several key players in the Saudi education sector. Reflecting on the event, Matt Davis, Global Managing Director at Etio remarked, "It has been a huge pleasure to spend this week in Riyadh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, launching Etio as a new brand and beginning to explore the enormous potential for partnerships and impact. It was particularly valuable to test our thinking and get this group's feedback on the main issues and opportunities facing educators in the Kingdom in terms of school quality, improvement and workforce development. I personally look forward to coming back in the new year and I know the Etio team are raring to go!" It’s clear that Saudi’s Vision 2030 will continue to offer important opportunities for many BEI members.
During her visit, Luisa also met with Dr. Munirah Alaboudi, Director of Education at the Ministry of Investment Saudi Arabia, who was a member of the high-level Saudi delegation we hosted in Grafton Street a few months ago. We are grateful to her and her team for their continuing support for our engagement in the Kingdom on behalf of our members.
This Tuesday we were treated to a very interesting session on opportunities for UK organisations in India across the various strains of Disaster Risk Resilience. The Department for Business and Trade have just opened expressions of interest for a trade mission which will visit Mumbai, Surat and Chennai on 24-28 February 2025. Opportunities are numerous, including early warning systems, climate risk data and disaster risk insurance. DBT colleagues were joined on the panel by Shankar Garigiparthy, CEO of Lloyd’s India, and Binu Mathew, COO of Tarutium Global Consulting, and the discussion explored the current state of parametric insurance in India, with a focus on the challenges created by national structured insurance systems and at the same time looked at opportunities for collaboration between governments and private sector to improve data quality and affordability. If you’re interested, do take a look at the flyer for the mission.
Also on Tuesday, we hosted an in-person event on leveraging the further education and skills agenda in South East Asia with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Hanafi Ahmad Damanhuri, Minister (Education) at the Malaysian High Commission; Cecilia Pereira-Yates, Director External Relations at Acumen (SannamS4); Dao Thi Hong, First Secretary (Education), Embassy of Viet Nam; and Ed Dixon, Senior Director Business Development, TMF Group. We look forward to supporting members as they explore opportunities in this high-growth region.
Wednesday’s event focused on the transformative role of AI and other technology in education, in particularly assessment, across various learning environments. We were joined by Alistair van Moere, President at MetaMetrics; Eve Alcock, Director of Public Affairs at QAA; and Harpreet Banger, Strategic Partnerships Manager (EMEA) at Rosetta Stone.
On Thursday, members had the opportunity to hear and share insights on working with DFAT, with an expert panel including: Amy Gildea, Managing Director Indo- Pacific at Tetra Tech International Development; Warren Turner, Director Asia Pacific at Adam Smith International; and Trystan Peckover, Economic Development Lead at Deloitte. Our speakers explored the DFAT contracting process and how to prepare for funding from DFAT, as well as challenges which suppliers can encounter. The discussion drew on the experiences of both members who have supplied services to DFAT as well as former DFAT officials: our network at its best.
Next week we have another event in our India series with the very helpful cooperation of DBT India, this time on Tuesday 3 December a deep dive on education opportunities. We will be joined by K T Rajan, Cluster Head - Technology, Innovation, Education and Skills; and Merlin Picardo, Head of Technology Sector, both from DBT South Asia. Few sectors offer more promise than education in India, given the country’s strong culture in support of education combined with acute employment and skills challenges. We are again grateful to DBT in India for their close cooperation.
Also on the theme of education, FCDO have announced an early market engagement exercise for an interesting programme of support for Malawi’s national maths curriculum reform. Details can be found here.
Looking a little farther ahead, I wanted to draw your attention to an interesting event on one of my favourite regions organised by two of BEI’s key partners. On 11 December, IFC and UKEF are hosting a one-day Investment Promotion Conference on the Western Balkans. With a view to supporting UK businesses wanting to grow their footprint in the region, the event will feature expert presentations and a series of panel sessions to explore financing solutions with case studies of landmark transactions in key sectors including renewable energy, private equity, and capital markets. There will be opportunities for bilateral meetings and networking. For more information, please contact Johanna Hoegstedt at jhoegstedt@ifc.org
For our part, I look forward to seeing many of you here in Grafton Street next week. In the meantime, warm wishes for the weekend,
David Landsman
Executive Chairman
British Expertise International
Recordings of recent past events:
- 5th November 2024: Caribbean Development Bank: Education and Social Inclusion
- 6th November 2024: FCDO Development Director - Nigeria
- 12th November 2024: Tanzania – Market Opportunity Overview
- 14th November 2024: Morocco – Market Opportunity Overview
- 14th November 2024: COP16 Outcomes
- 26th November 2024: India – Opportunities in Disaster Risk Resilience
- 27th November 2024: Education Working Group | AI in Digital Assessment
- 28th November 2024: Working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia
Key events coming up include the following:
- 3rd December 2024 09:30 – 10:30 GMT: India Education Deep Dive with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) - Join us for a webinar deep dive into education opportunities in India led by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The DBT Education team in India will provide us with an overview and insights into the key education sector opportunities available for British businesses, advice on cultural understanding, and tips for navigating the Indian market.
- 5th December 2024 10:00 – 11:30 GMT: COP29 Outcomes - As COP29 approaches in Baku, Azerbaijan, policy makers, investors and the business community are all looking forward to the negotiations’ outcomes. To help BEI members unpack COP29’s outcomes, our speakers will discuss their experiences at COP29, their main takeaways, and their hopes for the future.
- 11th December 2024 10:00 – 11:15 GMT: Opportunities to Partner With Leading EPC Contractors Working in Africa - Ahead of the February 2025 Africa EPC Contractors Roadshow, UK suppliers, manufacturers, and service providers are invited to learn about DBT’s plans for the Roadshow and explore how UK organisations can work with EPC contractors delivering transformative projects across the continent.
- 11th December 2024 14:00 – 15:00 GMT: The EBRD Ukraine Project Preparation Facility - This session will outline the structure of EBRD’s new Ukraine Project Preparation Facility, explain how EBRD oversees project preparation, and detail their strategy for engaging with the public sector. In addition, EBRD will discuss how they collaborate with private sector consultants in project preparation.
- 16th January 2025 12:00 – 13:00 GMT: 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.
- 28th January 2025 16:00 – 19:00 GMT: 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 Kate Hargreaves, DAI’s new Director for Climate and Environment. Kate’s work reflects a holistic approach to tackling the climate crisis, combining technological innovation, financial strategy, community involvement, and social equity.
- 27th February 2025 16:00 – 19:00 GMT: 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 Andy Blackhall, Managing Director of WRc. Andy will reflect on his career and his hopes for the future.
External Events:
- 4th December 2024 09:00 – 13:00 GMT: The Caspian Policy Centre's Energy Security/Post-COP29 Conference is on 4 December at Arundel House, 6 Temple Place, London WC2R2PG. Regional Ambassadors and energy and climate experts will discuss UK, EU and Caspian energy security and COP outcomes. For details contact: tali@caspianpolicy.org or register at www.caspianpolicy.org
- 11th December 2024: Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) Uganda - London Investment Mission. Investors, accelerators and ecosystem players are invited to attend a special event in London. This event is designed to bridge the gap between innovative climate mitigation and adaptation projects and the investment needed to bring them to life. In the morning, you will hear pitches from all projects and have the opportunity to talk to the project developers. The afternoon will allow you to listen to and join discussions around policy and enabling environment opportunities to scale climate finance in East Africa. You can register here.
- 11th December 2024 09:00 – 17:00 GMT: IFC-UKEF Investment Promotion Conference - Join IFC and UK Export Finance for a full-day in-person event aimed at fostering economic development and investment opportunities in the Western Balkans. To support UK businesses with ambitions to grow their footprint in the region, the event will feature expert presentations and a series of panel sessions to explore financing solutions across some of the major sectors in the region discussing relevant case studies of landmark transactions, including within renewable energy, private equity, and capital markets. There will also be opportunities for bilateral meetings and networking. For more information, please contact Johanna Hoegstedt at jhoegstedt@ifc.org
- 25th & 26th February 2025:World Water Tech Innovation Summit - The World Water-Tech Innovation Summit is the premier networking event for water leaders, investors and innovators to share and showcase best practice in delivering climate-resilient, energy-efficient water systems. The summit returns to London on February 25-26, 2025, bringing together forward-thinking water utilities, regulators, engineering firms, investors and start-ups from around the world for two days of pivotal discussions, partnership building, and innovation discovery.
- 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.
- 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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