Nov 14, 2025

BEI Weekly Update - 14th November 2025

by

David Landsman

by

Dear Members and Friends,

Our events over the past few days and those coming up next - you can read more below - once again cover the full range of BEI’s priority sectors from infrastructure to international development and skills and make for a world tour from Ukraine to New Zealand. In addition, we’ve recently held an event in our occasional series of private events curated for members to address their specific interests and/or to brief their leadership teams. This newsletter also highlights some of our content output in which we report on key events and themes, ensuring that news of our members’ activities reach audiences around the world with an interest in drawing on British expertise.

As I foreshadowed last week, we hosted an event last Friday with The World Bank on exploring Ukraine’s post-war recovery, which focused on the economic outlook and the World Bank’s programming. Sharing insights at the event on behalf of the World Bank were Bob Saum, Country Director for Ukraine and Moldova, and Yue-Man Lee, Lead Economist and Program Leader for Prosperity for Eastern Europe. Our latest piece ‘Ukraine’s Recovery – Mobilising Private Sector Engagement’ summarises key takeaways using insights from the discussion.

We are expanding our series of short notes to summarise the discussions in our events programme. New pieces this month on the News and Articles page on our website include “Shaping the Future of the Higher Education Sector”; a summary of our roundtable with South African Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson; and “Global Energy Landscapes: Key Takeaways and Insights.” Over the coming weeks we will be publishing pieces on water, skills and international development.

Over the past week our New Zealand visitors have travelled with Sasha around the UK, meeting and collaborating with BEI members along the way. Key highlights included a meeting with NISTA to explore how the UK is reshaping infrastructure governance and visits to sites in London to explore urban regeneration, including the King’s Cross redevelopment with Arup.

We welcomed the delegation to One Birdcage Walk for a panel discussion on infrastructure and water sector opportunities in New Zealand, with a focus on asset management, digital solutions, engineering consultancy and sustainable construction. Attendees heard about current projects, procurement processes and future needs, as well as the government’s Local Water Done Well initiative, which is transforming water services and creating significant opportunities for UK consultants, engineers and technology providers. Speakers included Nick Leggett and Katie Bradford from Infrastructure New Zealand; Jamie Sinclair from Watercare Services Limited; Ian Purdy at ACC New Zealand; and Jeremy Hall from the Department for Business and Trade. We were honoured to have the New Zealand Deputy High Commissioner to open the discussion.

For more highlights of the tour, do take a look at our social media (LinkedIn or X); we will publish a summary of the key takeaways from the visit and thoughts on future opportunities shortly on our website.

On Thursday, together with the D Group, we convened a Skills Workshop to explore the UK and international skills landscape. Drawing on our members’ experience, we explored practical actions to improve skills outcomes for workforces. The event provided a timely opportunity to discuss how to engage effectively with government stakeholders and align with evolving policy, strengthen collaboration with industry, and attract investment into skills programming. Again, we will share a note on the conclusions soon.

Last but definitely not least, some very important "house" news. Early in the New Year we will be bidding a sad farewell to Sasha, who is leaving us after more than eleven years with BEI and the D Group. From establishing our education practice and driving the Education Working Group through the pandemic to leading our growing infrastructure and climate work, she leaves a substantial legacy of support for members and a very tangible legacy in the form of BEI reports on education, water resilience, nature-based solutions and climate finance which have stood the test of time. Happily, however, we will not be "losing" Sasha completely as she will be leaving us - with our warmest wishes and congratulations - for a new role with BEI member Climate Sense. This move also allows her to relocate to Ireland, closer to family - and nature.

Alex Murr, whom many of you already know well, will continue to support our members and our programme in infrastructure and climate/nature, alongside Amalie Coleman who works on education, skills and international development. Both will be working with Ana Botelho, who will direct relationship management across BEI. As part of our strategy to continue to take BEI forward, we will soon be seeking to appoint senior advisers in climate and infrastructure, as well as education, skills and international development. More announcements to follow on all this soon.

After a very busy week, there’s plenty more activity in the pipeline. In the meantime, warm wishes for the (somewhat rainy) weekend ahead,

David Landsman

Executive Chairman

British Expertise International

‍Key events coming up include the following:

19th November 2025 09:30 – 12:30 GMT: Intersections of International Development and National Security - Given the growing national security priorities of the UK Government and the recent cuts to the aid budget, this event will offer a timely and engaging platform to explore the intersection between international development and national security. It also presents a valuable opportunity to discuss how development actors can align their programmes more closely with the UK’s strategic interests.
20th November 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.
27th November 2025 15:00 – 16:00 GMT: SME wider community engagement with the FCDO SME Advisory Forum - BEI is delighted to continue supporting the members of FCDO’s SME Advisory Forum to engage with the wider SME community. Our aim is both to ensure that members of the Advisory Forum are briefed on the full range of views of the SME supplier community and to enable them to provide feedback on the discussions after their meetings.
Date TBA: Education Deep Dive: Tajikistan - Join us for a webinar deep dive into education opportunities in Tajikistan led by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan. Colleagues 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 Tajik market.
Date TBA: Infrastructure Opportunities in Nigeria - This webinar offers a focused deep dive into Nigeria’s infrastructure landscape with a focus on several specific projects well suited for the UK supply chain

External Events and Reports:

13th January 2026 - UK-Asian Development Bank Business Connect: Advancing Partnerships through Infrastructure and Innovation - SAVE THE DATE - This half-day event, taking place in Singapore (venue TBC) is hosted by the UK’s Department for Business and Trade, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank’s Singapore Office, with the aim of deepening UK business engagement with ADB and showcase UK innovation, expertise and available financing solutions across ADB’s priority sectors.

Register for an upcoming event →