Apr 17, 2026

BEI Weekly Update - 17th April 2026

by

David Landsman

by

Dear Members and Friends,

Our collaboration with the UK Government to promote “British expertise” as a source of opportunity and a solution to challenges worldwide is a vital component of our work at BEI. In my experience of working across both public and private sectors, I’d say that getting the communication right can sometimes take time, but the rewards are very real when you make the effort. At BEI, which has been working with Government since its beginnings almost sixty years ago, that communication comes very easily. Our closest relationships have traditionally been with FCDO and DBT (under various guises over the years), but I’m keen to extend our network more widely, and I’m glad we are now working with many departments, including DEFRA, DESNZ, the Home Office, MOD, and the Cabinet Office. We’re always willing to engage to help spread the word about the value of British technical and professional expertise to our bilateral and multilateral partnerships around the world. For example, over the past few days we’ve had a number of new conversations with HM Trade Commissioners’ teams, which I’m confident will lead to some opportunities for BEI, our members and UKplc. More to follow soon.

As another concrete example of our role in working with both industry and Government to strengthen the UK’s profile internationally, it’s great to be able to confirm the details of our new partnership with Infrastructure Exports UK (IE:UK). IE:UK brings together UK businesses of all sizes into consortia to bid for and deliver global infrastructure contracts globally, combining expertise across the supply chain. Co-chaired by Trade Minister Chris Bryant and, from the industry side by Stuart Senior of Gleeds, the Board spearheads the UK’s international offer for large-scale sustainable infrastructure projects. John Pelton, our Senior Adviser for Infrastructure, John Pelton MBE, is joining the Board and we will from now on also be providing the secretariat function to ensure that discussions are well prepared and actions are taken forward. For more background, please see this link.

This week we had a session on “Skills for the Future”, at which we heard from Nitya Daryanani, Senior Social Finance Manager at the British Asian Trust; Melanie Jackson, National Account Manager at NOCN Group; Jane (Rexworthy) Whitehart OBE, Chair at the UK Skills Partnership; and Dan Heffernan, Community Programmes Director at AtkinsRéalis. Our speakers explored how we can ensure equitable access to skilling opportunities for all and the session provided a valuable platform for learning and collaboration between partners and organisations providing skills programming. Many thanks to our speakers and to those who joined us.

Next week, on Tuesday, 21 April 10:00-11:00 BST, we will welcome Alice Motion, Development Director in Sudan at FCDO, who will offer us updates on the current situation on the ground and the FCDO country programme. For more information and to register, click here.

Later in the same week, we turn our attention to Partnership and Innovation in Africa Tech Sectors, with a session on Thursday, 23 April 10:00-11:00 BST. Our speakers from the African EdTech Exchange and the Department for Business and Trade will provide companies with practical insight into the rapidly evolving African technology landscape and the growing opportunities for Africa-UK collaboration. Click here to register.

In two weeks’ time, we will be convening our education members at a critical moment in supporting learners and educators across the Middle East, who are now facing widespread disruption as a result of conflict in the region. On Wednesday, 29th April from 10:00-11:30BST, we will host a session titled “Sustaining Education Through Crisis”, for a peer-to-peer practical knowledge exchange, exploring approaches to supporting the resilience of education systems in conflict settings. If you are interested in joining, click here.

Finally, on behalf of our DBT colleagues we'd like to let you know that the team at Endeavor Jordan, alongside some of the most successful Jordanian entrepreneurs, will be in London from May 11–14 and are looking to connect with the British companies, business incubators and Jordanian diaspora in the entrepreneurial space, including founders, investors, operators, ecosystem builders, and industry leaders building and scaling from the UK. If you are interested in meeting with the group, please email Sofia Pennacchietti via sp@britishexpertise.org. There is also an event taking place on Tuesday, 12th May from 18:00-20:00, which you can register for at this link.

Warm wishes for a restful weekend - and hoping for a continuation of the sunny weather,

David Landsman

Executive Chair

British Expertise International

Event Recordings and Resources:

(Member access only)‍

Upcoming BEI Events:

Tuesday 21st April 10:00 – 11:00 BST: FCDO Development Director: Sudan - Join us as Alice Motion, the Development Director in Sudan for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), will offer us updates on the current context on the ground as well as insights into FCDO’s development strategy in the country.‍
Thursday 23rd April 10:00 – 11:00 BST: Opportunities for Partnership and Innovation in African Tech Sectors - Join us for a webinar exploring Opportunities for Partnership and Innovation in African Tech Sectors, which will provide companies with practical insight into the rapidly evolving African technology landscape and the growing opportunities for Africa-UK collaboration.‍
Wednesday 29th April 2026 10:00 – 11:30 BST: Sustaining Education through Crisis - Join us for a session convening our education members at a critical moment in supporting learners and educators across the Middle East, who are now facing widespread disruption as a result of conflict in the region.
Tuesday 12th May 2026 10:00 – 11:30 BST: Preventing Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) - Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is a growing problem around the world. During this session, our panel of speakers from Social Development Direct and BBC Media Action will explore what effective prevention looks like in practice and will discuss how the media can help change behaviours to challenge harmful social norms.
Wednesday 10th June 2026 14:00 – 15:00 BST: Rwanda Market Opportunity Overview - Join us for a virtual market opportunity overview session on Rwanda. We will be joined by speakers from the British Chamber of Commerce in Rwanda, the British High Commission in Rwanda and the Rwanda Development Board.
Date and Time TBC: Infrastructure Deep Dive - Republic of Korea - Join us for a virtual Market Opportunity Overview on the Republic of Korea to explore opportunities for UK organisations looking to work in the region. This session will highlight available support for UK private sector delivery partners and offer a platform for discussions of success, challenges and market access barriers.‍
Date and Time TBC: Strengthening Equitable and Inclusive Health - This in-person panel event will explore best practice for strengthening global health systems. With a focus on equitable and inclusive health, the session will highlight gender and disability inclusion, with a deep dive on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SHRH) programming within international development programming.‍
Date and Time TBC: Working with the Inter-American Development Bank - Preceding the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) visit to the UK in early June, join us for this virtual session exploring the IDB's work as a principle source of financing, technical expertise and knowledge for sustainable and inclusive development. Our panel of speakers from the IDB will share an update on its strategy, alongside information about how it works with suppliers and guidance on navigating its procurement process.

Register for an upcoming event →

External Events and Resources:

13th May 2026 09:00 – 17:30 BST: R ealising Libya's Energy Ambitions - Convened by the Libyan British Business Council (LBBC), this event will take place as a featured country focus within the Africa Energies Summit 2026 - Africa's premier global upstream gathering.
11th - 14th May: Endeavor Jordan alongside some of the most successful Jordanian entrepreneurs, will be in London from May 11–14 and are looking to connect with the British companies, business incubators and Jordanian diaspora in the entrepreneurial space, including founders, investors, operators, ecosystem builders, and industry leaders building and scaling from the UK. If you are interested in meeting with the group, please email Sofia Pennacchietti via sp@britishexpertise.org. There is also an event taking place on Tuesday, 12th May from 18:00-20:00, which you can register for at this link.
Cambridge Education Legacy Webinar Series - A special legacy webinar series sharing key lessons from 45 years of supporting education systems worldwide, with a look ahead to the future of the global education sector.
AI for Social Impact Webcast Series from Accenture - A series of one-hour sessions, open to all organizations in the social impact sector including non-profits and social enterprises. Each webcast will focus on a key theme within AI, designed to be relevant and applicable to social impact organizations of a variety of sizes, geographies, and current levels of AI proficiency.
City & Guilds: Essential Digital Skills: Employer Perceptions Survey