Nov 28, 2025

BEI Weekly Update - 28th November 2025

by

David Landsman

by

Dear Members and Friends,

Attention in the UK this week has inevitably been focused on Wednesday’s Budget. There are always different ways of looking at the news and the numbers. Domestically the focus is usually on the impact on individuals and often on numbers that can be quite small in the scheme of things but mean a lot to those concerned. On the other hand, my experience as a diplomat was that, when you look from abroad, what remains for other governments, investors and observers is a more impressionistic sense of “is this country a good bet or not?” I won’t offer a a view on either question here. And the Budget isn’t the only measure of a country’s performance, as the splendid Soft Power Reception held by our friends at BFPG this week graphically demonstrates.

Away from the week’s headlines, there are some clear trends for us to take into account. The Government Departments BEI deals with most – notably DBT and FCDO – are seeing their budgets significantly squeezed. Reprioritisation in the wake of the Industrial Strategy and the Trade Strategy means some areas will have less direct attention. On a more positive note, some parts of the world – including many of BEI’s priority markets – are definitely on the up. The upshot for BEI in 2026 and beyond is that our job is to spot the opportunities and work with HMG – but also our wide international network – to support members doing more work in more markets. As part of broadening our scope, next week I’m looking forward to meeting with IADB to talk about opportunities in Latin America.

One market (if you can call it one market) which we may sometimes underestimate, but where British companies should have an advantage, is the Overseas Territories (OTs). I was delighted to be able to return to King Charles Street yesterday to chair a session exploring with BEI members and leaders of a number of OTs opportunities for British expertise to support economic development and the environment in (and crucially) around the territories. The delegation of leaders from the OTs included The Hon Dr Natalio Wheatley, Premier of the British Virgin Islands, The Hon E David Burt JP MP, Premier of Bermuda, and The Hon. Nigel Feetham KC, Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, Gibraltar, who outlined their priorities for economic diversification, highlighting growth sectors such as green energy, fintech, tourism, and the blue economy. As a sign of the UK Government’s commitment to business collaboration with the OTs, it was good to hear from Stephen Doughty MP, FCDO Minister of State with responsibility for the Overseas Territories. You can read more about the session, with perspectives from myself and Robbie Bulloch, FCDO Director for the Overseas Territories and Polar Directorate, at this link.

In the afternoon, we had two events running simultaneously. The first was our SME wider community engagement with the FCDO SME Advisory Forum. We were delighted once again to be able to provide an opportunity for the members of FCDO’s SME Advisory Forum to engage with the wider SME community. During the session, participants briefed Advisory Forum members on their concerns and contributed thoughts for future Forum discussions. Our thanks to to Dr Sue Griffiths, Managing Director of Social Development Direct; and Dominic Le Moignan, Executive Director at GovRisk for jointly chairing the session.

The second event focused on water risk and finance, which built on the work of the Water Resilience working group and our event in October with The D Group on Turning Water Risk into Resilience (if you’d like to read about that event, click here). Yesterday’s session brought together technical expertise and financial leadership to explore how water risk can be quantified, integrated into ESG strategies and translated into investment opportunities. The discussion will inform a publication for the finance community, including practical guidance on water risk metrics, integration into ESG strategies and innovative financing models. This highlights BEI’s convening role in helping connect the expertise of our members to address the challenges and opportunities in water risk for the investor community.

It was good to see some familiar BEI faces at the Soft Power Reception last night, entirely appropriately as much of the work undertaken around the world – both in emerging and developing markets – contributes very effectively to UK Soft Power. If you would like to explore further how a focus on soft power can be a multiplier for your work, please do get in touch with our friends at BFPG (hello@bfpg.co.uk).

We were pleased to see this week that BEI member NFER launched a new report on The Skills Imperative 2035. Over the past five years, NFER has led a strategic research partnership funded by the Nuffield Foundation to identify what the labour market will look like by 2035, what ‘Essential Employment Skills’ (EES) will be most needed and who is most and least likely to be affected by changes in jobs and skills requirements. The report outlines the response required to help young people and those already in work. This is another example of how our members are contributing to the skills landscape, and we look forward to continuing to work with them in this space.

Looking forward to the next couple of weeks, we have a number of online sessions covering a range of sectors and geographies. Next Tuesday 'Working with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)' will provide an update on the Bank’s strategy as well as guidance on navigating its procurement processes. In addition, there will be an update on EBRD’s infrastructure Project Preparation Facility and a review of the infrastructure project pipeline. If you are interested in joining this event virtually, please email events@britishexpertise.org

On Thursday 4 December, we will explore Water & Waste Management Opportunities in Saudi Arabia. We will hear from the National Center for Waste Management (MWAN) and the Saudi Water Authority (SWA), as well as DBT Saudi Arabia, for an overview of water sector opportunities in Saudi Arabia and how UK organisations’ capabilities align with Saudi requirements. You can register using this link.

The following week, we look forward to a discussion of 'Integrating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into Education Systems' on 10 December. This event will bring together experts in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and will examine best-practice for integrating SEL into education systems globally. Register here.

Also on 10 November, we look forward to an in-person roundtable on Philippine Capital Markets. The session will host senior officials from the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), focusing on the ESG landscape in the Philippines and opportunities for UK organisations to collaborate on projects that strengthen the country’s sustainable finance ecosystem. Register here.

As you (I hope) prepare for a restful weekend, do take a look at the summary of our recent New Zealand infrastructure inward mission. If it prompts any thoughts on what we could be doing for your business, do let me know.

David Landsman

Executive Chairman

British Expertise International

‍Upcoming Events:

2nd December 2025 15:00 – 17:30 GMT: Working with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) - Join us at 1 Birdcage Walk 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.‍
4th December 2025 10:00 – 11:00 GMT: Water & Waste Management Opportunities in Saudi Arabia - Join us virtually as we host the National Center for Waste Management (MWAN) and the Saudi Water Authority (SWA), as well as DBT Saudi Arabia, for an overview of water sector opportunities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and how UK organisations’ capabilities align with Saudi requirements.‍
10th December 2025 10:00 – 11:00 GMT: Integrating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into Education Systems - Join us for a webinar discussion bringing together experts in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and delving into best-practice for integrating SEL into education systems globally.‍
10th December 2025 13:00 – 15:00 GMT: Philippine Capital Markets Roundtable - Join us for a roundtable with senior officials from the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), focusing on the ESG landscape in the Philippines and opportunities for UK organisations to collaborate on projects that strengthen the country’s sustainable finance ecosystem.

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.‍
5th December 2025 09:00 – 12:00 GMT - Investing in Brazil: Strategic Infrastructure with UK support - In collaboration with DBT and FCDO, the Government of Brazil is inviting UK companies to a high-level roundtable focused on strategic, climate-compatible infrastructure investment opportunities in Brazil. This exclusive event will lay the ground for a re-launch of the UK-Brazil Infrastructure Taskforce that is currently dormant, bringing together Brazilian and UK government officials, international investors and financing experts. If this would be of interest, please RSVP before COB Monday 1^st December by emailing Scott.Burgess3@fcdo.gov.uk with the subject line ‘[RSVP] Investing Brazil’.

Register for an upcoming event →