Dear Members and Friends,
After a very busy week last week – as evidenced by the length of my last newsletter, the combination of a Bank Holiday and half term has led to a quieter week this week.
On Thursday, we held a virtual event exploring opportunities for UK organisations in Kazakhstan.. We heard from colleagues at the Department for Business and Trade in Kazakhstan, Beth McKendrick (Country Director) and Elmira Zhaishayeva, (Infrastructure Lead) alongside the Deputy Head at UK Export Finance in Central Asia, Sevara Madgazieva, and Yernar Zhanadil, CEO at Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC). The session highlighted Kazakhstan’s infrastructure priorities, specifically focusing on transport, energy, and water. Our panel provided perspectives on financing options and practical tools designed to assist UK businesses looking to work in the region.
Next week on Thursday 5th June, our focus shifts to the Intersection of Climate Change and Social Security. We are hosting an online event in partnership with our members, Development Pathways. Our speakers include Stephen Kidd, CEO & Principal Social Security Specialist at Development Pathways; Chad Anderson, Deputy Team Lead and Governance and Capacity Strengthening Specialist at Cowater International; Dr Anna McCord, ODI Senior Research Associate, and Lead of the Climate Change and Social Protection Research Initiative (CCASP); Katherine Cooke, Principal Consultant - Climate Finance & Policy at Oxford Policy Management. The event will explore how comprehensive social security mechanisms can mitigate climate risks, bringing together strategies for building resilient community systems.
With a little bit of time to reflect this week, I was reminded about the quality and benefits of our personal development programme, The Future Leaders Group. It is designed to help emerging leaders build confidence in who they are and navigate the complexities of leadership with clarity and purpose. In recent years, BEI members have sent a steady stream of delegates to this course. As one recent participant put it: ‘it is a great place to improve your leadership skills, start building your professional brand, grow your network, and learn together’.
If you or your organisation might be interested in engaging with this as part of your leadership development, why not join us at the FLG Summer Reception on Monday 7 July, from 6:00–8:00pm at 23 Grafton Street. It’s a great opportunity to connect with alumni, faculty, and candidates for the upcoming September 2025 cohort.
To attend, or to find out more about the FLG Course, please contact Jennifer Fraser at jennifer@futureleadersgroup.uk. You can also explore more about the programme on the FLG website or LinkedIn page.
As we look forward, we are excited that this year’s ‘Meet the Ambassador’ series is taking shape – with the first few sessions now confirmed from 30th June – you can find the details at the bottom of the page. These are the first of a number of sessions that will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
For those that have taken a few days off this week, I hope it has been relaxing, and we look forward to catching up as we head not June!
David Landsman
Executive Chairman
British Expertise International
Recordings of recent past events:
- 29th June 2025 - Deep Dive into Infrastructure Opportunities in Kazakhstan
Key events coming up include the following:
- 5th June 2025 10:30 – 11:30 BST: Intersection of Climate Change and Social Security - Join us online for a webinar on the “Intersection of Climate Change and Social Security”. Our speakers from Development Pathways and Cowater International will examine the critical role of social security systems in addressing climate change vulnerabilities.
- 10th June 2025 09:00 – 10:30 BST: Public-Private Partnerships in the Philippines - The PPP Center, Philippines will provide an overview of the new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) legal framework, bring essential insights on best practice in engaging on PPP projects in the Philippines, and showcase some of the specific opportunities that would be a good fit for UK organisations.
- 10th June 2025 15:00 – 16:30 BST: International Finance Corporation (IFC): Working Upstream - This virtual session will provide a deep dive on IFC Upstream, and illustrate Upstream in action through examples from Agribusiness and Education sectors. Through early-stage project development, financial structuring, and de-risking mechanisms, these services transform high-potential concepts into bankable opportunities that can attract private capital.
- 11th June 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 June 2025 16:00 – 19:00 BST: Best Practice Approaches to Sector and Place Based Skills - Join us at 23 Grafton Street for a ‘Best Practice Review’ of the approach taken in the Nuclear Industry to build a truly collaborative approach across Government, Industry, Academia, Education and Commerce to address the long term need for Nuclear Industry- specific skills and the place based skills requirements for specific towns (like Barrow and Plymouth) with high density of specific skills requirement.
- 18th June 2025 10:00 - 11:30 BST: Navigating Risk & Opportunity in Ukraine - Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts present unique partnership opportunities for UK organisations. Our panel, organised in partnership with BEI members Prevail Partners, will provide an overview of the investment landscape, market entry and risk management considerations to help UK organisations navigate opportunities in a rapidly changing environment.
- 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.
- 30th June 2025 09:30 - 11:00 BST: Meet the Ambassador: Nigeria & Ghana - Join us in person as we welcome Dr. Richard Montgomery CMG, British High Commissioner to Nigeria & Harriet Thompson, British High Commissioner to Ghana.
- 30th June 2025 11:30 - 12:30 BST: Meet the Ambassador: Ethiopia - Join us in person as we welcome Darren Welch, British Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
- 30th June 2025 13:30 - 15:00 BST: Meet the Ambassador: Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan & Turkmenistan - Join us in person as we welcome His Majesty’s Ambassadors to Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan & Turkmenistan.
- 30th June 2025 15:30 - 17:00 BST: Meet the Ambassador: Armenia & Azerbaijan - Join us in person as we welcome John Gallagher, British Ambassador to Armenia & Fergus Auld, British Ambassador to Azerbaijan.
- 7th July 2025 10:00 - 11:00 BST: Meet the Ambassador: South Africa - Join us as we welcome Antony Phillipson CMG, British High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa.
External Events and Reports:
- 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. For more details on how the 2024 ACEF transpired, you may refer to this link: Home ACEF 2024 - Asia Clean Energy Forum
- 12th & 13th June 2025: International Law Summits: Energy Arbitration & Dispute Resolution in the Middle East and Africa - International Law Summits is hosting the 8th Annual Conference on Energy Arbitration and Dispute Resolution in the Middle East and Africa on 12-13 June. There’s a 10% discount with the code EARLYBIRD2025. Register here.
- 19th - 21st June 2025: Central Asian Expo (CAEx), Tashkent, Uzbekistan - Eco Expo Central Asia will be the region’s largest international platform for dialogue and collaboration on environmental protection and sustainable development. The event will bring together leading experts, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, and innovators from around the world. Key exhibition sections will include: Green energy, Clean-tech and smart environmental solutions, Water-saving technologies, Green transport, Sustainable agriculture, Environmental education, Green finance, Green construction, Eco-tourism, AI and ecology, FMCG sustainability initiatives, Aral Sea and Priaral region ecology, Urban greening and landscaping, Protected natural areas. Further details are available, here.
- 25th - 26th August 2025: World Women Entrepreneurs Forum (WWEF), Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - The World Women Entrepreneurs Forum (WWEF) emerges in response to this urgent need—to not only celebrate the progress made, but to challenge the systems that limit it. Held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, under the theme Inspire, Impact, Invest, the Forum will serve as a global platform to uplift women entrepreneurs by fostering connection, capacity, and capital. It will bring together leaders, changemakers, investors, and advocates to co-create an ecosystem where womenled businesses thrive and transform economies.
- 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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