Dear Members and Friends,
Over this week, we have well and truly launched our “Meet the Ambassador” series for 2025, with an excellent set of events with a number of Heads of Mission back in London for FCDO’s Leadership Conference. On Monday, we heard – in four separate sessions in one day! - from HE Dr Richard Montgomery CMG, High Commissioner to Nigeria and HE Harriet Thompson, High Commissioner to Ghana; HE Darren Welch, Ambassador to Ethiopia; HE Fiona Blyth MBE, Ambassador to Mongolia, HE Katherine Smitton, Ambassador to Tajikistan, and HE Stephen Conlon, Ambassador to Turkmenistan; and HE John Gallagher, Ambassador to Armenia and HE Fergus Auld, Ambassador to Azerbaijan. As I write this, I am looking forward to hosting HE James Downer, Ambassador to Algeria for the final session of this week. I know well how intense Leadership Week can be, so we’re most grateful to the Heads of Mission for finding time to be with us.
Another important UK Government partner for us is of course DBT. Last week, on behalf of our sister organisation D Group, I had the privilege of hosting Gareth Davies, DBT’s Permanent Secretary, at Grafton Street where he gave our members a comprehensive insight into the recently-published Industrial Strategy. We are also very much focused on the Trade Strategy and what it means for DBT’s strategic focus internationally and where we at BEI can best support our members. We are looking to work closely with DBT to ensure that we are well aligned and can both support and complement their efforts in “our” sectors and geographies. We would welcome any feedback from members on “what success looks like” as far as that engagement is concerned.
Our Education Working Group met on Wednesday. With recent announcements by major international donors, including FCDO and USAID, to reduce funding and adjust their priorities, programming for education in international development is facing significant challenges. The Group explored how the UK education sector can respond to recent shocks to the global education system and work innovatively to ensure that the UK’s highly valued contribution to education can continue to be promoted.
On Thursday, we once again had the opportunity to facilitate on behalf of FCDO a virtual conversation between members of the SME Advisory Forum and the wider SME community, to socialise the work of the Forum as widely as possible. We are grateful to Sue Griffiths, Victoria Hervey and Charlie Duff for leading the discussion, and to Beverley Jandziol and colleagues from FCDO’s commercial function for joining the session share their insights on how FCDO is planning to operate within its new budget constraints and how it is reprioritising the sectors and geographies on which it focuses. This is a very valuable forum for our members, the wider SME community and I believe for Government too and we are delighted to be able to support it.
Following our recent excellent session looking at current risks and opportunities for UK businesses in Ukraine, organised in partnership with BEI members Prevail Partners, Alex has summarised the key takeaways in a blog post, focusing particularly on risk mitigation and the importance of building partnerships to unlock funding. It seems clear that there are rewarding opportunities for UK organisations willing to do their homework to play a valuable role.
Moving on to next week, our Meet the Ambassador series moves into week two, with HE Antony Phillipson CMG, High Commissioner to South Africa on Monday 7 July at 10:00 and Harjinder Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Western India and HM Trade Commissioner for South Asia on Monday at 12:00, both in person in Grafton Street. We will be arranging more “Meet the Ambassador” sessions throughout the year. Starting with a virtual event just announced on the 15th of July focusing on the Caribbean region, where we will hear from the UK Heads of Mission in Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana & the Dominican Republic. Registration details can be found here.
Next Tuesday 8 July is a big day for BEI as we are looking forward to the launch of a new edition of BEI’s Water Resilience Working Group report, "Water Resilience – Unlocking Local and Global Benefits Through Collaboration." First published a year ago, this updated edition reflects the significant shifts in the geopolitical and funding landscape over the past 12 months. We’ve re-examined how policymakers and delivery partners can navigate and strengthen Water Resilience in an evolving world.
Further ahead but coming up quickly is our annual meeting with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) during their UK Roadshow. The extensive UK Roadshow reflects ADB’s priority to engage with the latest UK expertise, technologies and solutions that can help drive Asia’s growth and development. Our event takes place on Monday 14 July and is hosted once again by our members Arup, to whom we are most grateful. There are a very few places still available: please get in touch with Alex (am@britishexpertise.org) if you are interested in attending. Those based in Scotland and Wales are most welcome to join the events in Edinburgh on 16 July and Cardiff on 18 July. The events in both Edinburgh and Cardiff will offer UK organisations a unique opportunity to engage directly with senior ADB representative and discuss key trends in Asia. Applying UK Solutions for Asian Growth and Development with a focus on Energy and AFNR on Wednesday, 16 July in Edinburgh. If you are interested in registering for this event, please use the following link. Applying UK Health Solutions for Asian Growth and Development on Friday, 18 July in Cardiff. If you are interested in registering for this event, please use the following link.
Finally, all of us are in our various activities part of the UK’s “offer” to the world and at the same time (you don’t need me to tell you) impacted by the UK’s foreign policy. In today’s world, foreign policy can no longer be treated as an “elite sport”, played by a few, often by incomprehensible rules, and watched from a distance (or just ignored) by everyone else. Public opinion matters, as does the wide gap on key issues between public opinion and foreign policy practitioners in the broadest sense of the term. Our colleagues at British Foreign Policy Group have become the go-to experts on analysing trends in public attitudes in this area and will be launching their headline Annual Survey on Thursday 17 July at 16:30 at our future home One Birdcage Walk. If you’d like to attend, please email Eliza Keogh at BFPG (eliza.keogh@bfpg.co.uk).
With best wishes for the weekend ahead,
David Landsman
Executive Chairman
British Expertise International
Recordings of recent past events:
- 5th June 2025: Intersection of Climate Change and Social Security
- 10th June 2025: International Finance Corporation (IFC): Working Upstream
- 10th June 2025: Public-Private Partnerships in the Philippines
- 19th June 2025: Navigating Risks and Opportunities in Ukraine
- 26th June 2025: Blended Finance as a Catalyst for Systems Change
Key events coming up include the following:
- 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.
- 7th July 2025 12:00 – 13:15 BST: Meet the Ambassador: India - As part of our Meet the Ambassador series, we are delighted to welcome Harjinder Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Western India & His Majesty's Trade Commissioner for South Asia.
- 8th July 2025 10:30 – 14:00 BST: Rethinking Water Resilience: Strategies for a Changing World - The BEI Water Resilience Working Group is launching a new edition of its report, "Water Resilience – Unlocking Local and Global Benefits Through Collaboration." First published a year ago, this updated edition reflects the significant shifts in the geopolitical and funding landscape over the past 12 months. We’ve re-examined how policymakers and delivery partners can navigate and strengthen Water Resilience in an evolving world.
- 14th July 2025 10:30 – 19:00 BST: ADB Roadshow: Applying British Solutions for Asian Growth and Development - Join us at Arup’s offices (80 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QS) as British Expertise International host a senior delegation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as part of the 2025 ADB UK Roadshow programme. The UK Roadshow aims to connect the ADB with the latest UK expertise, technologies and solutions that can drive Asia’s growth and development.
- 15th July 2025 11:00 – 12:30 BST: Meet UKEF – Africa & LATAC - This virtual event will offer UK organisations a valuable opportunity to explore UKEF's diverse offerings, engage directly with UKEF stakeholders and gain key insights on pipelines in Africa and LATAC.
- 15th July 2025 15:00 - 16:30 BST: Meet the Ambassadors: Caribbean -Join us virtually as we welcome His Majesty’s Ambassadors and High Commissioners to Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana & the Dominican Republic.
- 22nd July 2025 11:00 – 12:30 BST: Opportunities in Morocco – Meet the UK Trade Envoy to Morocco, Ben Coleman MP-Join us for an in-depth discussion with the UK Trade Envoy to Morocco, Ben Coleman MP. This roundtable event will provide the Trade Envoy with the opportunity to engage with UK companies with an interest in Morocco, and provide a platform for UK organisations to discuss opportunities and barriers to entry.
External Events and Reports:
- 7th July 2025 18:00 – 20:00 BST: The Future Leaders Group is holding its Summer Reception on Monday 7 July, from 6:00–8:00pm at 23 Grafton Street. If you are interested in development for succession planning, why not join us ? It’s a great opportunity to connect with alumni, faculty, and candidates for the upcoming September 2025 cohort. To attend, please contact Jennifer Fraser at jennifer@futureleadersgroup.uk.
- 16th July 2025: ADB Roadshow – Applying UK Solutions to Asian Growth and Development with a focus on Energy and AFNR on Wednesday, 16 July in Edinburgh. If you are interested in registering for this event, please use the following link.
- 18th July 2025: Applying UK Health Solutions for Asian Growth and Development on Friday, 18 July in Cardiff. If you are interested in registering for this event, please use the following link.
- 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.
- 27th September – 2nd October 2025 - Save the date for the Aramco STEM Racing World Finals 2025, set to take place in Singapore. This landmark event will be the 20th edition of the globally recognized science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programme’s World Finals and the first under its new branding, following the transition from its previous name, F1 in Schools. Developed to introduce students to STEM subjects through the creation of a miniature F1 car, STEM RACING (Formerly F1 in Schools) is an educational project designed for teachers, informed by engineers, and endorsed by F1.
- 28th – 31st October 2025: AME Trade - 15th edition of Africa PPP in Windhoek, Namibia - Africa PPP 2025 is the longest running infrastructure finance, investment, and partnership summit, focused on increasing private sector participation in infrastructure development through viable PPPs and innovative financing mechanisms, for a sustainable economic growth. The event is organized with the support of Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board and the Ministry of Works and Transport of Namibia at the prestigious Hilton Conference Centre in Windhoek, Namibia. Africa PPP includes two-days Conference, one day masterclass on Project Preparation and one day Touristic and/or Technical Tours.
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