Speakers

Speaker details:

Meet our speakers who will be presenting at our Made in Dudley, Sold to the World Roadshow.

Speaker		Biography

		Rob Lawley Adviser Team Manager, Staffordshire & The Black Country, Department for Business and Trade. Rob is responsible for a team of ten International Trade Advisers covering Staffordshire and The Black Country and has a responsibility for the Skills & Services Sectors. The team works to support companies realise their international potential via a range of DBT Services. Prior to re-joining the Civil Service in 2022 Rob was the Director of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Department for International Trade. Here the team delivered the full range of DBT Services/ programmes, was an issuing body for export documentation and a customs broker. The team processed export documentation for companies with a combined invoice value in excess of £250m per annuum. Previously Rob was a Civil Servant where he began his career in 1995 working for the Employment Service and later the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. In 2005 Rob started to work for UKTI the predecessor of DBT and in 2012 he was promoted to Head of the International Trade Team where he led many Trade Missions all over the world.

		Raj Theper Export Academy Adviser, UK Export Academy, Department for Business and Trade Raj has over 20 years of experience in delivering advice, guidance and coaching support to businesses across the UK working with hundreds of businesses across many different sectors to successfully develop and execute their growth strategies. Raj delivers a number of webinars as part of the Export Academy to support businesses in further developing their export capabilities.

		Anne Lockett Export Finance Manager, UK Export Finance Anne’s extensive banking career began in branch at Nat West before she moved to the bank’s international division, where she spent more than a decade in corporate finance as a credit analyst marketing to European financial companies and banks as well as the more challenging markets in Africa and the Middle East. Anne spent the next decade with ABN AMRO Bank in Birmingham marketing to the top 250 FTSE companies. Today, as an Export Finance Manager for UKEF, Anne helps companies of all sizes access financial support for their exports. She is regionally based supporting businesses in The Black Country, Shropshire and Staffordshire.

		Gary Blackburn International Trade Adviser (Export Market Research), Department for Business and Trade Gary is an Export Market Research Adviser with over 20 years’ experience in the market research industry. He has a PhD in International Politics and has worked in the private sector, business support, government and academia.

		Gerti Willis International Trade Adviser (Culture and Communications), Department for Business and Trade Gerti is a licensed trainer in one of the most effective methods for cross-cultural training: The Lewis Model of Culture/ Culture Active. She delivers International Cultural Communication training to companies of all sectors and sizes. Her years of experience negotiating contracts with language trainers from many countries and cultural backgrounds have given her in-depth knowledge of cultural diversity.

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Organised by:

The Department for International Trade

Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the Government Department that helps UK based companies succeed in the global economy. We also help overseas companies bring their high-quality investment to the UK’s dynamic economy, acknowledged as Europe’s best place in which to succeed in global business.