I’m proud that my experience and knowledge of international trade has resulted in me being amongst the first round of appointees by the Dept. of International Trade (DIT) back in 2013; a position I still retain today.
What is an Export Champion?
Every year DIT invites a select few individuals who have experience and success in growing their business internationally to become an ‘Export Champion’. We represent a diverse community from micro-SMEs to large conglomerates covering a broad spectrum of industry sectors.
Initially focused on the North West England region, the success of the scheme saw it rolled out, firstly across the entire north as part of the Northern Powerhouse project, to now being a national initiative.
The position of Export Champion is a voluntary one. It requires each champion to devote some of their time to promoting the work of DIT and the (often unknown) plethora of resources available to assist exporters, whether they be organisations or individuals starting on their export journey or experienced exporters with the passport stamps and air miles to prove it.
This support can take the form of case study presentations, either specific to a country/territory, or industry focused. It may involve participating in round table discussions with fellow exporters, or provide feedback to DIT or government ministers regarding proposed future initiatives to support exporters. Alternatively it might be providing some one-to-one advice to a potential exporter keen to find out more about a particular market.
Why am I an Export Champion?
When I first started exporting back in 2008 I had no idea where to head for advice or which countries to target. It wasn’t quite ‘stick a pin in a map’, however, the fact that ‘if it doesn’t work out, at least it’s cheap and quick to travel to’ was one of the reasons why the Netherlands was an early target!
Fortunately, through some networking and introductions (my memory is too hazy to recall the precise route) we found DIT – then UKTI. They provided us with a wealth of resource from market research conducted on specific territories to facilitating introductions with potential partners in numerous countries. You can read more about my specific experience in establishing ourselves in Mexico on the DIT website here
After 12 years I have learnt a lot about exporting, made countless mistakes (definitely a potential future blog on that subject!) but equally generated numerous successes, which I think is best demonstrated by the fact TISS export to 40+ territories and have joint venture companies established in South Africa, India and Mexico. Not to mention winning the Queens Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2014, after our exports grew from 8% of turnover to 41% in just 3 years.
As an Export Champion it is an honour to help promote the value of exporting an assist DIT with my experience, whether that is speaking at events or providing my opinion on future strategy.
However, my favourite activity has to be meeting or speaking with exporters and hopefully imparting on them some of the advice and knowledge that I have accumulated through my 12 years+ export experience. I love hearing about the enthusiasm these companies have for their products and services, combined with the mixture of excitement and intrepidation they have about their first steps into exporting.
For more information, please contact me at matthew@matthew-rose.com. For more info on DIT, please visit their website
matthew-rose.com 