Global Trade Live: navigating disruption from the war in the Middle East

Will Barns-Graham is the executive editor and content lead at the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade.

An experienced global trade journalist and event content specialist, he has been the host of the Chartered Institute’s industry-leading Global Trade Live webinar for almost a decade and is the lead editor of its Global Trade Today newsletter. He has also hosted, led agenda design and facilitated panels at various industry events, including the Import Export Show, Multimodal and the International Food and Drink Event.

Will has also been the lead content contributor on several collaborative projects with governments and business organisations in the UK and overseas. This includes the ‘Open to Export International Business Awards’ which resulted in the Chartered Institute being named a Small Business Champion by the World Trade Organization and the International Chamber of Commerce.

He is a NCTJ-qualified journalist, having gained a distinction on the Press Association’s Level 3 Diploma. He has also gained an MA in Social Anthropology from SOAS and a BA in Philosophy and Theology from the University of Oxford.

Victoria is a multi-award-winning Chartered Marketer and has worked internationally for all of her career within start up, SME and large corporation environments marketing and selling food, drinks, supplements and medical devices around the world.   

Multilingual with an MA Hons from the University of Oxford (French, Spanish and Portuguese) ,an executive MBA from Leeds Business School and more recently with a Diploma in International Trade from the Institute of Export, Victoria now runs Bolst Global: an international trade consultancy and provider supporting businesses operating in global health and wellness food, drink and supplement sectors.  

Her vision and passion with Bolst Global is to help as many ambitious and internationally oriented brands and manufacturers in this space to grow overseas. Both for existing exporters and those new to export, Victoria strives to provide clients with the practical tools, knowledge and connections to make global growth a reality.  

Likewise for retailers and distributors around the world, Bolst Global also provides support on up-to- date health and wellness market trends, sourcing of innovative and sought-after brands/products and importation assistance. 

Victoria is also a regular speaker, contributor and trainer at export related events, communities and workshops both in the UK and overseas for private and public governmental organisations.  

In her free time and when not travelling around the world for business or leisure Victoria spends most of it either strength training, swinging heavy kettle bells in the gym or socialising with her friends and family.  

As director general of the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade since January 2020, Marco Forgione MCIEx has become a leading authority and commentator on global trade, empowering businesses to grow internationally through educational programmes and digital trade solutions.

He is a key intermediator between governments and businesses domestically and overseas, sitting on the Critical Imports Council in the UK and on the multilateral B20 Taskforce for Trade and Investment. He is a visiting professor at Aston University and regularly comments on trade and supply chain matters in the international media, including the BBC, Sky News, CNN, Al Jazeera and Bloomberg, among others.

Under his leadership, the Chartered Institute has grown from a team of 12 to now over 170 trade and customs experts, seeing membership grow from 2,000 to 7,000, culminating in the organisation being awarded a Royal Charter in 2024. The charity has become a trusted partner to the UK government in the delivery of trade facilitation solutions such as the Trader Support Service (TSS). This digital portal has enabled the continuation of goods movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.

Forgione is also a passionate advocate for trade as a force for good in the world, regularly commenting in the media that it is a driver of economic prosperity and that it can serve to bring communities closer together. He has led the Chartered Institute into partnerships with the World Trade Organization and International Trade Centre that have built trade capacity among MSMEs and female entrepreneurs. He also entered the organisation into the TLIP Institute – a global collaboration to develop a new digital infrastructure for trade – alongside the World Economic Forum, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, the IOTA Foundation, TradeMark Africa and the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation.

Before the Chartered Institute, Forgione led trade bodies in the arts, antiques and creative sectors, navigating the British Antiques Dealers’ Association through digital transformation between 2015 and 2020, and leading creative bodies EVCOM and the International Visual Communication Association between 2008 and 2015. He also previously had director level roles at Canterbury College and the Landscape Institute.

Ilona is an expert in international trade compliance with over ten years of experience, specialising in global import operations. As the lead for the Imports Advisory Practice, she excels in managing complex import processes, conducting customs and broker invoice audits, and developing policies that streamline cross-border trade while ensuring strict adherence to global regulations. Her expertise spans customs requirements in the MENAT and EMEA regions, where she has successfully mitigated risks and optimised compliance strategies for various organisations. 

Ilona has an in-depth understanding of international customs regulations, staying ahead of legislative changes to proactively address challenges and assess their impact on business operations. Her strong focus on import compliance and her analytical approach to auditing have been pivotal in achieving seamless and compliant import operations across multiple markets. 

Currently, as a senior digital trade and customs specialist, Ilona leads key initiatives around cross-border movements and the UK Border Strategy. She spearheads projects that leverage disruptive technologies to optimise import processes and enhance global trade facilitation. Her expertise aims to ensure that businesses remain competitive and compliant in the rapidly evolving landscape of international trade and drive innovation and efficiency in cross-border operations.