It’s been a packed start to 2026, with Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade members convening in-person and online to discuss trade challenges and opportunities.
Among the events we’ve held to bring the community together, there’s been regional meetups in Southampton and Glasgow, a raft of sector-specific Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and a fresh instalment of ‘Connect & Grow’ – where members met with our director general Marco Forgione to discuss key trade issues.
Hayley Zeff, Chartered Institute head of membership, said she was pleased to have already met so many members from different sectors and regions.
“It’s been fantastic to see such a high level of engagement across our events so far this year. From regional roundtables to our sector-specific support groups, the community has continued to come together to learn and provide support at a particularly difficult time for trade.
“To build a resilient, supportive community, we hope to see as many members as possible attending our digital and in-person events.
“As well as being an opportunity to learn from our experts and connect with fellow trade professionals and business leaders, our events are also an opportunity to share your views with policymakers from government. It’s great seeing how our members shape future trade policy across our events programme.”
To sign up to future Chartered Institute events, take a look at what’s coming up over the rest of the year.
Member Forum
Formerly called Connect & Grow, each quarter we give you the chance to speak to our director general Marco Forgione in a digital Member Forum. As a conduit between industry and policymakers in Westminster and beyond, he’s keen to hear your thoughts on how recent geopolitical events and regulatory changes have impacted your business’ ability to trade.
In February, he sought your feedback on how you’ve been adapting to the uptick in export controls seen in recent years, accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East.
Reflecting on these changes, he said that we’ve “emerged into a multipolar world where trade is being used as a geopolitical lever”, a world which has left businesses navigating “unbelievable uncertainty”.
Several business leaders attending the call told Marco of how they’ve had to go beyond usual processes and due diligence when it comes to complying with increasing controls. Businesses have had to enhance ‘know your customer’ measures to make sure goods subject to dual-use or military controls don’t make their way indirectly to sanctioned actors, particularly Russian firms.
Regional events
Beyond digital get-togethers, we love to travel around the UK and meet members of our trading community in person.
At the start of this year, that’s involved journeying north and south, to Glasgow for our regular Scotland Member Forum and to Southampton for a regional roundtable on trade opportunities in the region.
Our representatives on the ground at the latter shared key takeaways, based on wide-ranging discussions that included the importance of the US as an export market in a Trump tariff world, the impact of ‘non-tariff barriers’ and access to finance.
Meanwhile in Scotland, members discussed trade challenges specific to the region, alongside how export controls and the ongoing evolution of the UK-EU relationship are set to impact their business.
Scottish members heard insights from Forgione again, alongside Scottish business minister Richard Lochhead MSP and Scottish Enterprise services adviser Tahira Nasim.
Special Interest Groups
SIGs provide the opportunity to hear more in-depth expert insight on recent changes or common pitfalls related to a specific area of trade, creating a forum for you to question experts and understand how peers from across the sector are navigating trade challenges.
The Borders and Logistics SIG kicked off the year with a look at how ongoing government efforts to digitalise borders are changing trade across the UK and Europe.
Imports Advisory Practice lead Ilona Kawka shared insights about how the geopolitical disruption and economic uncertainty of recent years has posed challenges to the adoption of new digital tools and processes by businesses of all sizes. Among the forces taking resource away from digitalisation, Kawka mentioned “firefighting” in response to US tariffs, the impending removal of many countries’ ‘de minimis’ thresholds removing customs duties for low value goods, and anticipated environmental legislation from the EU.
The Manufacturing SIG addressed the latest European Working Plan to cover implementation of environmental legislation linked to Digital Product Passports – a requirement for a range of high-carbon goods being exported into the EU market.
At the start of 2026, our sanctions specialist Andy Bridges shared urgent updates on the latest trends in exports controls. Echoing themes from Forgione’s Connect & Grow forum, he spoke to the Export Controls SIG about how emerging technologies are being brought into line with existing UK controls regimes – something traders need to be aware of to remain compliant.
“If you are dealing with this industry, there are changes,” he told attendees. “You need to start looking at this technology in regard to dual use, if you weren’t before”.
Our Food and Drink SIG was held yesterday, with updates from both Chartered Institute sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) expert Joseph Goldsworthy and diplomat Dr Annette Kliemann, who serves in the EU delegation to the UK.
As well as a look at the progress of EU-UK negotiations towards creating a common SPS area to reduce trade friction for agrifood businesses, they shared the latest on UK border changes, with a special look at compliance issues surrounding chocolate ahead of Easter.
We encourage you to sign up for the next SIG meetings relevant to your sector and role.
