Here is what the key people involved in this great partnership have to say.

Ian Moore, CEO, FIA 

"Working with Government for our members and the wider industry is, and has always been, a key priority. We are proud our relationship with Government has improved over the last few years which has allowed us to better address the three key issues of Brexit, COVID-19 and Grenfell.

It has taken incredible effort from both sides to get this great working relationship to where it is today. From weekly meetings with UK Defence and Security Exports on the transition period to sharing live updates on Brexit and how to best support our members export.

A clear indication of both our improved relationship with Government and the incredible effort of individuals is the secondment of two specialists from FIA members to the Department of International Trade - UK Defence and Security Exports. Sarah and Michelle’s work is key to ensuring that the fire industry is able to continue exporting our world-leading products and services. I am immensely grateful and proud of the individuals and their companies allowing them to give up their time. Doing so will help everyone out in in this crucial area at this vital time in our history."

Sarah Adamson, Sector Specialist – First Responder Capability

I’m thrilled to have been appointed as a sector specialist for the first responder capability campaign for the UK Defence and Security Export team. For Angloco this is a chance to support the development of the UK export market for Fire and Rescue products, and to help the UK bounce back.

During the secondments of the sector specialists, our ambition is to pull together and showcase the very best of the UK Defence and Security sector to be shared with the world.  The purpose is to grow the knowledge of our customers and DIT colleagues alike, to enable more British Products and Services to flow around the world.  I strongly believe that working together with the Government, as UK businesses, is our best way to work together. It’s fantastic for our industry to be engaged directly and we should all be sharing the experiences that we have gained for the benefit of the whole sector.

Michelle Agius, Sector Specialist -  Infrastructure

I am delighted to be a part of this initiative from the DIT, as a UK based SME myself I totally understand the difficulties of SMEs’ exporting.  I think it is a great initiative of the DIT to mix trade and Civil Servants together to obtain mixed views.  Any initiative to push and assist the visibility of UK SMEs is a positive move forward and one I am proud to be associated with.  Like most things in the business world, this is a complicated subject but our aim is to make it as simple as possible for the overseas posts to understand the great benefits of working with UK companies to obtain the best knowledge, experience, training and products.”

Tracy Buckingham, Deputy Director, Security & Cyber Exports in UK Defence & Security Exports

‘While recognising the many challenges businesses are facing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, UK Defence and Security Exports is here to help. As we start the economic recovery, we’re thinking about what happens next and how you can stay one step ahead of your competitors. As part of our implementation of the Security Exports Strategy, we are drawing together a series of UK Security Offers for our international partners. These offers will demonstrate to overseas buyers the fantastic capabilities that UK companies have across a range of sectors. This initiative is one way in which we are providing strategic leadership that contributes towards the key Government policy of encouraging more companies to trade internationally and to increase the value of UK goods and services that are exported.

We are currently looking for companies who provide products and services in the first responder or infrastructure buyer categories to join the UK Security Offer and help us to showcase your capabilities to overseas buyers. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the UK’s national security and prosperity. If you would like your company to be involved in this capability campaign, please get in touch with our sector specialists. We hope this represents a valuable opportunity for individuals from industry to engage directly with UK Defence and Security Exports to shape the way in which we support UK exporters and to create a legacy that can be built on to ensure that Government and industry work effectively together into the future.’