Speakers - BPF Brexit Seminar 2018

Lesley Batchelor, Institute of Export

Lesley is director general of the Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT), an education foundation providing qualifications and support for business for over 8 years.  Active on the APPG Advisory Panel on Trade & Investment, the APP Manufacturing Group and provides evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Government support for SMEs. A director of International Business & Diplomatic Exchange and of the International Association of Trade Training Organisations Lesley is often a leading light in thought leadership issues connected with international trade.

After 15 years working with blue-chip giants including Fujitsu Europe, Canon, Ciba-Geigy and Coca-Cola, Lesley set up CMC Marketing in 1992 to develop inspirational overseas strategies and international training programmes for SMEs. In 2007 she joined the Institute of Export where she has forged influential partnerships with many national and international associations. Lesley was awarded in the OBE in the 2014 Birthday Honours List.

Dr Robert Maclean, Squire Patton Boggs
 

Dr. Robert MacLean is Head of International Trade & Customs – Europe. He is a globally recognised expert in his field. After starting his career at DG-Trade of the European Commission, he now represents a large number of EU industries, corporations and exporters in trade disputes, World Trade Organization (WTO) law and anti-dumping or anti-subsidy investigations. He has also been lead counsel in approximately two dozen appeals to the European General Court and the Court of Justice, including a number of landmark cases helping to shape EU trade law and policy.

Mike Boswell, Plastribution

Mike is FIMMM, a Graduate & Post Graduate Polymer Technologist who has previously studied at Burton Technical College and the Institute of Polymer Technology and Materials Engineering at Loughborough University. His early career included experience in extrusion, thermoforming, and injection moulding with both in-house and trade moulders supplying various sectors including automotive and packaging.

In 1988 he joined Plastribution as a Trainee Technical Sales Executive and gained valuable experience in the sale of both commodity and engineering thermoplastics to a wide range of UK processors. He then moved into product management and in 1998 was appointed Business Development Director.

In 2000 he was promoted to the position of Managing Director, and since this time the business has enjoyed considerable success and Plastribution became the UK’s largest distributor in 2009.