Trading our way to prosperity
The UK Trade and Business Commission has made 114 recommendations to the UK Government - solutions to the barriers to trade and growth for the UK’s businesses and consumers.
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The Commission’s work
The Commission has published 114 recommendations to the UK Government informed by more than 80 hours of live testimony featuring 234 witnesses, visits to businesses across the UK and written evidence from more than 200 organisations.
Members of the Commission
UK Trade and Business Commissioners brings expertise from the worlds of business, politics and international trade. Commission meetings and evidence sessions are chaired by members of the Commission on a rotating basis. Find out more about how the Commission works here.
Peter Norris
Co-Convenor of the Commission Chair, Virgin Group
Peter has chaired Virgin Group since 2009 and currently also acts as chair for Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Hotels as well as for Agilyx AS, a leading chemical recycling company. He has over 40 years’ experience in business management and investment banking and brings knowledge and understanding of the international economy and impacts on business and international trade.
Paul Blomfield MP Co-Convenor of the Commission
Labour MP for Sheffield Central
Paul served on Labour’s frontbench as Shadow Minister for Brexit and EU Negotiations, working across the Shadow DeXEU, Shadow Cabinet Office and Shadow International Trade teams since 2016. Paul held that post until the end of the EU transition period on 31 December 2020. Paul is chair of the APPG on Students, co-chair of the APPG on International Students and Secretary of the APPG on Universities.
Alison WIlliams
Global Head of Data, DunnHumby
Alison is Global Head of Data at global customer data science company DunnHumby. Alison works with retailers across 25 geographical markets, helping them create and execute data strategies which put the customer at the heart of their decision making. She specialises in issues relating to data privacy and the personalisation of on and offline media.
Claire Hanna MP
SDLP MP for Belfast South
Before her election to Parliament in 2019, Claire was a Belfast City councillor and a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, formerly acting as the SDLP’s Brexit spokesperson. Claire currently sits on the Commons’ Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. Prior to elected politics, Claire worked in international development, in a range of policy and education roles, taking her to parts of the world such as Haiti, Zambia and Bangladesh.
Dame Rosemary Squire
Joint CEO and Executive Chairman of Trafalgar Entertainment
Dame Rosemary Squire co-founded Ambassador Theatre Group in 1992, which has gone onto become the world’s number one live-theatre company. Her latest venture is Trafalgar Entertainment, a premium international live entertainment business focussed on new productions and the distribution of live-streaming innovative content. In 2014, she made history as the first woman to be named EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2007 Rosemary was awarded an OBE for Services to Theatre and in 2018 received a Damehood for Services to Theatre and Philanthropy.
Stephen Farry MP
Alliance MP for North Down
Stephen served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly prior to his election to Parliament in 2019, and was Minister for Employment and Learning in the Northern Ireland Executive. He was appointed an International Peace Scholar by the US Institute of Peace in 2005. Stephen currently sits on the Commons’ Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.
Dr Philippa Whitford MP
SNP MP for Central Ayrshire
Philippa currently undertakes the roles of Shadow SNP Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, and Shadow SNP Spokesperson for Europe. Philippa was a member of the Commons’ Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union and the European Scrutiny Committee.
Paul Girvan MP DUP MP for South Antrim
Paul was elected as the Member of Parliament for South Antrim 2017. As a member of the DUP, he was elected to Newtownabbey Borough Council in 1997, from 2002–04 served as its mayor, and is currently the Chair of the council's Development Committee. Paul sits on the International Trade Committee and is the DUP spokesperson for trade, transport and education.
Sir Simon Hughes
Chancellor of London South Bank University
Simon Hughes was a Liberal Democrat MP for Southwark and Bermondsey from 1983 to 2015. During this time they took the role of Minister for Justice and Civil Liberties, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, and President of the Liberal Democrats. Since leaving the House of Commons in 2015, Simon has worked with the Open University, Talgo, and become Chancellor of London South Bank University. Prior to politics, Simon spent six years as a barrister.
Professor L. Alan Winters
Director, UK Trade Policy Observatory
University of Sussex
Alan began his career as an electrical and lighting engineer. In 2005 he was appointed Global Business Development Director at the WTB Group, following a career growing lighting companies. In 2012, Alan and his wife established Environmental Street Furniture which has now grown to export to 30 countries.
Alan served as a council member of the Northern Ireland Chamber for 4 years, on the Institute of Directors board in Northern Ireland, and Chairman of the Institution of Lighting professionals. He has been on the local policy board of Federation of Small Business for 6 years and was appointed Northern Ireland Chair FSB in 2022.
Dr Geoff Mackey
Fellow of the Institute of Directors, the Royal Society of Chemistry and Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment
Geoff is also a Trustee of Lantra, SCI and the Association for Science Education. He currently advises and consults to a wide range of organizational strategic and tactical groups covering the private, public and third sectors in arenas including sustainability, science, environment and further education. For over 20 years Geoff worked within BASF, the world’s largest chemical company including a decade on the plc board, with roles including communications, EHS, sustainability and corporate affairs.
Layla Moran MP
Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon
Layla is the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and International Development. From 2017-2019, Layla served as a member of the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee. Layla served as the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Education, Science and Young People from 2017 to 2020.
Liz Saville Roberts MP
Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Liz is leader of the Plaid Cymru group of MPs in Westminster and Plaid’s Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Justice, Business and Equality. During her professional career, she specialised in developing ‘Welsh medium’ further education and staff training.
Dr Charles Rose, Chairman of Hainsford Renewable Energy Limited
Charles is a business owner and economist, and has worked in finance and various industries in the UK, Europe, North America, Asia and Africa for many years, principally as a founder and director of start-up and fast-growing companies. These activities have including significant successes in UK based technology development and manufacturing for the criminal justice market, principally the tagging of offenders including service provision in the 1990s, the success of which triggered its adoption throughout the criminal justice system. Subsequently, he was a pioneer in the field of renewable energy and has developed, owned and operated projects in renewable energy across Britain since 1999.
Stephen Kinsella, Specialist Partner, Flint Global.
Stephen practised as an EU competition lawyer, mostly in Brussels, including as Managing Partner of the Brussels office of Herbert Smith and global head of the antitrust practice at Sidley Austin.
He is deputy chair of the anti death penalty organisation Reprieve and founder of the campaigning groups Clean Up The Internet and Law For Change.
Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive of the ISM
Deborah is the Chief Executive of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) and has held the role since 2008. The ISM is the UK’s professional body for musicians and has existed since 1882, supporting over 11,000 members across the UK and Ireland. The ISM has a strong policy and research function and since 2016 it has published many reports on the impact of Brexit on the music sector. The ISM has also made available for free a ground breaking guide to the EU visa and work permit requirements for all those UK creatives seeking to work in the EU. It is widely regarded as one of the best in the sector.
Alan Lowry, Founder and CEO of Environmental Street Furniture and Northern Ireland Policy Chair of Federation of Small Businesses
Alan and his wife Caroline established Environmental Street Furniture in 2012 starting from a zero customer and sales base. ESF is very active in export currently supplying to 30 countries.
Alan served as a council member of NI Chamber for 4 years, on the Institute of Directors board in Northern Ireland, and on the FSB local policy board for the past 6 years, recently being appointed as NI Chair in 2022.
Stephen Gosling, former CEO of Adams Aviation
Stephen is the former CEO of Adams Aviation, Europe’s largest supplier of parts and accessories to light aircraft manufacturers, maintainers and operators. He was part of the team that grew it from £1m turnover to well over £30m, with customers in over 40 countries. Since divesting, his focus has been on constitutional reform. His business experience focuses on logistics and his twin business obsessions are people and process; quality absolutely demands both.
Tamara Cincik
Founder and CEO of Fashion Roundtable
Tamara is a UCL graduate and has 20 years experience working in the fashion industry, as a fashion editor and brand consultant, as well as uniquely working in Parliament. As secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Textiles and Fashion, she is the bridge between fashion and policy. Fashion Roundtable is also the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion.
Mike Cohen, Chief Executive, National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations
Mike is CEO of the trade association representing commercial fishers in England and Wales.
He has enjoyed a varied working life (care worker, school teacher, local government officer, scuba diver, university lecturer) and joined the fishing industry in 2012, when he co-founded and then led one of the largest regional fisheries associations in the UK. He advocates for balanced and sustainable use of the sea: as a key contributor to the UK’s food security; a crucial conduit for trade; and a source of livelihoods in marginalised coastal communities. Mike sits on the Expert Panel to the APPG on Fisheries.
Alyn Smith, SNP MP for Stirling
Alyn Smith has a background in Law and European Law, with a master’s in European Studies from the College of Europe in Warsaw. He subsequently practised commercial law in London and Edinburgh.
Alyn was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 and served until 2019. In 2019, he was elected to represent Stirling in Westminster and is currently the SNP Europe and EU Accession Spokesperson.
Advisers to the Commission
Anatole Kaletsky
Economics Adviser to the UK Trade and Business Commission
Anatole is an economist with an international reputation, and is active in the worlds of both business and non-profit. An award-winning author and former economic journalist for The Times, Financial Times, The Economist, New York Times and Reuters. He is now co-chairman and chief economist of Gavekal Dragonomics, an economic consulting and asset management company.
David Henig
Trade Adviser to the UK Trade and Business Commission
David is the UK Director at the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) and a leading expert and writer on Brexit negotiations and the trade policy issues arising from Brexit. He worked on trade and investment issues for the UK Government for a number of years, including on TTIP throughout the three and a half years of negotiations. After the EU referendum vote he helped establish the new Department for International Trade, engaging in many of the UK’s first working groups with non-EU countries, and setting out options for engagement with the US.