LONDON, 19th February, 2021. Mark Abrams, Director at Trade Finance Global (TFG), has confirmed his position on the Strategic Trade Advisory Group (STAG) for the Department of International Trade (DIT) for the new term of 2020-2022.

His new role is Trade Finance Expert, on the panel of 21 members and four experts. The STAG was established in April 2019 to provide a forum for high-level strategic discussions between government, and stakeholders on trade policy matters. The group is chaired by the Minister for International Trade at the Department for International Trade (DIT), with the secretariat function provided by DIT.

Mark Abrams, who manages the Trade & Receivables Finance offering at TFG, commented: “As the UK continues to pursue an independent trade policy, ensuring business continuity and SME access to trade finance remains paramount to boosting international trade and realising its benefits for companies across the UK.”

The membership of the group has been designed to represent the views of business, civil society, consumers, and academia. The STAG has been expanded for 2020 to 2022 to include a greater number of ‘nationwide’ business representatives from across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as a dedicated representative for the Environment and Climate. Members have been selected to provide a breadth of knowledge and experience.

Membership for the period 2020 to 2022 is:

• Minister for International Trade (chair)
• Tony Danker, Confederation of British Industry (business representative organisation)
• Mike Cherry OBE, Federation of Small Businesses (SME)
• Paul Nowak, Trades Union Congress (Trade Unions)
• Nick Coburn CBE, Ulster Carpets (regional/national business)
• Liz Cameron OBE, Scottish Chamber of Commerce (regional/national business)
• Andy Richardson, Volac International (regional/national business)
• Marc Shrimpling, Osborne Clarke LLP (regional/national business)
• Emma Ormond, Primark (regional/national business)
• Matthew Kilcoyne, Adam Smith Institute (think tank)
• Professor Julian Beer, Birmingham City University (academia)
• Sue Davies MBE, Which? (consumer choice)
• Scott Steedman CBE, British Standards Institution (consumer protection and standards)
• Dirk Willem te Velde, Overseas Development Institute (trade for development)
• Nick von Westenholz, National Farmers Union (agriculture)
• Julian David, Tech UK (digital)
• Bina Mehta, KPMG (professional and business services)
• Denise Valin Alvarez, Burberry (fashion and textiles)
• Michael Gidney, Fairtrade Foundation (non-governmental organisation)
• Philip Bouverat, JCB (manufacturing)
• Shaun Spiers, Greener UK (environment and climate)

Experts – in addition to the 21 members, the STAG also consists of 4 experts:

• Adam Marshall, British Chambers of Commerce (market access expert)
• Robert Colvile, Centre for Policy Studies (trade policy expert)
• Mark Littlewood, Institute of Economic Affairs (trade policy expert)
• Mark Abrams, Trade Finance Global (trade finance expert)