Over my career I’ve acted as an ambassador for the world of international trade working on judging panels, most importantly, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade Awards for 13 years. I’ve attended functions from Lancaster House and the Foreign Office to WTO and WCO. Running award ceremonies, honorary dinners, and trade summits around the UK and globally. I love to manage events as a Master of Ceremony, ensuring that everything runs to time, and that audience engages from start to the finish of the event.
Indeed, Cheryl Hughes – Co-Founder of UKGoingGreen.com wrote this after our launch last week…
‘Lesley is an absolute tour de force. As a public speaker, Lesley is charismatic, witty, and magnetic, and as a female figure in business she is inspiring and unrivalled: All women need a woman like Lesley in their lives.’
PS Humbled, but it’s so lovely to be valued.
Over the last 6 months I have been mostly…..
Since January 2022, I have been lucky enough to be asked to …
• speak on BBC News Channel TV once talking about a possible trade deal with India;
• BBC Radio Adrian Childs Show, and
• BBC Scotland twice about the impact of the Shanghai port lockdown, and the Indian Trade deal respectively;
• run a hugely successful International Women’s Day event as a collaboration with the Worshipful Company of World Traders and the Goodenough College where ITC Secretary General, Pamela Coke-Hamilton spoke and a wide range of brilliant women from around the world came together to discuss what’s next on the levelling up agenda;
• I was invited to speak at an international compliance conference in Austria EFA, about the Trade & Cooperation Agreement impact and ESG.
• acted as MC Inaugural Summit of Society of Independent International Trade and Customs Experts SIITACE in Birmingham and spoke of WTO and the forthcoming MC12 ministerial conference.
• acted as MC for the launch of a new platform UKGoingGreen.com hosted at the House of Commons and, best of all, worked on a pilot TV show that will promote African fashion designers for Smart&Savvy Women Ltd.
Quirky?
I realise that my unusual, and sometimes quirky, style of making people laugh relaxes an audience quickly. It is also useful in getting some very serious messages across to audiences who do not always have the full context. Most importantly, it is useful when managing an event or if I’m talking about some challenging issues. Working to a timed agenda is a skill that seems effortless but is actually quite hard to do.
Just ask me..
Do ask me if you’d like me to talk or help manage your event, I love working with people and I have a lot of great anecdotes, views, and stories to share.