Exploring export markets: Insights from Amazon, Orbex and Boden

Event information

ICAEW is delighted to support The Department of Business and Trade’s International Trade Week International Trade Week 2024 (great.gov.uk) through content and events including this webinar. Join us as we explore different routes to overseas markets, discussing the pros and cons of selling directly to customers or via online marketplaces. Our panel, Emma Dracup from Amazon, Charles Platts, CFO at space company Orbex and Paul O’Leary, NED at Boden will share their own experiences, the successes, and the pitfalls along the way.

Expect to hear how selling via a marketplace such as Amazon can turbo-charge selling internationally to both consumer and businesses. The options of direct sales or fulfilment centres and some of the complexities to consider in markets such as the USA.

Chair of ICAEW’s Global Trade Advisory Group, Charles Platts, will share his own experience of working in the high-tech space with products that need to be actively sold through a salesforce, international roadshows, trade fairs, education and demonstrations.

Paul O’Leary will talk about direct to customer routes, and how Boden have grown their overseas business, establishing the brand and a large loyal international following in key markets such as USA and Germany as well as across the globe and all the complications that ensue.

Our speakers will share their practical insights on:

• Identifying markets
• Market research
• Fulfilment
• Returns
• Where to go to for advice
• And much more

We welcome questions from the audience in advance or on the day.

Key benefits

• Hear about different routes to market.
• Learn more about the pro and cons.
• Gain access to speakers and pose your own questions.

About the speakers

	Emma Dracup, Head of Strategic Account Services (UK2US), Amazon Emma is the UK Head of US Strategic Account Services at Amazon. She has expertise in growing export sales via the Amazon Marketplace, specifically to Amazon USA. Following roles working directly with UK and European Amazon Sellers in the US, Emma now leads of team of Marketplace Consultants who offer strategic guidance across selection, advertising, promotion, fulfilment, and global supply chain. Emma is a passionate supporter businesses leveraging e-commerce tools to grow their business, having seen successful businesses grow via this channel.
	Charles Platts, CFO, Orbex Charles has a wealth of experience in CFO and senior finance roles in high tech and manufacturing businesses.  Most recently, prior to Orbex, Charles was CFO at Paragraf, the first company in the world to mass produce graphene-based microchips, and here he worked successfully on late-stage deep-tech fundraising and business scaling. Prior to this Charles held Senior Finance leadership roles at Fujifilm and Johnson Matthey. At Orbex, as well as being responsible for all financial aspects, Charles leads Orbex’s business services teams, ensuring the smooth running of Orbex’s business and project activities.
	Paul O’Leary, NED, Boden Paul recently stepped down from the executive team at Boden, and is now a NED and consultant to the business bringing a long track record within the clothing industry. His extensive Board experience having been a part of the executive team for 24 years, transforming Boden from a small UK catalogue business into a substantial global direct business. Through establishment of risk limiting testing protocols, the business was able to develop the optimal growth strategy (balancing profits & growth) and set up operational structures to suit the conditions and business. As COO, Paul successfully steered the business through various trading challenges, each time restoring the business to stable profitable trading.

CPD hours

ICAEW's revised Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Regulations bring in new CPD requirements. This includes a minimum number of hours and an ethics requirement. Attending this webinar could contribute up to 1 hour of verifiable CPD, providing you can demonstrate that the content is relevant to your role.

A copy of the webinar booking confirmation email is accepted as evidence of verifiable CPD. You will need to save the email as a JPEG or PDF before uploading it to your record. Click here to use ICAEW’s self-assessment tool to help you work out how much CPD you will need to fulfil each year.

Costs

This event is free of charge.

ICAEW members and non-members are welcome to join. This event is organised by the Global Trade Community. Please click here to join online.