Lesley Batchelor OBE – Director General of the Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE) 

“Professionalism in International Trade” (Saturday, 9.30)

 Lesley Batchelor is a champion of UK exporters, with a powerful track record in enhancing the performance of hundreds of businesses.

Appointed director general of the Institute of Export (IOE), an education foundation providing qualifications and support for business, in 2010 after a three-year elected tenure as chairman and CEO, Lesley is active on the APPG Advisory Panel on Trade & Investment, the APP Manufacturing Group and has given evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Government support for SMEs.

Lesley has forged influential partnerships with international associations. She brought together 20 organisations to create GURU online, an international award-winning business resource available to all exporters.

Lesley is a graduate of the Institute of Export qualifications and the Chartered Institute of Marketing.  She has invaluable expertise in intellectual property, global licensing and marketing.

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.