Ben Aldred
Verified Rep
My name is Ben Aldred, and I am the UK’s Deputy Trade Commissioner for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. I work from the UK’s Consulate General in Istanbul, but I am responsible for the UK’s exports for a massive region, that includes Turkey, Central Asia, the Caucuses and Mongolia. For those of you that use Linkedin, my page is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-aldred-5a239ab2
One of the areas of great interest to us is the demand for development of the rail network in the region. In Turkey, where I am based, there are ambitious projects for both long distance and metro railway systems. The UK has picked up significant contracts for this – especially at the more specialist end of the railway supply chain. Further afield, there is great demand to improve and expand rail networks. Once the war in Ukraine is over, we expect significant opportunities to get involved in the improvement of the network, including improving links towards the rest of Europe.
My team has great relations with a number of UK railway companies, and is frequently running events to link up UK suppliers to customers in the region. We want to make sure that every UK company that is in a position to make exports is on our list so we can make you aware of opportunities. This could be for rolling stock and its supply chains, infrastructure and its supply chains, operations, or planning services. Anything, in fact, that is needed to run a railway in the modern age.
I know that as well as enthusiasts (of which I am proudly one), this forum is looked at by many professionals. So I am writing this post to try to reach people we haven’t reached before. If you would like more information, or to be put on our contact lists, please Private Message me, and I’ll put you in touch with the right person in my team. When you do, please let us know the business you work for, what goods or services you provide, and what experience you have of exporting. New exporters are very welcome – and we’re keen to help.
While I’m happy to engage in replies to this message, please remember that I’m a Civil Servant and a Diplomat, and so won’t get involved in any discussion that’s political in nature (either in the comments section, or in response to Private Messages).
One of the areas of great interest to us is the demand for development of the rail network in the region. In Turkey, where I am based, there are ambitious projects for both long distance and metro railway systems. The UK has picked up significant contracts for this – especially at the more specialist end of the railway supply chain. Further afield, there is great demand to improve and expand rail networks. Once the war in Ukraine is over, we expect significant opportunities to get involved in the improvement of the network, including improving links towards the rest of Europe.
My team has great relations with a number of UK railway companies, and is frequently running events to link up UK suppliers to customers in the region. We want to make sure that every UK company that is in a position to make exports is on our list so we can make you aware of opportunities. This could be for rolling stock and its supply chains, infrastructure and its supply chains, operations, or planning services. Anything, in fact, that is needed to run a railway in the modern age.
I know that as well as enthusiasts (of which I am proudly one), this forum is looked at by many professionals. So I am writing this post to try to reach people we haven’t reached before. If you would like more information, or to be put on our contact lists, please Private Message me, and I’ll put you in touch with the right person in my team. When you do, please let us know the business you work for, what goods or services you provide, and what experience you have of exporting. New exporters are very welcome – and we’re keen to help.
While I’m happy to engage in replies to this message, please remember that I’m a Civil Servant and a Diplomat, and so won’t get involved in any discussion that’s political in nature (either in the comments section, or in response to Private Messages).