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Kirsty Whitford

Supporting UK technology companies with their expansion to the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Kirsty Whitford is a Senior Trade Development Manager specializing in Technology at the Department for Business and Trade (formerly known as the Department for International Trade) in the United Kingdom.3 Her role focuses on supporting UK technology companies in their expansion efforts to the Australian and New Zealand markets.2

Professional Background

Kirsty has a diverse background in marketing and trade development. She is passionate about connecting businesses and building international opportunities.1 Her expertise lies in:

  • Supporting UK tech companies with market expansion
  • Facilitating business connections between the UK and Australia/New Zealand
  • Promoting UK innovation in international markets

Current Role and Responsibilities

As a Senior Trade Development Manager, Kirsty's primary responsibilities include:

  • Assisting UK technology firms in accessing Australian and New Zealand markets
  • Creating business opportunities for UK companies in the Asia-Pacific region
  • Representing the UK's technology sector at international events

One notable example of her work is her involvement in promoting UK innovation at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix, where she represented the UK Innovation Station.3

Contact Information

For those interested in connecting with Kirsty professionally, her contact details are:

Kirsty's role exemplifies the UK government's efforts to boost international trade and support British businesses in expanding their global reach, particularly in the technology sector.

Highlights

Nov 23 · linkedin

That's a wrap on the 2023 Technology Innovation Mission! Over a whirlwind week, we took 11 leading UK tech companies to Melbourne and Sydney, giving them the insights, tools & starting networks to continue their internationalisation journey into Australia.

If you'll excuse the length of this post - here's a taster of their whistlestop tour. In Melbourne we; 🗨 Heard from Invest Victoria's Craig Harrison & Brad Gofman on the Victorian tech ecosystem 🗨Got insights from NAB's Brody Viney on the Australian economy & what it can mean for incoming businesses 🗨Learnt the how to's of setting up & growing a business in Australia with Acclime's Blair Lucas & Think & Grow's Jonathan Jeffries (JJ) 🗨Explored the digital transformation across key industries with Brendan Cooling, Jithma Beneragama, Dallas Reilly PSM and JJ 🗨Got the do's and don'ts of the Australian legal system & the FTA with Law Squared 🗨Took a tour of the Melbourne Connect innovation precinct with Caitlin Gheller and Shane Ridley to understand how to engage with the University & its researchers and industry partners 🗨 Wrapped up Melbourne with networking sessions with some of the best of Victorian business with Think & Grow and BlueRock, & hosted a panel discussion on best practices of market expansion to Aus/UK with Global Victoria, Prashant Haldankar, Damian Coyne, Dunstan Power, JJ & the UK Government's Elizabeth Varley

Not to be outdone, in Sydney we: 🗨Joined EY and the Business Council of Australia for a discussion on trade digitalisation 🗨 Learnt more about the NSW tech ecosystem with Investment NSW's Scott Richardson and the New Zealand ecosystem with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's Andrew McCowan 🗨 Explored Australia's investment landscape with Tribe Global Ventures's Aaron Birkby 🗨 Took a tour of Tech Central's Scale Up Hub with Stone & Chalk's Linh Le and met some of its innovative residents 🗨 Heard from Lord Malcolm Offord, UK Minister for Exports and NSW Minister the Hon. Anoulack Chanthivong MP on the Aus-UK FTA 🗨 Discussed the fundamentals and importance of online safety with the eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman - Grant 🗨 Wrapped up the program with a discussion with Best Case Scenario | Event & Marketing Company's Mark Hollands and Think & Grow's Anthony Sochan on those important next steps

With huge thanks to our partners in market - the speakers and companies mentioned above for their time and expertise throughout the week, to the Think & Grow team for their hard work providing business connections to the cohort across Melbourne and Sydney, to Invest/Global Victoria and Investment NSW (Brad Gofman, Stuart Bland, Nicoline van Cann, Tom Ward) for their ongoing support showcasing what VIC and NSW has to offer, and to Melbourne Connect and Law Squared for their ongoing partnership.

Finally, to the cohort! Thank you for your unwavering enthusiasm and dedication to the mission. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with you as you grow into ANZ.

Nov 12 · linkedin

Today marks the start of the Department for Business and Trade’s Technology Innovation Mission to Australia.

Over the next week, 11 leading UK companies from the fields of #AI, #Data and #onlinesafety will be exploring the Australian technology sector with workshops, precinct visits, discussion sessions, and targeted business networking and matching across Melbourne and Sydney.

The mission will be DBT's first Technology Mission since the entry into force of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement, with chapters which will provide direct benefits to the 🇬🇧 🇦🇺 #tech sectors.

Get to know the cohort below ⬇️

🇬🇧 Age Verification Providers Association 🇬🇧 Cyacomb 🇬🇧 Exscientia 🇬🇧 Futr AI 🇬🇧 Informed Solutions 🇬🇧 iProov 🇬🇧 Logically 🇬🇧 MY Compliance Management Limited
🇬🇧 PURVIEW 🇬🇧 Quantexa 🇬🇧 trueology

UK in Australia Georgia Prassopoulos Hazel Gidley William McCahey Jonathan Jeffries (JJ) Aisling Curley Tanya Williams Steph Lysaght Louise Cantillon Joshua Markert Rollo Hope Tom Ward Nicoline van Cann Brad Gofman Antoine Chery Cindy Callander Julianne D. Richard Cowin Richard Lewis Natalie Di Donato Demetrio Zema

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Kirsty Whitford
Kirsty Whitford, photo 1
Kirsty Whitford, photo 2
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Location

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia