Kestrel
Awarded The 1st King’s Awards for Enterprise: International Trade 2024
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Andy A Thorne Attends Inaugural CommonwealthFirst Export Day

Andy A Thorne Attends Inaugural CommonwealthFirst Export Day

7 years ago

Andy Thorne is one of the SME Export Champions for the CommonwealthFirst. Read all about this exciting programme below.

CommonwealthFirst is an initiative which supports small to medium enterprises. They held their first Export Day this Monday, and it was a great success!

The event was opened by Lord Marland, Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council. Addressing the challenges of the trading environment, Lord Marland said, “The CommonwealthFirst programme provides a wonderful platform combining support and mentoring with high profiled trade missions.".

Queen's Award recipient Andy Thorne, a business mentor for the organisation, was one of eighty Champions attending. He and the Kestrel team have turned our shipping agency into a global success story. Having started with one shipping line, we now serve countless global destinations. Andy’s entrepreneurial experience allows him to offer advice to businesses looking to expand.

Joining Andy were a host of new SME Export Champions. Businesses delivering exciting and interesting products bolstered the ranks. Innovative antimicrobial technologies and even digital knitting machines were a few to mention!

Applications to become an Export Champion for CommonwealthFirst are ongoing.