CommonwealthFirst has selected 26 new British small and medium-sized businesses to participate in its prestigious Commonwealth Export Champions programme. The second cohort was chosen to represent various UK regions and business sectors, with products and services ranging from aircraft protection covers and energy-capturing turbines to online mental health services and hydroponic crop production. Along with networking opportunities and tailored trade missions, the companies will receive training, mentoring and introductions to help them export to Commonwealth markets like Malaysia and Nigeria.

1. CommonwealthFirst
Second Cohort Press Release
Embargo: not for publication before 9am on Wednesday 19th January
Second Cohort of UK SMEs chosen to become Commonwealth
Export Champions
26 exciting new British businesses selected for prestigious programme
CommonwealthFirst is delighted to announce that the second cohort of Commonwealth
Export Champions has now been selected. Representing various regions of the UK and
business sectors our new Export Champions underline the depth of innovation and quality
that the UK SME sector has to offer the world. Cohort products and services include; aircraft
protection covers, turbines that capture air movement into automotive energy, online services
for mental health, automated drone servicing platforms, as well as hydroponics and three
dimensional crop production.
Along with our first cohort new Export Champions will benefit from access to high-level
networking and introductions, training, mentoring and tailored trade missions – with Malaysia
and Nigeria in the pipeline to be confirmed later this year.
Lord Marland, Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, said ‘This
programme is a wonderful way of demonstrating both the ingenuity of British businesses and
the huge opportunities in Commonwealth markets. We hope these companies will serve as
ambassadors for other UK businesses looking to trade internationally.”
The second cohort selected is:
ADC Limited
Air Covers Ltd
Aniboxx
Barrnon Ltd
Birmingham Airport
BOXAAR Ltd
Brainstars
Brandon Medical Co Ltd
Breaking Free Online Limited
Capture Mobility
Cognitiv+ Ltd
Crop Intellect Ltd
Dawson Shanahan
Den
Gaist Solutions Limited
Hao2.eu 3Dnovations
HEROTECH8

2. Hopkins Catering Equipment Ltd
James White Drinks Ltd
Phoenix Dynamics Ltd
Playdale Playgrounds Ltd
Proversity
Rakusen’s Ltd
Saturn Bioponics
StadiaArena Ltd
Teletraffic
The businesses are selected based on their ambition, their innovation and the impact that
they will have across Commonwealth markets.
Applications for the third cohort of UK SMEs will open in spring, however, we are accepting
on-going applications: www.commonwealthfirst.org
Notes to Editor
CommonwealthFirst is an initiative by the Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council,
the business arm of the Commonwealth, to encourage SMEs to trade and investment in three
markets. The three-year programme 2016-18 was announced at the Commonwealth
Business Forum, Malta 2015 and will see 100 outstanding UK SMEs selected to become
Commonwealth Export Champions. Royal Mail is the lead sponsor and i-genius the
implementation partner.
CWEIC
The Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council facilitates trade and investment
throughout the 53 states of the Commonwealth and supports private sector companies and
governments to promote economic activity. We work with member companies to expand their
businesses and to help with new investments in any Commonwealth country.
For more information please contact:
Barry Crisp
Director, Media and Communications
i-genius
barry@i-genius.org | info@commonwealthfirst.org
John Pemberton-Pigott
Director of Programmes
Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council
john@cweic.org
+44 (0) 207 104 6336