North East firms urged to sign up for Chamber Singapore trade mission

The North East Chamber of Commerce is set to lead a Singapore trade mission in November, aimed at helping businesses from the region forge new links in South East Asia. Here, Jen Rycroft, North East Chamber of Commerce executive director - membership and international trade services, tells Bdaily about the significance of the trip, the importance of building on the region’s renowned industrial legacy and the opportunities that abound for businesses to expand into new territory.

The North East Chamber of Commerce is set to embark on a Singapore trade mission in November. Tell us a little about the venture and the opportunities you’re hoping to unlock across the South East Asian island city state.

Taking place from 22 to 28 November (inclusive of travel), the mission is a focused three-day programme delivered in partnership with the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore.

We are taking a select group of North East businesses into the market, giving them access to insight, senior business networks and tailored commercial introductions that would be difficult to secure independently. 

Singapore is an important commercial opportunity in its own right, but it is also one of the leading gateways into South East Asia.

It combines world-class infrastructure and strong legal and regulatory frameworks with a highly connected and international business environment.

For companies with ambitions to grow across Asia, it offers an excellent base from which to explore the wider ASEAN market.

Our aim is not simply to organise a visit.

We want each business to return with a clearer understanding of the opportunity, where its product or service might fit and the partnerships, customers or routes to market that could help it move forward.

Each delegate will receive business-to-business meetings, alongside market briefings, introductions to key agencies, site visits, networking and support before, during and after the mission.

Which sectors are best placed to benefit from the expedition, and what potential does it hold for businesses operating in complementary industries?

The mission is open to businesses from every sector, provided they are export-ready, growth-focused and serious about exploring the market.

We are already seeing that breadth reflected in the businesses signing up, including PD Ports, the North East’s largest port and logistics operator.

There are, however, some particularly strong areas of alignment between Singapore and the North East, including technology and innovation, advanced manufacturing, professional and financial services, sustainability and clean technology, logistics and supply chain, life sciences and other high-growth, service-led industries.

We also see opportunities around ports, maritime, energy transition, decarbonisation, digital trade and industrial innovation.

These are areas in which the North East has genuine capability and where Singapore is investing, innovating and developing international partnerships.

The potential extends well beyond companies that sit neatly within those sectors.

Major projects and growing industries rely on complex ecosystems of suppliers, advisers and specialist services.

An advanced manufacturer may need digital expertise, logistics support, legal advice, finance, training or low-carbon solutions.

That creates openings for businesses across complementary supply chains, including smaller firms whose expertise can solve a very specific problem.

The important question is not simply, ‘What sector are you in?’ but, ‘What value can you bring to the market?’

North East companies carry a global reputation for innovation, expertise and world-class products. What competitive advantages do they bring to the international stage, and how will the trade mission help showcase those strengths to Singaporean businesses and investors?

North East businesses combine deep industrial expertise with an ability to adapt and innovate.

We have longstanding strengths in engineering, manufacturing, energy, chemicals, ports and logistics, alongside growing capabilities in digital technology, life sciences, professional services and clean growth.

Our companies are often highly specialised, practical and very good at turning complex challenges into commercially viable solutions.

They also bring the credibility that comes from operating in demanding global industries, where quality, reliability and technical expertise are essential.

There is already evidence that these strengths resonate in Singapore.

North East exports to the market increased by 110 per cent, or £126.5 million, between 2024 and 2025, with growth led by power-generating equipment and organic chemicals.

That reflects regional strengths in advanced manufacturing, industrial innovation and the energy transition.

The mission will help businesses communicate those capabilities directly to carefully selected potential customers, partners and investors.

Because the programme is limited to between eight and 12 companies, the introductions can be shaped around each delegate’s objectives, rather than following a generic schedule.

For businesses considering international expansion, what does a trade mission offer that virtual meetings and online networking simply cannot replicate – and what role does the North East Chamber of Commerce play in helping businesses turn conversations into contracts?

Virtual engagement is useful, but international business is still built on trust, credibility and relationships.

Being in the market allows a company to understand how business is conducted, experience its pace and culture, ask better questions and build rapport in a way that is much harder through a screen.

The informal conversations around a meeting, site visit, networking event or dinner can be just as valuable as the formal agenda.

A trade mission also creates momentum.

Instead of arranging isolated calls over several months, businesses can undertake a concentrated programme of relevant meetings and quickly test assumptions about demand, positioning and potential partners.

The Chamber’s role is to reduce uncertainty and help businesses use their time effectively.

We support delegates with preparation before departure, work with our partners to arrange relevant introductions and provide daily support in Singapore.

Crucially, our involvement does not end when the flight home lands.

We will help delegates continue the relationships they have begun and identify practical next steps.

Contracts will rarely be signed overnight, but structured preparation and sustained follow-up can turn a promising conversation into a genuine commercial pipeline.

The North East has a proud heritage of exporting engineering, expertise and innovation around the world. How will this mission help today’s businesses extend that legacy and lay foundations to create the next generation of international success stories?

International trade is part of the North East’s identity.

For generations, this region has exported products, ideas and expertise around the world.

Today’s opportunity is to build on that heritage while reflecting the modern North East economy: advanced, innovative, increasingly service-led and focused on clean growth and new technology.

The mission gives ambitious companies a supported route into a market they might otherwise find difficult to access.

Even where an immediate sale does not result, the insight, relationships and confidence gained can shape a company’s international strategy for years to come.

The wider regional impact matters too. 

When more businesses export, build global partnerships and attract investment, the benefits flow through supply chains and support growth, jobs, innovation and confidence at home.

We want to help create businesses that can become the region’s next international success stories and, in turn, encourage others to look beyond familiar markets.

How does the expedition fit into the North East Chamber of Commerce’s wider international trade strategy and long-term ambitions for the region?

The Chamber has supported, connected and represented businesses for more than 200 years.

We are proudly rooted in the North East but, through the wider British Chambers network and more than 70 overseas Chambers, we are connected to markets around the world.

This mission brings those two strengths together.

It builds on our Trade Ready support, which helps businesses navigate export documentation, customs procedures, market insight, training and the practical realities of international trade.

The Singapore programme provides a structured journey from initial interest and market preparation through to tailored meeting planning, in-market activity and post-mission follow-up.

Our long-term ambition is to build a stronger international trade pathway for North East businesses.

We want more companies of every size to see international growth as achievable, understand where the right opportunities lie and have access to the expertise and relationships needed to pursue them confidently.

This is, therefore, about more than one mission.

It is about positioning the North East as an outward-looking, ambitious and internationally connected region with the capability to compete on the global stage.

• The deadline to sign up to the Singapore trade mission is September 25, 2026. For the latest programme dates and registration information, email Jen Rycroft, North East Chamber of Commerce executive director – membership and international trade services, at jennifer.rycroft@necc.co.uk
• This article will also appear in Bdaily's sister print publication N magazine, which you can read by clicking on the tab at the top of this webpage.

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