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Lewis McVeigh of Counterline Ltd and Callum Rowe of MBDA have been named BExA-GTR Young Exporter and Young Export Financier of the Year, respectively. 

Now in its 18th year, the British Exporters Association (BExA)-GTR award is open to individuals under 35 years old who work in the export or export finance department of a UK-registered trading or manufacturing company, as an “export enabler” in a financial institution, or in a role supporting UK export activities.  

The winner is chosen based on their contribution to securing significant orders or enhancing export competitiveness through innovative business processes. 

Mohammed Majeed Ullah, of UK Export Finance (UKEF), was awarded highly commended in the Young Export Financier of the Year category.  

The awards were presented at the BExA annual spring reception, held at the House of Commons on June 5. 

McVeigh was recognised by the judging panel as a highly knowledgeable subject matter expert, with hands-on experience overseeing the export finance, compliance and regulatory matters of the Liverpool-headquartered exporter of food service counters, alongside his primary commercial duties.  

Small exporters face an increasingly complicated landscape of trade regulation, export controls, sanctions, free trade deals and accessing finance amid a fiercely competitive environment. The judges felt McVeigh was able to field complex day-to-day tasks while still being able to see the larger export picture.  

McVeigh says winning the award was a “proud and humbling moment”.  

“I’ve spent the last nine years building our export efforts from the ground up at Counterline, and to now see our work acknowledged at a national level and in the House of Commons, no less, is something I’ll always remember.” 

“More than anything, this award is a tribute to our amazing team and the spirit of British manufacturing. I hope this recognition helps highlight just how much potential there is for other SMEs to take that leap into international markets and that exporting doesn’t have to be daunting.” 

The Young Export Financier Award winner is typically drawn from a financial institution, but Rowe, of the pan-European defence company MBDA, impressed the judges for his central role in coordinating one of the largest recent export finance transactions – a multi-billion-pound government-backed deal supporting a major defence export. 

Rowe demonstrated a dynamism and persistence that the judges deemed noteworthy for someone at an early stage of their career and who had only relatively recently moved into export finance.  

Rowe says: “It is a genuine pleasure to have been awarded the Young Export Financier of the Year award. I would like to extend this recognition to the efforts of our wider team and fantastic partners including UKEF – the collective dedication, team spirit and creative thinking shown has allowed us to ensure that the UK is acknowledged as a key partner in our field, providing world-leading capability and unprecedented sovereignty to our allies at a time of heightened geo-political uncertainty.” 

The judges were also keen to recognise Ullah of UKEF with a highly commended award for his contribution. 

Ullah won an internal ideas competition at UKEF with a proposal to improve the export credit agency’s Islamic financing offering, which his nominator described as “an idea that has since shaped strategic thinking and opened new global markets for UK exporters”. 

Ullah also carries out research on trade and export finance at the University of Greenwich, introducing students to trade finance careers, as well as chairing UKEF’s social mobility network.  

“I feel privileged to be part of a UKEF team that is forward-thinking, collaborative and genuinely committed to making a difference – not only for exporters, but for the communities and economies we connect through trade and finance,” he says. 

“On a personal level, I am humbled to be recognised among such inspiring peers. This award motivates me to continue growing and contributing to the future of export finance.” 

Image: BExA vice president Geoffrey de Mowbray with award winners Callum Rowe (left) and Lewis McVeigh (right).