Women in Export - Closing the Gap: Unlocking Growth

Marie Hall

Regional Head for the Midlands, Wales & South West Region, UK Export Finance

Marie Hall is the Regional Head for the Midlands, Wales & South West region, for UK Export Finance, the UK’s Export Credit Agency. UKEF’s mission is to advance prosperity by ensuring no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance, doing that sustainably and at no net cost to the taxpayer’. Before joining UKEF in January 2022, Marie spent 20 years with Barclays in various roles including Area Manager for Business Bank and 5 years with Handelsbanken as a Corporate Manager. With her wealth of experience, Marie started at UKEF as the Export Finance Manager for South Yorkshire, before moving into her current role as Regional Head helping businesses to export, trade safely, and get paid.

Professor Deb Leary OBE D.Uni, FRSA

Honorary Consul for Mexico, CEO & Founder, Forensic Pathways

Deborah is the CEO of Forensic Pathways (FP), an international threat intelligence and cyber risk consultancy and technology company. Under her leadership, FP has become a leading provider of innovative technology and services to monitor and manage cyber threats. The company's offerings include:

• Clarifyi Platform, which monitors the dark web marketplaces an forums and tracks ransomware groups and alerting clients to potential data leaks.
• Social media monitoring and Open-Source Intelligence/consultancy to review and monitor emerging threats.
• Due diligence and background investigations to ensure businesses are secure.
• Simulated phishing campaigns and cyber awareness training to improve clients’ cybersecurity preparedness.
• Cyber strategy consultancy providing support at board level to ensure appropriate company cyber strategy is in place.

FP has for the past 24 years also been at the forefront of forensic investigation technology, offering unique solutions such as the Forensic Image Analyser for image identification, ballistics analysis / toolmark technology for correlating bullets and cartridges, and Anti-Contamination Stepping Plates for use at crime scenes. Additionally, FP is the official UK distributor for MMC Drug Testing Kits.

As CEO Deborah has driven the Company’s international strategy, with the Company trading in regions such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, USA, Latin America as examples.

The company has garnered a range of accolades for its innovation, including the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Innovation Award 2024, Innovationfifty 20217 and 2019 as well as a Department of Business and Trade Award 2018 . Both FP and Deborah are recognise as Export Champions by the UK Department for International Trade and support the Department in encouraging businesses an supporting businesses on their international journey.

Deborah is a global speaker and mentor on topics such as business growth, start-ups, entrepreneurship global trade, innovation, CSR, and R&D. She holds several prestigious roles, including:

• Past President of the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Board Member of the Greater Birmingham Global Chamber of Commerce
• Board Member of the West Midlands Innovation Board.
• Export Champion for the Department for International Trade.
• Member of the Advisory Board at the Aston University Institute for Forensic Linguistics, Aston University and the Business Board at Birmingham City University.
• Visiting Professor of Aston University

Throughout her career, Deborah has received numerous awards for her leadership and contributions to business and innovation, including:

• Export Champion on behalf of the UK Government Department for International Trade.
• International Businesswoman of the Year 2017 (Phoenix Newspaper).
• Inspiring Leader of the Year 2015 (sponsored by HSBC & Microsoft).
• Women in STEM – Business of the Year 2015.
• Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University.
• OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's Honours List 2008.
• Real Business Magazine -recognised as one of the UK's Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs by Real Business Magazine. 
• Joyce Award for Services to the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs. 
• FCEM International Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2007/8
• European Woman of Achievement 2007
• British Female Inventor of the Year 2005

In 2024, Deborah was appointed as a National Scale-Up Director for Innovate UK Business Growth, a key role within the UK innovation agency aimed at supporting businesses driving economic growth through innovation.

Additionally, she was appointed as Honorary Consul to Mexico in 2024, where she is responsible for fostering and building trade links between Mexico, The Midlands, and the UK.

Elisabeth Lewis-Jones

CEO, Liquid

Lis founded Liquid in 2004 in a room above her mother’s garage with a phone, a laptop, a toddler, a 5-month-old baby and no clients. Today the company is 21 years old and works across 26 jurisdictions and 20 time zones. With its HQ in Birmingham, UK and offices in Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia, Liquid is an integrated communications agency working across marketing, PR, social, digital, performance marketing, design and content creation.

Liquid was named the ‘Best Agency outside of London’ by PR Week in 2021, won the ‘Best global consultancy of the year’ in the PRCA Platinum Awards in 2022 and was named ‘Midlands Marketing Agency’ of the year in 2023. In 2024 it won PRCA APAC Gold Country Award for its work in Australia.

Lis has played a significant part in shaping the communications landscape in the UK through her involvement in the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) of which she was national president in 2008, chairman of the PRCA Council in 2011/12 and from 2013 was a member of the PRCA Board of Management for 10 years.

She hosted the 5th Global Alliance World Public Relations Conference and Festival in London and has spoken at PR conferences in Argentina, Bahrain, Nigeria and South Africa.

Lis was Chair of Governors of Bloxham School in Oxfordshire for 5 years and a Governor for 15 years, a member of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Transatlantic Committee and for 2024/5 a Midlands Export Champion for the UK Department of Business & Trade.

Lis has been a mentor to the Government Communications Service and has undertaken two capability reviews for the Cabinet Office. In October 2023 she received Freedom of the City of London and in July 2024, she received Fellowship of the PRCA for her contribution to the global PR industry.

In February 2025 she was named Business Woman of the Year at the Signature Awards and in June 2025 was named in the 40 over 40 Women in PR Power List.