Ministerial Trade Board minutes: February 2026

Attendees and apologies

Chair

• Richard Lochhead, MSP, Minister for Business and Employment

 Trade Board members

• Michelle Ferguson, CBI Scotland
• Sandy Begbie, Scottish Financial Enterprise
• Charandeep Singh, Scottish Chambers of Commerce
• Marc Strathie, IoD
• Ian Walker, Prosper

Scottish Development International

• David McPhee, Director of Global Trade

Scottish Government

• Colin Robertson, Head of Trade Support
• Chris Johnston, Policy Adviser
• Andrew Walker, Statistician
• Joe Perman, Economic Adviser
• Gillian Brown, Strategic Relationships Manager

Items and actions

Welcome and introductions

The Minister opened the meeting, gave a short overview of the agenda and introduced officials for the presentations. 

Overview of Scotland’s export performance

Officials presented on Scotland’s long-term export performance and the challenges and opportunities Scotland’s exporters face. The presentations noted:

• since 2018, the real-terms decline of Scotland’s international exports has been primarily driven by manufacturing sectors, with service sectors showing a real-terms increase 
• indicative comparisons show a similar trajectory for the UK and Scotland’s international exports, however recent goods-only data shows greater improvement for Scotland’s goods in current prices
• that while challenges persist – increased protectionism, global economic uncertainty, EU withdrawal etc – Scotland continues to benefit from strong export growth opportunities, driven by new trade deals such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the forthcoming UK‑India agreement
• in addition, world‑leading Scottish innovation in areas such as energy transition, space, biotech, fintech and other critical technologies; and expanding access to high‑growth markets including the UAE and Saudi Arabia – now A Trading Nation priority markets – further enhance prospects, particularly for food and drink and energy transition sectors

Open discussion

Members highlighted growing concerns about regulatory divergence between Scotland, the rest of the UK and the EU, with potential impacts on supply chains and ease of trade, while noting that businesses still view the EU as a priority market despite interest in emerging regions such as India and the Gulf. 

Rising logistics costs, complex geopolitical conditions and increased administrative burdens – sometimes greater for nearby European markets than for more distant ones – continue to challenge exporters, particularly SMEs, prompting calls for greater use of AI‑driven support. 

Participants emphasised the need for a more targeted export strategy over the next five years, balancing the importance of large markets like the EU and US with opportunities in newer markets, and better integrating trade, inward investment and innovation. There was strong support for further work on regulatory issues, more effective use of the GlobalScots network, and readiness for potential changes following upcoming elections.

Conclusions and next steps

The Minister thanked everyone for their contributions, noting that his upcoming bilateral with Chris Bryant MP, Minister of State for Trade, will provide an opportunity to raise some of these issues with the UK Government. Attendees thanked the Minister for his support, which has been highly valued by the Scottish business community.

Actions

• officials to explore how AI can assist SMEs to navigate the complex export landscape
• officials to follow up with CBI regarding regulatory concerns
• further to point two, officials to review the regulatory landscape and prepare a paper for the next government to take forward
• officials to discuss export data with SFE
• officials to provide attendees with the presentation slide pack