A trade adviser who was born and raised in Suffolk is returning to the county to offer advice to local firms keen on doing business in Singapore.

Judi Leon, who comes originally from Stowmarket and is currently based at the British High Commission in Singapore, is visiting the East of England to offer advice as part of a UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) “ExploreExport” roadshow.

She is among 60 experts visiting the region from across the world to share her expertise in one-to-one meetings with local businesses as part of Export Week, which runs from November 10 to 14.

Export Week aims to encourage companies to take up the export challenge and highlight the wealth of support available to help them grow. The ExploreExport roadshow is taking place on Tuesday, November 11 at Newmarket Racecourse, where a similar event was held a year ago.

Judi Leon said: “I’m really pleased to be back in Newmarket as I had some very positive meetings with companies from this region when I took part in ExploreExport in November 2013. Since then my UKTI team has helped some of these companies export to Singapore and is continuing to advise others on the opportunities for them there.

“Singapore is a straightforward place to do business, helped by its size (it is half the size of west Suffolk), great infrastructure and the fact that English is widely spoken.

“Many British companies also use Singapore as a base from which to access the 600million consumers in South East Asia. It’s therefore an excellent place for companies to consider when looking to grow their exports of both goods and services.”

And she added: “I’m also looking forward to catching up with family and friends during my visit, as well as to enjoying the ambience of a Suffolk village pub!“

Thinley Topden, interim regional director for UKTI in the East of England, said: “There is huge appetite for British products and services overseas and there has never been a more opportune time to take advantage of these prospects. Markets like Singapore demonstrate this with a 5.8 per cent increase in trade in the last 12 month to just under £220million.

“However, the overall value of regional exports has experienced a dip in the last quarter compared to the record highs of 2013, so it is vital that we encourage more businesses to take up the international trade challenge and benefit from the support available to do so.

“This Export Week there will be experts from more than 60 countries in The East of England to help companies explore the possibilities of exporting to their countries. We are bringing the world to the region and we hope that the expertise and advice available, both at ExploreExport and at our other events during the week, will help businesses on the fast track to exporting success.”

To find out more about Export Week, visit www.exportweek.ukti.gov.uk and click on the East of England programme.