It’s been a few weeks where trade has dominated global headlines.
A time of rational uncertainty… but I think the way the global community has responded and the language used shows how trade is much more than a rational transaction.
Trade is innately human and based on relationships.
The global response to the US tariffs has been understandably emotional. Many countries and leaders are feeling betrayed. The Australian Prime Minister said this is “not the act of a friend”.
Looking at trade through this lens also helps us be mindful of the economic fallacy of rational actors and loading it up with dehumanising economic theory and jargon.
Even at a global scale, trade is about relationships – people and their livelihoods, quality of life, opportunities, and desired futures. And who’s included and gets to participate.
A couple of weeks ago I was lucky to be part of the Export Council of Australia webinar on inclusive trade. A huge thanks to Renata Zanetti (General Manager ECA Edge) for inviting me, bringing this together, and facilitating the session.
Renata and Dianne Tipping (the ECA Chair) shared some insights on the big picture of inclusive trade globally. Jacob Davidson from Figjam & Co, Amanda Essery from Kinside, and I then shared some of our perspectives and experiences.
I briefly talked about three things I find are really important for inclusive trade as a key part of transitioning to more regenerative ways of living and doing business
- The mindset for inclusive trade
- Inclusive & universal design principles
- Design for regeneration
The Mindset for Inclusive Trade
The policy and regulatory environment play a key role – but inclusive trade is more about our mindset, the actions we take, and our networks.
- What do you care about? What’s the world you want to live in look like?
- What do your teams, customers, investors, and regulators care about?
- Do you have a social licence to operate?
- How does the way we do business and trade impact our communities, culture, economy, and living systems?
Every decision we make gets us closer to the world we want to see. Or not.
It’s important to build leadership capability to think in global level ecosystems and communities. Embed it in our strategies, help our people and teams build the mindset and skillset, and build networks and relationships for collaboration.
It can be viewed as a compliance burden but more powerful to frame it as a strategic advantage. Better market access, supply chains, resilience, and innovation.
It’s never been easier to access global markets. Even place-based initiatives can have customers globally.
Trade is more than who we sell to. It includes who we partner with, our supply chains, who benefits, and who has a voice.
- Whose voice is missing from the conversation, and who’s missing from our supply chains or customer bases?
- What barriers exist to engaging with underrepresented groups?
- How might we create trade relationships that generate value beyond profit?
Inclusive & Universal Design Principles
Inclusive design is about creating products, services, and environments that work for as many people as possible, especially people who are often excluded due to factors like ability, age, culture, gender, or socioeconomic background – and the intersectionality of all of these things.
It means co-designing with and including people with lived experience.
Not just included but the very real human need to belong.
Design for Regeneration
Design, innovation, and leading change is all about creating something new. It might be to go after an opportunity… or it might be to respond to a threat. In reality there’s always both.
Designing and building something new is obvious when we’re talking about startups… but we do it all the time in established businesses when we’re changing products, services, and businesses models – and creating new ones.
It’s much easier to design for more regeneration from the beginning than to have to retrofit it later.
I specialise in regenerative leadership, design, and innovation with a focus on purpose and wellbeing.
To do this, I work alongside leaders to navigate complexity to design and build business models, products, and services that customers and teams love, make money, do great things for people and our planet, while increasing wellbeing.
I’m doing some research on how leaders on how people are adapting to meet the rapidly shifting expectations of their teams, customers, investors, and regulators. You can find out more and get involved here. You’ll get a free digital copy of my book Solve Problems That Matter as a thanks for participating.
Team Sport
A final point is that inclusive trade is a team sport. You don’t need to go alone – in fact it’s impossible to. Luckily there are plenty of great communities that will help you on your journey.
- Export Council of Australia
- B Corporations
- Fair Trade
- Social Enterprise Australia with global collaboration
- Catalyst Now
Panel Highlights
Here is a summary of highlights from the panel shared by Renata:
- Inclusive trade can provide economic opportunities
- Intersectionality is powerful – including considering gender from different lenses, there are now award categories that celebrate women in export and first nations businesses trading globally
- The opportunities and challenges to expand recognition of Australian native bushfoods and first nations products are there
- The importance of building, keeping, and strengthening relationships is key – considering not just customers, but also across the supply chain and in different markets
- Get connected – entrepreneurs are open to collaborating with others, while it can feel isolating and solo as a product owner or founder, there are many ways to get involved including through becoming a member of ECA or other networks. “It’s a team sport!”
- Trade is more than who we sell to – it also includes our supply chain, who we partner with, who benefits – and who has a voice
- The benefits of hearing diverse voices – whose voice is missing? Hearing from young people or people with disabilities, women trading globally or as part of research and customer brand development
- Think about inclusion by design at the start – it is much easier to incorporate inclusivity (and sustainability ideas) in the design at the beginning, rather than retrofit later
- Successful businesses can build inclusivity, equity, and sustainability into plans and practices
Thanks again to Renata and the Export Council for including me!
3 April. Event Announcement
Friday, 4 April 2025 @ 11am (AEDT). Online
I’m looking forward to being part of the panel for the Export Council of Australia‘s webinar on inclusive trade tomorrow.
Inclusive trade isn’t just an idea – it’s an approach shaping the future of global business. While there’s increasing trade complexity, there’s also hope and progress.
A huge thanks to Renata Zanetti (General Manager ECA Edge) for inviting me, bringing this together, and facilitating the session.
I can’t wait to learn from Dianne Tipping (Chair of the Export Council of Australia), Amanda Essery (Founder of Kinside), and Jacob Davidson (Head of Strategy at Figjam & Co) – Amanda and Jacob are part of the ECA Advisory Group too. I’m curious where our conversation will go…
Renata and Dianne will share some insights on the big picture of inclusive trade globally, we’ll each share some of our insights and experiences from diverse contexts… we’ll then explore some of our experiences and lessons on inclusion, sustainability, wellbeing, and ethics in business and international trade.
Event Details:
📅 Date: Friday, 4 April 2025
⏰ Time: 11am-12pm (AEDT)
📍 Location: Online
🔗 Places are limited, so be quick!
