OWIT UK

What OWIT UK does

OWIT UK (The Organisation of Women in International Trade in the UK) is a not-for-profit membership organisation and the UK chapter of OWIT International, founded on 23 June 2021 and headquartered in Westminster, London. The organisation exists to promote women in international trade across three pillars — trade digitalisation, finance, and trade facilitation — by connecting members to trade leaders, policy forums (WTO, OECD, ICC), and cross-border partnership opportunities. It serves a horizontal persona base that includes individual professionals in customs, logistics, translation, trade finance, consulting, and healthcare trade, plus women-owned MSMEs seeking to scale internationally, UK corporates interested in inclusive supply chains, and college/university students building early careers in trade.

OWIT UK generates revenue exclusively through membership subscriptions: £120/year for full membership and £40/year for verified students, with joining automatically conferring OWIT International membership. Distribution is community-led: website-based self-serve registration is supplemented by in-person recruitment at trade socials, AGMs, and partner events (GTR UK, NatWest Going Global, WTO Public Forum), and by referrals from strategic partners including Savvitas, ICC UK, the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT), UK Export Academy, WeConnect International, TIAW, and the Global Summit of Women/BPW International. Member benefits include preferential event rates, free and discounted webinars, practical training, networking, and access to a global marketplace.

Operationally, OWIT UK is run by a 9-employee team under a volunteer Executive Committee led by President Noreen Burroughes Cesareo MBE and Co-President Véronique Rapetti, supported by Vice Presidents across Marketing, Membership, Partnerships, Events, International Development, and Secretariat. The organisation has no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no disclosed institutional funding; its core assets are its brand, its partnership network, and its position within the global OWIT International umbrella.

Name

OWIT UK

Legal name

The Organisation of Women in International Trade in the UK (OWIT UK)

Website

https://owituk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OWIT UK is a UK not-for-profit membership organisation, founded in 2021 and based in Westminster, that promotes women in international trade through networking, events, training, and policy engagement as the UK chapter of OWIT International.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Westminster

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Full Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees of £120 per year for full members, granting access to professional growth and trade opportunities, preferential event rates, practical training and educational programmes, free webinars, networking opportunities, and a global marketplace.
2. Student Membership Subscriptions: Annual student membership priced at £40 per year, providing access to OWIT UK's network, resources, and events at a discounted rate for verified college and university students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

OWIT UK is a not-for-profit membership organisation (the UK chapter of the Organisation of Women in International Trade) that sells annual Full Memberships at £120/year and Student Memberships at £40/year. The core offering grants members access to a global trade network, preferential rates for events and conferences, free and discounted webinars, practical training and educational programmes in business, supply chains and trade, networking opportunities with trade experts, and a global marketplace for trade opportunities.

Product overview

OWIT UK is a not-for-profit business membership organisation that offers a single-tier membership program for individuals and organisations engaged in international trade. The core offering consists of Full Membership and Student Membership tiers, which provide access to networking opportunities, practical training and educational programs, free and discounted webinars, preferential event rates, and a global marketplace for trade opportunities. The organisation also hosts regular events including trade socials, educational webinars, and conferences focused on trade finance, digitalisation, and trade facilitation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Membership Annual individual membership at £120 per year for professionals working in international trade, granting access to professional growth and trade opportunities, preferential rates for events, practical training and educational programmes, free access to members-only webinars, networking opportunities, and a global marketplace.
• Student Membership Discounted annual membership at £40 per year for verified college and university students, providing access to the OWIT UK network, events, and resources to support early-career exposure to international trade.
• Events and Webinars Regular programming of trade socials, educational webinars, conferences (such as Going Global and WTO Public Forum participation), and networking events covering trade finance, market entry, regulatory environments, digitalisation, and cross-border collaboration. Open to members and (for paid events) non-members, with preferential rates for OWIT members.
• Practical Training and Educational Programmes Training programmes and educational content designed to build members' skills and knowledge in business, supply chains, and trade, including access to professional development content delivered in collaboration with partners such as the UK Export Academy and the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SavvitascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Savvitas is a strategic partner of OWIT UK advancing women's leadership in enterprise and public life. Savvitas offers a joint membership access option for OWIT UK members, and Savvitas President Helene Martin Gee serves as OWIT UK Advisory Board Chair. The partnership supports OWIT UK's mission to promote women in international trade.
• Global Summit of Women / BPW InternationalminorOthersThe Global Summit of Women (managed under BPW International) is listed as an associate organisation partner of OWIT UK on the Our Partners page, representing a global alliance connecting women leaders across different regions.
• WeConnect InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeConnect International is an associate organisation partner of OWIT UK, working to connect women-owned businesses with corporate supply chains globally. OWIT UK collaborates with WeConnect on initiatives to expand market access for women entrepreneurs.
• TIAW (The International Alliance for Women)minorOthersTIAW is listed as an associate organisation partner of OWIT UK, representing a global network of women's business associations working to advance women's economic empowerment.
• UK Export AcademycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUK Export Academy is a key partner providing export training events and programmes that OWIT UK promotes to its members. Events include the Gateway USA Series, Digital Pathway to Africa, Funding and Financial Management series, and AI in business workshops. OWIT UK acts as a distribution channel for UK Export Academy events to its membership.
• Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade is a key strategic partner delivering critical skills, accreditation, and international trade training to OWIT UK members. OWIT UK co-hosted the WTO Public Forum session with IOE&IT, and IOE&IT provides trustee and academic board leadership that intersects with OWIT UK's programme.
• ICC United Kingdom (International Chamber of Commerce)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICC United Kingdom collaborates with OWIT UK on digital trade facilitation, harmonisation, and global standards to unlock market access for MSMEs. OWIT UK signed the joint UK Business Letter to the WTO Director General regarding the Agreement on Electronic Commerce alongside ICC UK and UK businesses.
• GTR UK (Global Trade Review)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOWIT UK is a supporting partner for GTR UK 2026, the flagship event for trade and export finance professionals in the UK. OWIT UK members receive exclusive benefits including free corporate passes for eligible companies and a 10% discount on standard rate passes.
• OWIT InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOWIT UK is the UK chapter of OWIT International, the global umbrella organisation for chapters established in Africa, the Americas, and Europe. OWIT International provides the global network, governance framework, and international programming that OWIT UK members automatically access upon joining.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WEConnect International: Global non-profit that connects women-owned businesses with corporate supply chains. WEConnect is an explicit partner of OWIT UK and competes for the same women-in-trade ecosystem, member base, and corporate sponsorship dollars.
• BPW International: Federation of national Business and Professional Women associations, organiser of the Global Summit of Women. Listed as an OWIT UK associate organisation; serves a similar women-in-business-and-trade membership mandate internationally.
• Savvitas: UK-based membership organisation advancing women's leadership in enterprise and public life. Savvitas is OWIT UK's strategic partner with reciprocal joint membership access and shares a UK-focused, women-in-business mandate.
• TIAW (The International Alliance for Women): Global alliance of women's business associations. TIAW is a listed associate partner of OWIT UK and serves a closely overlapping member demographic of women in business and international trade.

Others

• Global Trade Review (GTR): Trade and export finance media and events business. GTR is an OWIT UK event partner (GTR UK 2026) and serves the same trade-finance professional audience, but as a media/events platform rather than a membership organisation.

Regional players

• Women's Enterprise Scotland: Scotland-focused organisation supporting women's enterprise and economic participation. Operates in the same women-in-business/ trade ecosystem but is geography-restricted to Scotland rather than the whole UK.

Broad incumbents

• ICC United Kingdom: UK arm of the International Chamber of Commerce, focused on digital trade, standards, and policy. Strategic partner of OWIT UK on digital trade facilitation; serves a similar trade and policy audience at greater scale and breadth.
• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): UK's largest membership organisation for small businesses and the self-employed. FSB offers trade, policy, and training services to an overlapping SME base with much greater scale and resources.
• Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT): UK's professional body for international trade, offering accreditation, training, and policy engagement. A core OWIT UK strategic partner and the dominant UK trade body whose audience overlaps substantially with OWIT UK's.
• UK Export Academy: UK Department for Business and Trade programme delivering export training. Core OWIT UK GTM partner whose training offering overlaps with OWIT UK's practical training programmes for the same SME exporters.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OwitUk
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/owit-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/owit.uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OWIT UK