Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council, has been appointed as the new Chair to head up the Creative Industries Trade and Investment Board (CITIB).

“I would like to congratulate Caroline on her appointment,” said UKFT CEO Adam Mansell. “She will be instrumental in ensuring support for the creative industries remains high on the government agenda, with a particular focus on fashion and textiles. I am grateful that she has agreed to lead this ambitious programme and look forward to working with her over the months and years ahead to design and deliver a strategy that works for every part of the UK fashion and textile industry.”

UKFT and BFC work closely together on three key areas: supporting people and talent, helping businesses to trade, and shaping the sustainable future of the UK fashion and textile industry.

Earlier this year, the two organisations launched the Industry Government Forum to help identify key priorities for the sector, particularly in light of the impact of Covid-19 and Brexit. The forum, which will be held regularly, will help to identify key priorities for the industry and shape UKFT and BFC’s interactions with government both in the short and long term.

Caroline’s appointment comes as the Department for International Trade (DIT) said it is developing an ambitious cross-government Export Strategy to drive an economic recovery and level up the entire country, which will be published later this year.

DIT has revealed a new “Made in Britain, Sold to the World” campaign which encourages the nation to take pride in exporters. The creative industries are one of the UK’s export success stories, worth £37.9bn across a wide range of sectors including fashion and film, in 2019.

Currently, there is no government funded programme to support UK companies at key international trade shows but UKFT is working closely with government and other industry partners to try to change this.

UKFT’S EXPORT SUPPORT