British business may have been in Thailand for decades, but there are a host of new opportunities. And the UK has recently seen a genuine upside in UK-Thai business engagement.

At the end of last year the UK Embassy in Bangkok took a delegation of significant UK investors in to meet with Prime Minister Prayut and his new economics team. The meeting, scheduled for 30 minutes, was extended for 90 and each UK company was able to directly address the PM and his ministers with issues ranging from aviation reform and land rights to waste management and taxation.

Some good examples of UK success include Tesco’s Thai business, operating under the Lotus brand, reporting excellent business in its local shops along the Lao border; a UK company signing a deal to convert Bangkok’s waste into energy; and a preference by the Thai education authorities to adopt UK vocational training and EFL standards.

But finding success in the market is down to building the right networks. In the latest CBI podcast International Business Monthly Ben Digby, CBI head of international is joined by Marcus Winsley, director of trade and investment at UK Trade & Investment, Thailand; Mark Garnier MP, the prime minister’s trade envoy to the country and Max Coleman, business development director at UK-ASEAN Business Council. They give their advice on making the most of the opportunities in Thailand – and the wider region – highlighting the support on offer.