Commercial diplomacy training for people who need to influence, sell and lead across borders.
Practical training for organisations, public bodies and professionals working where business, government, policy, procurement and international stakeholder engagement meet.
Structured courses across B2G sales, negotiation, trade, AI readiness and commercial diplomacy.
Capsule formats for focused introductions to key skills and frameworks.
Deep-dive formats for workshops, role play, case work and applied strategy.
Designed for organisations engaging government, institutions and public-sector buyers.
Learn. Grow. Excel.
Business diplomacy education, practical storytelling, case-based learning and real commercial experience.
Learn
Understand the language, stakeholder logic and public-sector realities behind commercial diplomacy.
Grow
Develop confidence through questioning, case work, strategic thinking and real-life examples.
Excel
Use diplomatic craft and business judgement to improve stakeholder engagement and negotiation.
Choose the format that matches the problem.
Short courses for awareness and briefings. Deep-dives when behaviour, strategy or negotiation practice needs to change.
Capsule
Focused training for busy teams that need a rapid, high-value introduction.
- Usually 1-3 hours
- Online or in person
- Best for leadership briefings and compact skills sessions
Deep-dive
On-site training for teams that need applied practice, role play and strategic application.
- Usually 0.5 days to 3 days
- On-site only
- Best for sales teams, policy teams and market-entry preparation
Customised
Tailored training for specific organisations, sectors, markets or stakeholder challenges.
- Designed around your market and objectives
- Can combine multiple modules
- Useful before market entry, negotiations or stakeholder engagement
Modules for public-sector markets and international engagement.
Each course can be delivered as a Capsule, Deep-dive or customised session.
Public-sector selling
Sales, procurement, stakeholder mapping and opportunity strategy.
Government to business
Public bodies engaging companies, innovators and market actors.
Commercial diplomacy
Influence, negotiation, public value and institutional trust.
Digital readiness
AI, digital governance and critical thinking for complex settings.
Business-to-Government Sales
B2G salesAdvanced training for professionals selling into public-sector and government markets.
NHS Opportunities for Health and MedTech Businesses
UK healthA practical course for health and MedTech organisations entering the UK NHS market.
Strategic Selling: B2G Sales Canvas
Sales canvasApplies the B2G Sales Canvas to complex public-sector opportunities.
Scenario-based Problem-Solution Selling
Selling skillsA practical methodology built around structured questioning and credible solution framing.
Global Trade and Investment
TradeA strategic overview of trade, investment and diplomatic support for internationalisation.
Commercial Diplomacy
Core moduleThe central Academy module on how commercial, diplomatic and public-sector objectives intersect.
Digital Governance in Estonia
e-governanceExplores Estonia’s digital governance model and transferable lessons.
Business Dealmaking Through Action Learning
DealmakingA hands-on workshop using action learning, peer problem-solving and real cases.
Negotiating Agreements Without Giving In
NegotiationInterest-based negotiation training for difficult commercial and stakeholder environments.
BREXIT: Opportunities and Challenges
UK-EU tradeA practical course on post-Brexit business conditions, regulation and strategic opportunity.
Critical Thinking, Business Acumen and AI Readiness
AI readinessFor leaders who need to combine AI adoption with judgement, ethics and business strategy.
Multilingualism in the EU
EU communicationExplores multilingualism in European business diplomacy and cross-border communication.
Built and delivered by a former UK diplomat with real commercial experience.
The Academy is delivered by Alistair Starling, a former UK diplomat with extensive private-sector, non-profit and government-sector experience.
The point is not to give participants theoretical slides on “influence”. The point is to help them understand how decisions are made, how stakeholders behave, how public value is framed, and how serious organisations should prepare before entering complex markets.
Alistair Starling
Founder, Managing Director and Training Academy LeadAlistair is a former UK diplomat and commercial diplomacy specialist with experience across government, business development, internationalisation, training and public-private engagement.
He designs and delivers the Training Academy’s courses personally, adapting the material to the participant group, sector and stakeholder challenge.
Want a course adapted to your market, team or stakeholder challenge?
Tell us the audience, the sector, the country or region, and what your team needs to be able to do differently afterwards.