We are pleased to announce that our 131st Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 5th July at the exclusive One Great George Street, located in the centre of Westminster.
This corporate event is one of the most important annual activities organised by the Spanish Chamber and is attended by leading representatives from a wide range of British and Spanish companies. As tradition dictates, the event will be presided by H.E. the Ambassador of Spain, Mr.Carlos Bastarreche Sagües.
We are furthermore delighted to welcome The Rt. Hon David Lidington CBE MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as our Guest of Honour for the occasion and would like to take this opportunity to introduce him and the Cabinet he represents.
Mr. David Lidington studied History at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge. He was elected Member of Parliament for Aylesbury in 1992 and has held a number of prominent positions including Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2003 to 2007 and Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He also served as Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) from May 2010 until July 2016. Mr. Lidington was Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council from July 2016 to June 2017.
He went on to become Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice from June 2017 to January 2018, when he was appointed Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duty of Lancaster. Outside from politics, he has worked for BP and RioTinto – Zinc Corporation (RTZ) before spending 3 years as Special Adviser to Douglas Hurd in the Home Office and Foreign Office.
The Minister for the Cabinet Office is responsible for the policy and work of the department, and attends Cabinet. His responsibilities include advising the Prime Minister on developing and implement government policy, chairing and deputy chairing Cabinet committees, realising task forces and overseeing the consequences of devolution of Britain’s exit from the EU.
With such a distinguished Guest of Honour, we are certain that attendees will enjoy this opportunity to meet Mr. David Lidington and to hear his views over the course of the evening. This is one of our most eminent annual events and it is anticipated that over 200 leading representatives from Spanish and British companies will be in attendance, providing an excellent opportunity to network and meet new Chamber members.
Please remember that places for this event are limited, so do not forget to book yours in advance to avoid disappointment. For further information on this event and how to submit your booking, please click here.
On Wednesday 14th June we held the 130th Annual General Meeting and Dinner, one of the most important events of our institution. This year the eventtook place at the Merchant Taylors’ Hall, one of London’s traditional Livery Halls and one of the oldest still in activity.
On this special occasion, we were honoured to have Ms. Marisa Poncela García, Secretary of State for Trade, as our Guest of Honour.
The Annual General Meeting was held at the impressive Parlour room in Merchant Taylors’ Hall.
As it is traditional, the Annual General Meeting, exclusively for members of our institution, preceded the drinks reception and dinner that would follow later in the evening. The members’ meeting took place at The Parlour, one of the most exclusives spaces of Merchant Taylors’ while the drinks reception took place at the beautiful terrace Courtyard Garden.
During the members’ General Meeting, the Executive Committee of the Chamber presented the Financial Statements of 2016, as well as the Memorandum of the activities and events organised by the Chamber during the mentioned year. Afterwards, H.E. the Ambassador of Spain presented a macroeconomic analysis of the Spanish economic situation and provided data regarding the bilateral relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom, highlighting the importance of the trade balance.
We would like to highlight that this year we had elections for the Committee of the Chamber. These elections are taking place every 4 years when 22 of our members are chosen to become part of the Committee of the Chamber.
Members of the Chamber voting for the election of our Committee.
Those of our members who could not attend the Annual General Meeting were voting via post during the previous week, whereas the other members had the opportunity to vote in person.
Once the Annual General Meeting had concluded, the drinks reception began at the Courtyard Terrace. With favourable weather, our guests had the opportunity to sample iberico ham provided by our member Boqueria, paired with cava from Codorníu Raventós Patron of the Chamber.
Attendees had the opportunity to start business conversations with representatives of Spanish and British companies during the drinks reception.
After the drinks reception, guests were ushered to the Great Hall where dinner would be taking place and went on to take their seats. The proceedings of the dinner started with H.E. the Ambassador of Spain leading the traditional loyal toasts in honour of the King of Spain and the Queen of Great Britain. Both Spanish and British national anthems were played during the loyal toast.
Everything was ready at Merchant Taylors for our guests to enjoy our 130th AGM Dinner.
Before the dinner was served, it was time for the traditional round of speeches. To begin with, the President of the Chamber, Mr. Javier San Basilio, took the floor to thank members for their continuous support and express his gratitude to all attendees for joining us on such a wonderful evening.
The President of the Spanish Chamber then gave the floor to H.E. the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Carlos Bastarreche, who expressed his sincere gratitude to the institution for allowing him to share such an important evening with our members and attendees, and kindly introduced our Guest of Honour, Ms. Marisa Poncela García, Secretary of State for Trade.
Ms. Marisa Poncela, Secretary of State for Trade
During her speech, Ms. Marisa Poncela García expressed her gratitude to the Spanish Chamber for the invitation to be the Guest of Honour on such an important evening. She provided the audience with an interesting and detailed insight of economic indicators across the United Kingdom and Spain. As a final note before closing her speech, Ms. Marisa Poncela García underlined the importance of maintaining close economic relations between Spain and the United Kingdom, in spite of the uncertain future that Brexit could bring about to the trade relations between both countries.
When speeches ended, our guests could enjoy a delicious dinner. The atmosphere was vibrant and relaxed as our Patrons, members and their guests mingled and exchanged their impressions of the evening, which provided a great opportunity to connect with fellow colleagues and members.
The magnificent Great Hall was the perfect setting to hold the dinner for this special occasion.
Finally, we would very much like to thank our members and their guests for joining us on the occasion of our 130th Annual General Meeting and for sharing such a special evening for our institution. We are truly grateful to our Patron Codorníu Raventós for their contribution with the wines and cava that were served throughout the event as well as Boqueria, member of the Chamber, for their kind contribution of a delicious iberico ham served during the drinks reception.
Please click here to access the complete gallery of pictures of the 130th Annual General Meeting. For a short video on how the evening went, please click on the following link 130th Annual General Meeting Video.
For further information about events in 2017, do not hesitate to visit our Upcoming Events section at www.spanishchamber.co.uk or subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly updates in your inbox.
On Wednesday 8th June we held the 129th Annual General Meeting and Dinner, one of the most important annual events of our institution, at Drapers’ Hall. On this special occasion we were honoured to have Mr. Juan-Miguel Villar Mir, Chairman of Grupo Villar Mir and of OHL, as our Guest of Honour.
The members’ meeting was held at the premises of White & Case, member of the Chamber.
As it is traditional, the actual General Meeting, exclusively for members of our institution, preceded the drinks reception and dinner that would follow later in the evening. The members’ meeting took place at the premises of White & Case, member of the Chamber, while the drinks reception and dinner were held at the historic Drapers’ Hall, located in the heart of the City of London.
During the members’ General Meeting, the Executive Committee of the Chamber presented the Financial Statements of 2015, as well as the Memorandum of the activities and events organised by the Chamber during the mentioned year. Afterwards, H.E. the Ambassador of Spain presented a macroeconomic analysis of the Spanish economic situation and provided data regarding the bilateral relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom.
Everything was ready at Draper’s Hall for our guests to enjoy the dinner of our 129th AGM.
After the meeting, representatives of Spanish and British companies made their way to the drinks reception and dinner at Drapers’ Hall, one of the City’s 39 traditional livery companies still existing in London. The tastefully decorated venue provided an unforgettable backdrop for the nearly 200 attendees that had the opportunity to gather for this special occasion.
Upon arrival guests were led to the reception rooms, where they had the opportunity to interact and network with other attendees while enjoying a delicious Spanish ham, kindly sponsored by our member Spanish Ham Master, and tasting the white and red wines kindly provided by the Spanish winery Leyenda del Páramo. After the drinks reception was finished, the Master of Ceremonies informed attendees they should make their way for dinner, which was served at the splendorous Livery Hall.
Attendees had the opportunity to start business conversations with representatives of Spanish and Bristish companies during the drinks reception.
The proceedings of the dinner started with H.E. the Ambassador of Spain leading the traditional loyal toasts in honour of the Queen of Great Britain and the King of Spain. After the dessert was served, it was time for the traditional round of speeches. To begin with, the President of the Chamber, Mr. Javier San Basilio, took the floor to thank members for their continuous support and express his gratitude to all attendees for joining us on such a wonderful evening. He also emphasised the great results of the Spanish Chamber in 2015, gaining six Patrons since the last AGM and proudly presented OHL DESARROLLOS as newest Patron of our organisation.
From left to right: H.E. Mr. Federico Trillo-Figueroa, Ambassador of Spain; Mr. Juan-Miguel Villar Mir, Chairman of Grupo Villar Mir and Chairman of OHL; and Mr. Javier San Basilio, President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.
The President of the Spanish Chamber then gave the floor to H.E. the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Federico Trillo-Figueroa, who expressed his sincere gratitude to the institution for allowing him to share such an important evening with our members and attendees, and kindly introduced our Guest of Honour, Mr. Juan-Miguel Villar Mir, Chairman of Grupo Villar Mir and Chairman of OHL.
During his speech, Mr. Villar Mir thanked the attendees for supporting the growing Anglo-Spanish business community in London and expressed his gratitude to the Spanish Chamber for the invitation to be the Guest of Honour on such an important evening. He provided the audience with an interesting insight of the company he leads and also highlighted his proudness for their partnership with the Hinduja Group in the redevelopment of the iconic Old War Office building, as one of the most relevant projects for the political and social history of the United Kingdom. As a final note before closing his speech, Villar Mir underlined the importance of maintaining close historic, social, cultural and economic relations between the countries of Spain and the United Kingdom.
The magnificent Livery Hall was the perfect setting to held the dinner for this special occasion.
We would like to express our gratitude to our kind sponsors for the 129th AGM Dinner: our member Spanish Ham Master , who provided a ham for the drinks reception, and the Spanish Winery Leyenda del Páramo for providing the red and white wines for this exclusive event.
Our proud sponsors Spanish Ham Master and Leyenda del Páramo
Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to all attendees for their participation in both the meeting at the premises of White & Case and the dinner at Drapers’ Hall. We are thankful for your notes of appreciation and support.
The full picture gallery of the evening can be browsed by clicking here.
If you missed this event and want to be up-to-date on future activities, please visit our Upcoming Events section or sign up to our newsletter.
We are pleased to announce that our 129th Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 8th June at the exclusive Drapers’ Hall, located in the heart of the City of London.
This corporate event is one of the most important activities that the Spanish Chamber organises during the year and it is attended by leading representatives from a wide range of British and Spanish companies. Following tradition, the event will be presided by H.E. the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Federico Trillo – Figueroa.
This year the event will be held at Drapers’ Hall, a truly impressive venue.
On this truly special occasion we are pleased to count on Mr. Juan Miguel Villar Mir, Chairman of Grupo Villar Mir and OHL as our Guest of Honour, and we would like to take this opportunity to introduce him as well as the company he represents.
Mr. Villar Mir, 1st Marquis of Villar Mir, is President, Chairman and owner of Grupo Villar Mir, which owns several leading international companies in different sectors, including OHL group. Mr. Villar Mir holds a Doctorate in Civil Engineering and Degrees in Law and Industrial Organisation and has received numerous distinctions throughout his extensive career. He is an Academic Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering and of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, as well as Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain.
Mr. Juan Miguel Villar Mir, Chairman of Grupo Villar Mir and OHL, will be our Guest of Honour.
He was appointed Vice-President of the Spanish Government for Economic Affairs and Treasury Minister in the first cabinet of the Spanish Monarchy (1975-76) and has also acted as Executive Chairman of several large corporations, such as Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, Hidro-Nitro Española and Empresa Nacional de Celulosas.
As for OHL, the Spanish company is a large international concessions and construction group with more than 100 years of history. It operates in more than 30 countries across 5 continents, being the 31st largest international contractor and an international reference in the construction of hospitals and railways. In London, the OHL Group, whose majority shareholder is the Villar Mir Group, acquired in late 2014, the historic Old War Office building in a joint venture with the Hinduja Group. This property, a heritage asset of outstanding historical and patrimonial value, will be restored and renovated to accommodate a 5-star hotel and residential homes
The event is an excellent opportunity to network with representatives from Spanish and British companies.
With such a remarkable Guest of Honour, we are positive that attendees will be delighted to listen to Mr. Villar Mir’s insights and exchange impressions with him during the evening.
Please remember that places for this event are limited, so do not forget to book yours in advance to avoid disappointment. For further information on this event and how to submit your booking, please click here.
As Santa is soon coming to town, we wanted to say goodbye to this intense and rewarding year and extend our best wishes for 2015 to you.
And what better way to do it than celebrating with style our Informal Christmas Party next Tuesday 9th December? If you have not registered yet, then hurry up as places are running out fast! Mahiki will host this for the consecutive second year. This last event of 2014, offering to our cold and rainy London’s winter a warm and cheerful Hawaiian twist. It will be a second to none opportunity to say goodbye to fellow members and colleagues until next year. So if you want to join us, hurry up and book it now here!!
But now, before closing down this exciting year, it is time to look back at some of the activities and events we have organised throughout. Rightly, at the top of our list, we find the recent VI Annual Gala Dinner, that took place on 27th November. It was a resounding successful, as around 230 fellow members gathered under the presiding of H.E. The Ambassador of Spain and Mr. César Alierta, Executive Chairman and CEO of Telefónica, as our Guest of Honour.
Members of the Executive Committee of the Spanish Chamber with our Guest of Honour, Mr. César Alierta, at our VI Annual Gala Dinner
At the beginning of the year and as a brand new initiative, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce launched officially on 31st January the first meeting of the Financial Forum at the Spanish Embassy. Its main function is to bring Spanish professionals from the City together and provide them with a platform to promote dialogue, share best practices within the financial sector and exchange ideas about the current economic and financial context. This gathering was followed by two others in May and July, the last one being held at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
In April, we held the Annual Golden Award, which was hosted at the Spanish Embassy in London. This event rewards a Spanish company for its outstanding performance during the previous year in the UK, and the distinction in this edition went to Aena Aeropuertos.
Furthermore, we would like to highlight that the 127th edition of our Annual General Meeting took place in June followed by a unique lunch held at one of London’s most iconic landmarks: The House of Lords, within the Palace of Westminster. The event was kindly hosted by Lord Brennan, QC, and had also the pleasure to count on Lord Bell, Chairman of Bell Pottinger, as our Guest of Honour for this special occasion.
Lord Brennan, in our Annual General Meeting hosted at the House of Lords
In addition to the above, the Spanish Chamber has also developed a wide range of activities, including seminars, networking events and informal parties, such as theInternationalWine Tasting Event, the Elevator’s Pitch, a popular speed networking activity, Halloween Informal Party, to name just a few.
Moreover, the Patrons’ Club has offered five exclusive activities for our Patrons in 2014, which have included the traditional annual dinner at the restaurant Ametsa with Arzak Instruction, a tour “Behind the scenes” at London City Airport and an exquisite Tasting at the New Pantry at The Marylebone Hotel in collaboration with The Doyle Collection, just to mention some of them.
Visit to the London City Airport and Dinner at the restaurant Ametsa with Arzak Instruction, two of the activities of the Patrons’ Club
On the other hand, in September, the XVI Edition of our Graduate European Programme kicked off. This year 16 participants will be carrying out work-experience at London based companies for 6 months. The programme includes Business English classes and workshops at Regent’s University London to complement the participants’ work experience.
Last but not least, our Trade and Business Development Department has kept busy and delivered several commercial agendas and trade missions. Among them, we would like to highlight the work we did in cooperation with the Chambers of Commerce of Madrid and Teruel, consisting of trade missions aimed at helping several companies from those regions to enter the British market.
Additionally, our General Secretary, Igor Urra, travelled toGirona participating in a gathering between companies from different sectors and the Chamber of Commerce. The aim was to advise and inform these companies interested in entering the UK market about the different commercial services the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain could offer them to support them in the process. Our advice was warmly welcomed as this gathering resulted in the development of trade missions with some of these companies.
It is also worth mentioning, the first edition of “A Coruña Exporpymes”, a trade fair organised in October by La Coruña Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Spanish Chamber. It was a perfect occasion for Galician producers to present their products/ services from different sectors such as food, wine, jewellery and construction, among others, to British companies.
Our Secretary General, Igor Urra, in A Coruña Exporpymes, one of the trade missions we organised this year
Moreover, the department has successfully developed a new service: Commercial Presentations. This is a similar service to commercial agendas, but with a less commercial focus, aimed at increasing the awareness of the company with potential contacts. The commercial presentation service is especially suitable for companies that work in a mature sector. It consists of the delivery of a market proxy, identifying and introducing the products of the client company to suitable contacts. In case potential partners show interest in the products, we would support with the information management and even organise a meeting between both parties.
There is also cause for celebrating the introduction of a new membership category, the Benefactors, especially suitable for larger SME’s and companies who want to take their membership one step further and get a taste of our exclusive advantages for Patrons. At this moment, this intermediate level of membership is available exclusively by invitation to existing corporate members of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.
We are very grateful to our members for their continuous support across all the different activities we have carried out this year, and for the ones to come in 2015. Special thanks as well to all those companies who have shown interest in our events and have participated in some of them over the past 12 months.
So, to put it in a nutshell, we can only make our farewells by wishing you “Merry Christmas and Happy 2015!”, a year that will come full of surprises and interesting activities. So, be prepared!
On Wednesday 26th June we are holding our 126th Annual General Meeting, whichwill take place at the Four Seasons Hotel, in Park Lane. This corporate event is one of the most important activities that the Spanish Chamber organizes during the year and it is attended by leading representatives from a wide range of British and Spanish companies. The event will be presided by H.E. the Ambassador of Spain.
In addition to this, this year elections will be held to appoint new members to the Executive Committee, and therefore members are encourage to participate in order to cast their vote. By clicking here, you will find an overview of last year’s AGM.
Aside from the elections, this year we are pleased to count on Mr. Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros, as the Guest of Honour of this event, and we would like to take this opportunity to introduce him, as well as the Marca España initiative.
Mr. Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros during a speech.
Mr. Espinosa de los Monteros is a renowned commercial expert and state economist and has undertaken several leading roles both in the public and private sector. As an example of the latter, he has been Vice-President of Inditex, one of the world’s largest fashion retailers, since July 2012. He is also an advisor to Acciona S.A
He was previously the President and CEO of Daimler Chrysler Spain, in addition to being the Chief Executive Officer for Mercedes Benz Spain for over 20 years. He has had a remarkable professional career, having held several high-profile positions, including being President of Iberia and Aviaco airlines. He also held the Presidency of González-Byass, the Circle of Entrepreneurs and ANFAC.
In the public sector, he served the Spanish Government as the Spanish Commercial Aggregate in Chicago and as the Vice-President of the National Institute of Industry in the early 1980s. Internationally, Mr. Espinosa was a member of NATO’s Industrial Group for the analysis of European industry. Currently, Mr. Espinosa de los Monteros is also the High Commissioner for Marca España.
Marca España is a project by the Spanish Government designed to highlight and raise the profile of Spain as a country in terms of politics and economics, culture as language, history, gastronomy, sports, businesses, and science. In his role as High Commissioner, Mr. Espinosa oversees the effortsof all public and private departments and organizations which have played, and continue to play, an important role in Spain’s image abroad by coordinating and guiding their efforts, which also includes autonomous communities and local organizations.
With such a remarkable Guest of Honour, we are positive attendees will be delighted to listen to Mr. Espinosa de los Monteros’ insights and exchange impressions with him.
The event is an excellent opportunity to network with representatives from British and Spanish companies.
We are also delighted to announce that several sponsorship opportunities are available, which provide an excellent occasion for those companies interested in getting further exposure at this event. You can find out more by clicking here SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AGM 2013.
Last but not least, we would like to thank Bodegas Protos for kindly providing the wines for this special event.
Do not forget to book your place for this year’s Annual General Meeting dinner! For further information on this event and how to submit your booking, please click here.
Yesterday we celebrated the 125th AGM of the Chamber. The traditional event was presided by H.E. the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Federico Trillo. Our pleasure to have Ms. Tamara Rojo, new Creative Director of the English National Ballet, as the Guest of Honour.
Thanks to all the attendees for sharing such a fantastic night with us!
On June the 20th we are holding our 125th Annual General Meeting and we would like to take this opportunity to introduce Ms. Tamara Rojo, who will be the Guest of Honour for this event.
Tamara Rojo began to take dance lessons when she was just 5. We can say without doubt that she had the gift with her from birth. From then onwards, she joined Ballet companies from different countries and kept on developing her remarkable career as a prima ballerina.
In 1997, after leaving the Scottish National Ballet, Tamara joined the English National Ballet where she was chosen to perform a wide range of main roles and also some were specifically adapted for her. After 3 years within this company, Mrs. Rojo was officially invited to join the Royal Ballet, where she has been working ever since.
September 2012 is going to be the next achievement for Tamara’s career as she will take over as Artistic Director for the English National Ballet. The English National Ballet is delighted to have her as their new leader and remarked on Tamara’s «worldwide reputation and creative vision to form inspiring collaborations throughout the UK and the world».
If you don’t want to miss this great opportunity to share the evening with such an fabulous artist, please do not forget to book your place for the Annual General Meeting dinner. For further information on this event and to submit your booking, please click here .
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