Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Etiqueta: London

A BRIEF RECAP OF THE CHAMBER’S EVENTS: JANUARY – AUGUST 2018

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom’s main aim is to promote commercial exchange by acting as an important communication link between Spanish and British companies. The events organised by the Chamber enable both member and non-member companies to develop and expand their contact networks from both countries.

2018 has been a unique year so far in that we have hosted our first ever sectorial event outside of London as well as our first Copa del Rey de Golf tournament, not to mention the introduction of a new event series: the Human Capital Forum. Read on to discover what the Chamber has been getting up to recently!

The first half of 2018 has played host to an array of seminars that focused on personal development as well as topical and technical issues affecting a huge number of companies this year, such as GDPR and the gender pay gap. All five of our seminars have been great eye-openers and were well received by all; prompting a great deal of discussion and debate. Attendees always leave feeling more knowledgeable and motivated professionally and personally.

The Chamber has organised three corporate events and one patron event so far in 2018. Our first one was a New Year’s Drinks Reception at Skinner’s Hall where the President of the Chamber had the opportunity to wish all member companies his best wishes for the New Year. We were honoured to welcome Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, Minister of State in the Department for International Trade, as Guest of Honour on this special occasion.

The Annual Patrons’ Dinner was held in March at the Spanish Embassy and H.E. the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Carlos Bastarreche Sagües, was our exceptional host for the evening. Before a three-course dinner, the President of the Chamber gave a special speech expressing his gratitude for the support that patrons provide to this institution as well as introducing the new patron companies that the Chamber has gained since last year’s dinner.

In April, the Chamber celebrated its Annual Golden Award at the Spanish Embassy, an evening in which the Chamber acknowledges the significant commercial activity of a Spanish company in the United Kingdom during the previous year. This year, the award was given to Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF).

Our most recent corporate event was the 131st Annual General Meeting and Dinner that took place in July at One Great George Street in Westminster. During the Annual General Meeting, the Secretary General of the Chamber presented the financial statements of 2017 along with a memorandum of the activities and events which the Chamber organised last year. On this occasion, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Rt Hon David Lidington CBE MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as our Guest of Honour.

In February, the Chamber was delighted to hold its first sectorial event outside of London at the head office of Freeths LLP, a major UK law firm specialising in construction, energy and real estate, in Manchester. The event saw a great turnout of guests from at least 25 different companies from around the country. Representatives from the participating companies spoke about growth strategies for town centres in the north, revolutionising the construction industry via digitalisation and reasons to invest in the West Midlands.

This marks the beginning of our efforts to carry out more sectorial events in different parts of the United Kingdom.

The Chamber’s two Elevator Pitches have proven to be some of our most popular events of the year. Participation is limited to one representative per company and a maximum of 16 companies can attend, with no more than two companies from the same sector. Each participant has two minutes to give a concise presentation summarising their company’s activities. Following this, everyone has the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about each company followed by a late breakfast.

We are always delighted to welcome a wide variety of companies to our Elevator Pitches and we consider it a fantastic way to help expand business networks in a short amount of time.

2018 has also seen the launch of a brand new event series: the Human Capital Forum. Following a similar format to the Financial and Energy Forums, senior human resources professionals from member companies of the Chamber are brought together to discuss and debate ideas surrounding leadership, talent management and organisational development.

The first meeting of the series explored how we can find happiness at work and the benefits of having a happy workforce, whereas the second focused on the changing face of recruitment owed to digitalisation. Participants of the forums have found them to be both thought provoking and of high relevance to their work.

Our two Financial Forums welcomed Spanish professionals working in London’s financial centre. The main function of the forum is to create a space which promotes a dialogue and the exchange of ideas between peers surrounding financial matters relating to Spain and its companies. On these occasions, the forums were presided by two exceptional guests: Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Chair of the Treasury Select Committee in June at White and Case’s offices and by Andrea Enria, president of the European Banking Authority at The Traveller’s Club in July.

Taking place on a lovely summer’s evening, the Chamber held its first Mahou Informal Party of 2018 in collaboration with Mahou San Miguel and Ibérica Restaurants, patrons of the Chamber, who hosted the event at their outdoor restaurant in Canary Wharf. Being one of our most popular events, all places were quickly reserved and the evening proved to be a great success.

In July, on an exceptionally hot and sunny day, the Chamber held its first Copa del Rey de Golf Tournament. With the attendance of H.E. the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Carlos Bastarreche, this highly-anticipated event welcomed players from various member and non-member companies of all levels. Taking place at Studley Wood Golf Club, around 50 participants enjoyed an action-packed day of golf. There was also a clinic session for the golf novices, a generous buffet lunch, a prize giving ceremony and a charity raffle. All proceeds went to two wonderful charities; Cris Cancer and Centro Social de Mayores.

The event certainly proved to be a great opportunity for participants to meet and connect with both fellow members of the Chamber and other companies represented, not to mention practising their swings, enjoying some fresh air, exercise and great company!

Interested in seeing what other events we have lined up over the next few months? Click here to find out more!

23/08/2018
COPA DEL REY DE GOLF

On the morning of Friday 13th July, fuelled with adrenaline and excitement to leave the office and London smog behind for the day, some 50 participants, including members of the Chamber and non-members as well as H.E. the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Carlos Bastarreche, joined us for our very first Copa del Rey de Golf tournament. Set in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside, Studley Wood Golf Course proved to be the perfect venue for our guests, some of whom flew over from Spain specially to be there.

The day began with a welcoming breakfast of bacon butties during which participants eagerly greeted one another and started to gather into their teams. The majority of the teams were made up of four players, most of which represented certain companies, whilst the rest were formed of individual players; a perfect opportunity to network in a relaxed and friendly setting.

After breakfast, we received a warm welcome from golf club owner, Ken, who explained to us the rules and 18 hole golf system as well as reminding players of the all-important prizes up for grabs and how to win them. The teams then dispersed in various directions, some zooming off in their buggies, ready for a shot gun start. 18 holes spread over undulating countryside certainly kept the players busy and ensured a long run of golf.

The Copa del Rey de Golf was open to players of all levels. As our teams went off to practise golf, a smaller group went to take part in the golf clinic. An intimate team of six learnt all the basics from how to drive and use the irons on the driving range, to how to putt and chip on the greens. There was much concentration and laughter as some of our participants discovered a new talent.

The day was broken up by a midday treat of tapas, paella and ice-cold beer, generously provided by Chamber members Paella Fella and Mahou, which certainly helped to reenergise and hydrate players on a particularly hot and sunny day. The food was very much enjoyed by all and the halfway house provided a great meeting point for teams to catch up and compare their scores so far.

Upon returning to the club house, guests enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch with Raventós Codorníu wine out on the sunny terrace with views of the green whilst cheerily exchanging stories about their day.

Friday the 13^th may be unlucky for some, but it certainly wasn’t for our lucky winners. With the opportunity of taking home some fantastic prizes, players upped their game and a fair few strong competitive streaks were revealed. Some of the prizes up for grabs included a mini break for two to Portugal and £10,000 for a hole in one, kindly provided by London Property Partners. Sadly no one managed to get a hole in one, however our winning team came from Barclays who won a trophy, Cordoníu Raventos wine and day passes to come back to Studley Wood Golf Club. The 2^nd and 3^rd placed teams also won prizes courtesy of Cordoníu Raventos and Studley Wood Golf Club. Other prizes also went to players for: longest drive, nearest to the pin, longest putt, longest walk and clinic winner, sponsored by DLF Group Mobility Services , Iberia and Iberia Express.

It was with great pleasure that all proceeds from the Copa del Rey de Golf went to two wonderful charities: Cris Cancer and Centro Social de Mayores. Cris Cancer facilitates and develops research to help beat cancer and Centro Social de Mayores is an organisation that welcomes and unites retired Spanish citizens living in the UK. Both charities are making a real difference to people’s lives.

A charity raffle was organised with a wide selection of fantastic prizes ranging from restaurant vouchers, to a whole Iberian sliced ham, to return flights to Madrid. This would not have been possible without the kind sponsorship of Mahou-San Miguel, Moonz, Ibérica, Raventos Codorníu, 5 Jotas, Zela, London Property Partners and Studley Wood Golf Club for providing the prizes.

We would also like to express a special thanks to DLF Group and Paella Fella, Chamber members, for sponsoring the tournament and to Ken and Anna from Studley Wood Golf Club for their hospitality and tremendous organisation.

Lastly, we would like to thank all of our guests for attending and for such a memorable day. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did and had the opportunity to meet and connect with both fellow members of the Spanish Chamber and other companies represented, not to mention practising your swings! We certainly all enjoyed some fresh air, exercise and great company.

Please click here to see photos of the event.

01/08/2018
CHRISTMAHOU PARTY DECEMBER 12TH

Last Tuesday 12th of December we held our fourth and final Mahou Informal Party of 2017 in collaboration with Mahou San Miguel and Ibérica Restaurants, Patrons of the Chamber, at their restaurant in Victoria.

Even though it was a particularly cold evening in the city, guests continued to arrive at the restaurant, giving place to a warm and cosy atmosphere. Over relaxed conversation, everyone had the chance to enjoy a cold and frothy Mahou beer. A wide range of Spanish delicatessen products and tapas were also served during the event, including a selection of cold cuts, cheeses and olives. Ibérica is highly regarded for its carefully selected menu including traditional, elaborated Spanish dishes and fine wines.

Mahou beer is one of Spain’s most prominent beer brands and has been a vital part of Madrid’s gastronomy culture for over 125 years. Due to its freshness, authenticity and high quality, it is widely known as being one of the finest tapas accompaniments around.

We would like to thank everyone who attended this event and helped make it such a wonderful evening, with a special mention for the sponsor of the event Mahou – San Miguel for making it all possible.

Click here to view the pictures of the event. To find out further information about the Chamber’s events and for a full agenda of its upcoming activities, have a look at the Upcoming Events section of our website and keep an eye out for our bi-monthly bi-weekly newsletter and active Twitter feed.

19/12/2017
ELEVATOR PITCH XXXII EDITION
On the morning of Thursday 30^th November we hosted our most recent Elevator Pitch networking event, held in the stylish London office (based in Hammersmith) of Trison World, new patron of the Chamber. The event was chaired by Igor Urra, the Spanish Chamber’s Secretary General, who once all participants had taken their seats proceeded to explain the how event would work. The general format of the event is as follows:
- One representative from each company is allowed to participate, with a maximum of 16 companies being able to take part. In addition, no more than two companies from the same sector can register for the event.
- With something of a round table format, each participant begins by presenting their company and what they do to fellow guests, being given a maximum of two minutes to speak. Following this, each participant answers any questions other participants may have about their companies, before participants have a further chance to network more informally and without the previous time constraints over a late breakfast.
This occasion saw 11 participants from a variety of sectors taking part: Buckles Solicitors (legal services), Elastacloud (communications and IT networks), Global FDI (business consultancy services), Trison World (audio visual integration), Melia White House Hotel (hotels and accommodation), Mishcon de Reya (legal services), Spanish Olive Oil School (education, training and learning), Sunfloret Translations (translation services), Synergym (leisure and sport management) and Your Architect London (architecture, interior design and engineering). Given that there were only 11 participants, the event was highly interactive with guests being able to learn a great deal about the other companies and explore potential routes for collaboration.

We would very much like to thank all attendees who took part in this edition of the Elevator Pitch for having joined us, in particular a special thank you to Trison for hosting the session so successfully! Guests were even treated to a surprise following the main event, which saw them each being able to invent their own individual scent, inspired by different aspects of their personalities.

If you have not yet participated in an Elevator Pitch event and are interested in doing so, keep an eye on our newsletter (released twice a month) as well as the UPCOMING EVENTS section of our website for information about the next one which will be held early in 2018.
05/12/2017
INTERNATIONAL TASTING: WINE, SPIRITS AND BEER 2017

On Monday 18^th September 2017 we were delighted to take part in the annual International Wine, Spirits and Beer Tasting event. This event was hosted by a total of 13 London-based foreign Chambers of Commerce representing countries from around the world, with the aim of broadening attendees’ networks by exposing them to a greatly international audience.

Almost 300 guests gathered at the beautiful Middle Temple, one of London’s four ancient Inns of Court located in the heart of the legal quarter. Minutes from The Strand and Embankment and overlooking the river Thames, it provided a perfect setting for such a spectacular event.

On this occasion, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium & Luxembourg, Canada, the Czech Republic, Colombia, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain and Switzerland were the countries whose various wines, beers and spirits were represented.

With such international mixture the event didn’t fail to impress. Guests had a unique opportunity to broaden their international business networks with peers from other Chambers of Commerce. They were additionally able to exchange opinions about the various beverages and make recommendations to each other in the relaxed environment, resulting in a positive and lively atmosphere.

The International Wine, Spirits and Beer Tasting would not be possible without the invaluable collaboration of the sponsors. On this occasion, our member Wines from Rioja was the sponsor of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce with two of their representatives operating the Spanish stand. They provided a generous selection of 8 different wines, with vintages varying from 2009-2016 and grape varietals including 100% Viura, 100% Tempranillo and 100% Garnacha.

However, Spanish Rioja wine was only one of the many options our guests could taste. Many enjoyed sampling the Japanese sake, the rich Czech beer, without forgetting the sweet Canadian ice wine that once again impressed the most demanding connoisseurs. What everyone agreed on was the excellent selection each country offered, enabling many guests to discover new and unexpected flavours.

We would like to thank our member Wines from Rioja for their kind support by providing a generous selection of their delicious wines. Likewise, we would like to thank as well to all the attendees who joined us and, especially, to our colleagues at the Foreign Chambers of Commerce and trade institutions for their work and collaboration to bring this event to life and make it a success yet again.

We look forward to seeing you at next year’s International Wine, Beer and Spirits Tasting. If you were unable to attend on this occasion or would like to reminisce about it, please click here to access the complete gallery of pictures for this event.

If you wish to know what we are up to next, take a look at the Upcoming Events section on our website or subscribe to our electronic newsletter for biweekly updates.

26/09/2017
130TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND DINNER

On Wednesday 14^th June we held the 130^th Annual General Meeting and Dinner, one of the most important events of our institution. This year the event took 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 130^th 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 130^th Annual General Meeting. For a short video on how the evening went, please click on the following link 130^th 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.

22/06/2017
MAHOU INFORMAL PARTY

On Tuesday 9th May, we had the pleasure of celebrating our first “Mahou Informal Party” of the year which was organised in collaboration with Mahou – San Miguel, Patron of the Chamber. On this occasion the event took place at Hispania one of the most well-known Spanish restaurants in London, which provided the perfect venue for the evening.

This event was the starting-line of a series of parties in collaboration with Mahou- San Miguel, a Spanish family business with 125 years of history and international presence in over 70 countries, with United Kingdom being one of its main markets, where the company has had presence for more than 25 years.

The party was the perfect excuse to enjoy draft beer and learn more about the Spanish brewer company. Attendees also had the chance of enjoying the taste of the delicious selection of tapas and bites including Hispania’s longstanding classics ham and vegetables croquettes.

If you have missed this “Mahou Party”, you can still take part in the next one which will be announced shortly. If you want to have a look at how the evening went, click here for the pictures of the event.

We would like to thank everyone for joining such a wonderful evening, with a special mention to the sponsor of the event Mahou- San Miguel for making possible this fantastic event.

If you want to find out more about it and the upcoming activities the Chamber is organising, we recommend that you have a look at our UPCOMING EVENTS visiting our website or subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

15/05/2017
MEET MIRIAM GONZÁLEZ DURÁNTEZ, OUR GUEST OF HONOUR AT THE NEW YEAR’S DRINKS RECEPTION

We are pleased to announce that our first corporate event of 2017, the New Year Drinks Reception, will be held on Thursday 2^nd February at the exclusive Ironmongers’ Hall, located in the heart of the City of London.

This traditional celebration will officially start our calendar of events for the rest of the year and on such special occasion, we will be honoured to have Ms. Miriam González Durántez, partner of international law firm Dechert LLP, as our Guest of Honour.

As the date of the event draws near, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce her as well as the different initiatives in which she is involved.

Our Guest of Honour Miriam González Durántez, Partner of International Law Firm Dechert LLP

Miriam González is co-chair of Dechert LLP International Trade and Government Regulation practice, focusing on international and EU trade law and policy.

Prior to joining Dechert, Miriam led the trade practice of another major international law firm. She previously served seven years as a Senior Member of the Cabinet for EU External Relations Commissioners Chris Patten and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, where she had responsibility for EU relations and trade with the Middle East, the U.S. and Latin America, as well as an FCO adviser during the UK Presidency of the European Union.

After studying law at the University of Valladolid, Miriam was awarded a postgraduate scholarship, which allowed her to carry on her studies at the College of Europe, in Bruges, Belgium. She was also a Senior Associate Member of St Antony’s in Oxford.

Miriam is a Non-Executive Member of the Board and Chair of the Audit Committee of UBS Limited. She is also the Honorary President of Canning House and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Instituto de Empresa in Spain.

Inspiring Girls, the charity founded by Miriam González, aims at raising aspirations of young girls around the world by connecting them to female role models.

After taking a leading role in the Inspiring Women campaign, Miriam became the Founder and Chair of Inspiring Girls, a charity dedicated to raising the aspirations of young girls around the world by connecting girls and female role models.

Inspiring Girls has already launched in Spain, Italy, Serbia, and Zambia, and it is expected to be implemented in Australia, Chile, and Colombia by the end of 2017. For further information about their scope and countries they are working with, please visit www.inspiring-girls.com

We would also like to take this opportunity to warmly thank our member Natura Bissé, one of the sponsors of the New Year’s Drinks Reception, for their special contribution and support.

Likewise, we would express our gratitude to our member Nicolás y Valero for providing the Spanish ham and cheese for the reception, and to Estrella Damm, also member of the chamber, for kindly sponsoring the beer for the evening.

Finally, we are grateful to Wines from Rioja for their generous contribution sponsoring a selection of red and white wine for this traditional reception.

We look forward to welcoming our members on such special evening. If you have not booked your place yet, please click here for further details on how to register.

20/01/2017
ChristMahou Jumper Party at Boquería Brixton

On Monday 12th December, we had the pleasure of celebrating our “ChristMahou Jumper Party”, organised in collaboration with Mahou – San Miguel, Patron of the Chamber. On this occasion the event took place at the Brixton location of Boquería, member of the Chamber, which provided the perfect setting for the last event of 2016.

Our guests fashioned their best Christmas jumpers and were ready for an festive evening.

Mahou is a Spanish family owned company with 125 years of history and international presence in 70 countries, with United Kingdom being one of its main markets, where the company has had presence for more than 25 years.

This Christmahou Jumper party marks the end of a mahougnificent year for our institution and allowed the members who gathered at the event to say farewell to fellow colleagues before the beginning of the festive season. On this occasion, our guests were requested to bring their best Christmas jumpers, which provided the perfect opportunity for a bit of a friendly competition to choose the most original among them.

The last event of the year allowed everyone to meet new members and enjoy the five-star taste of Mahou.

In fact, with attendees clad in their most festive jumpers the evening was a fabulous setting to socialise and meet new members, catch up with new ones and wish a merry Christmas to them all while getting away from the freezing weather outside. To help guests get in the mood for the upcoming festive feasts, our member Boquería had prepared a delicious selection of tapas and bites, including longstanding classics such as ham croquettes and tortilla as well as chorizo and cured meats.

To round up a perfect evening, we could not leave our guests empty-handed and so a prize draw allowed two lucky winners to go home with a case of Mahou beer, which will no doubt be a perfect match for any lunch or dinner in the upcoming Christmas celebrations.

We warmly thank our members for sharing with us such a fun and relaxed evening, especially everyone who took up the challenge and proudly sported such original Christmas jumpers.

The two lucky winners of the evening went home with a Mahougnificent case of beer.

Finally, we are grateful to the sponsor of the event Mahou – San Miguel and their representatives for making possible again a fantastic event for our members, and to our member Boquería for their outstanding support and delicious food.

We are pleased to announce that in 2017 we will be organising another series of informal events in collaboration with Mahou- San Miguel. So if you do not want to miss out on any of them, subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be updated on the latest news and events.

20/12/2016
Brexit Seminar: Trade & Employment Implications for Businesses

On Wednesday 7th December, we had the pleasure of holding the breakfast seminar “Brexit: Trade & Employment Implications for Businesses”, organised in collaboration with our Patron SCA Ontier, who hosted the event, and our member Blick Rothenberg.

With Brexit as the key point, this session’s aim was to explore the potential challenges and opportunities in the context of trade and employment in the post-exit landscape, including briefly looking at the key models used by other non-EU countries and practical considerations.

On this occasion, our Head of Accounts & Member Relations, Tom Newman, gave a warm welcome to the attendees on behalf of the Chamber and introduced Ms. Danielle Carr, Senior Associate at SCA ONTIER, Mr. Derek Stinson, Senior Associate at SCA and Mr. Mark Abbs, Partner at Blick Rothenberg.

The event was hosted at the premises of our Patron SCA ONTIER.

To kick off, Ms. Carr explained the current situation of the UK after Brexit vote. She developed the idea of what Brexit means for businesses and individuals, and how it will gradually be applied. She also described what the Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty means, a hot topic these days, and what this implies for the Government and Parliament.

After Danielle’s explanation, Mr. Stinson analysed the current trade situation between the EU and UK, and how it will be affected by Brexit. Then both of them explained different trade relations between EU non-member countries with the EU and hypothesized about which example would be the best for the future UK-EU relationship. Both of them finalised their intervention giving the attendees some tips about how to prepare themselves and their business for different EU-UK relation scenarios.

Experts from SCA ONTIER and Blick Rothenberg helped the attendees understand the future business scenario.

After this presentation, Mr. Abbs from Blick Rothenberg took over. He talked about the internal and external factors that are shaping the current situation of the country and its short-term future . To continue with his evaluation, he focused on potential risks and opportunities for employers and workers.

This led to a conversation on what will happen next regarding immigration policies and tax payments for European citizens working in the UK. The participants were very interested in possible changes about their citizenship/passport issues and freedom of movement between EU countries and the UK.

To conclude the seminar, a Q&A round was performed in order for participants to expose their doubts and questions to the three experts. An interesting debate about different possibilities on how Brexit will be applied and what it will mean in different aspects for corporates and individuals, with a special focus on foreign citizens working in the UK.

Attendees had the opportunity to network over a great breakfast.

Before the seminar was over, participants were invited to enjoy breakfast, whilst given the opportunity to discuss the session’s ideas and concepts further with the speakers.

We are grateful to our member Blick Rothenberg and SCA ONTIER, Patron of the Chamber and kind host of this session, for delivering such a dynamic and engaging session. We would like to thank all attendees who joined us and remind them that on Thursday 23^rd February we will be organising another seminar on Brexit with SCA ONTIER, this time focused on Taxes.

If you want to find out about other activities organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter in order to receive updates and information about our events.

13/12/2016

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