Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Etiqueta: Spanish Chamber

ANNUAL GOLDEN AWARD 2018 | CAF

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain celebrated its Annual Golden Award on the 12^TH April at the Spanish Embassy in London. This is one of the main corporate events that the Chamber organises each year and acknowledges the significant commercial activity of a Spanish company in the United Kingdom during the previous year.

This year the company who received the award was CAF, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, a leader in the railway industry with a workforce of approximately 8,500 people. Mr. Andrés Arizkorreta, President of CAF, received the award on behalf of the company and express his gratitude for this recognition.

The event began with the Ambassador H.E. Mr. Carlos Bastarreche, who is also the Honorary President of the Spanish Chamber, welcoming the attendees and congratulating CAF for their outstanding activity in the UK.

Following his speech, the President of the Chamber, Mr. Javier San Basilio, introduced the awarded company and provided further information about the achievements of CAF in the UK, which began in 1994 when they won the contract to manufacture Heathrow Express trains. Since then they have worked on large scale projects such as the diesel trains for Northern Ireland Railways and the tram networks in Edinburgh and Birmingham.

Mr. Arizkorreta shared with attendees his feelings of gratitude for receiving such an important recognition for the outstanding work of CAF and its international strategy, which has led up to them currently working with Arriva, First Group, Serco and West Midland Trains for the provision and maintenance of new trains that will operate on various routes covering the north of the country.

He recounted that last year CAF acquired the prestigious British engineering firm BWB Consulting, which has enabled them to establish their presence in the UK as a trusted provider within the transport sector.

Approximately 200 guests were present at the event, representing member companies from both Spain and the UK. This was a great opportunity for all of them to expand their networks and meet new professionals from the Anglo-Spanish business community in an environment as the Embassy.

We take this opportunity to thank our kind sponsors on this special occasion. We are grateful to our patrons Ibérica Restaurants and Raventós Codorníu for providing the ibérico ham and the cava; to benefactor Estrella Galicia for the beers served at the event and finally, to our member Marqués de Cáceres for providing the wines.

Finally, we would also like to thank our members for joining us on this very special occasion.

We encourage you to browse the UPCOMING EVENTS section of our website in order to keep up to date with future Spanish Chamber corporate events, seminars and other activities.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

23/04/2018
IBÉRICA RESTAURANTS | NEW PATRON OF THE CHAMBER

We would like to welcome Ibérica Restaurants as a new Patron of the Spanish Chamber.

Ibérica are a family of modern, authentic Spanish tapas restaurants, inspired and guided by Michelin-starred Executive Chef, Nacho Manzano. Ten years ago Ibérica set out to bring the true spirit of Spain to the UK, inviting the guests who walk through their doors to join the restaurant in celebrating their roots and homeland. Their passion lies in bringing great-quality and great-tasting dishes to your table, by working with some of the best producers of food and wine that Spain has to offer.

Spanish architect Lázaro Rosa Violán has designed all of their restaurants with a look and feel that transports you to Spain when you visit. From tiling that resembles the tapas bars of Andalucía to vintage maps, paintings and pots to celebrate Asturian Celtic heritage, he’s put outstanding dedication in giving each Ibérica its own unique character.

Today there are seven restaurants in the family; Marylebone – the first and now flag ship, Canary Wharf, Farringdon, Victoria, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. La Terraza, Iberica’s outside wine bar, opens for the spring and summer months opposite their main Canary Wharf restaurant and is a popular spot for city workers to enjoy a drink after work.

Ibérica offers private and semi-private dining and event spaces in many of their restaurants, for any occasion. Exclusive hire of the whole restaurant is also possible. They offer a range of group dining and canape menus, as well as being able to provide some theatre, if desired, with ham carving, cider pouring and wine tasting.

Ibérica welcomes not only diners, but guests who would just like to sit at the bar and enjoy a drink – perhaps a glass of wine from one of the boutique Spanish wineries Ibérica works with and not available anywhere else in the UK. Pinchos are served in the bars in the early evenings and the surroundings and friendly staff provide a relaxed setting in which to unwind.

Should you want to know more about our new Patron, please visit their website:

www.ibericarestaurants.com/

05/02/2018
A NEW EDITION OF THE “TWO WEEKS PROGRAMME” IN LONDON

On Friday 29^th July the Spanish Chamber of Commerce hosted an informative session that was part of “The Two Weeks Programme”, an initiative jointly organised by the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and the Valencia University (UV).

This is the fifth year in a row in which the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain takes part in this exciting initiative. The delegation that came to London was led by Mr. Antonio Reig, Prof. Dr. Industrial Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and coordinator of the programme.

The “Two Weeks Programme” takes place once a year and it gives 20 students from the above universities the opportunity to travel to London for a two-week stay. During the programme the participants attend a course about recruitment processes and visit prestigious companies from different industries related to their field of studies, such as Energy, IT, Industrial Production, Technical Consultancy, Financial Engineering, Construction and Real Estate.

The participants of the «Two Weeks Programme» from the UPV.

The session hosted at the Spanish Chamber provided further information about the role of the institution and the opportunities available in the UK for young graduates.

To start off, Ms. Cristina Carmona, Head of External Relations and Communications, welcomed the participants on behalf of our institution and spoke about the main services provided by the Chamber and the activities we organise throughout the year. This topic proved of special interest for the students, who took the opportunity to enquire further about it.

Ms. Cristina Carmona (Spanish Chamber of Commerce) welcoming the participants along with Mr. Geoff Curran (Energy Live News).

The next speaker was Ms. Sofía Vázquez, Co-founder of Bookingenglish, a company specialised in sourcing English courses, assessing candidates CVs and finding placements for graduates. She offered the participants of the Two Weeks Programme useful tips to be successful at interviews and selection processes, and highlighted the importance of making a first good impression.

She also mentioned other things to take into consideration such as the need to be flexible in a competitive and demanding market and shared her experience as co-founder of a business and the challenges it presents.

Ms. Sofía Vázquez, Co-Founder of Bookingenglish, during her talk.

Finally it was the turn of Geoff Curran, Founder and Commercial Director of Energy Live News, a leading energy news site in the United Kingdom. Mr. Curran shared relevant information about the background of the company and focused on explaining how to survive and thrive in business by providing an inspiring talk full of day-to-day examples to follow based on his previous experience.

Ms. Cristina Carmona closed the informative session and received a commemorative plaque from Mr. Antonio Reig as a memory of this fifth collaboration between our institution and the participants of the “Two Weeks Programme”.

Mr. Antonio Reig (UPV) handed a plate to Ms. Cristina Carmona (Spanish Chamber of Commerce) to mark this visit.

We would like to thank all the speakers of this informative session as well as the students who have taken part this year in the “Two Weeks Programme” for their interest and involvement.

If you wish to obtain further details about the programme and how it works, have a look at the following video on last year’s edition.

03/08/2016
INFORMAL SUMMER PARTY

On Tuesday 5^th July we welcomed the summertime with our traditional Informal Summer Party which on this occasion was kindly sponsored by PortAventura World, member of the Chamber.

This is one of our most popular events as it marks the end of our activities until September, so members take this opportunity to say farewell before their holidays and share their summer plans.

The party was a great success and over 150 guests gathered together, with the opportunity to learn first-hand about the new projects of PortAventura World while sipping delicious cocktails and canapes. The venue certainly contributed to create a relaxing but engaging atmosphere and allowed attendees to catch up with fellow members.

The spacious venue allowed attendees to mingle in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

Once the event was in full swing, our Secretary General Mr. Igor Urra, welcomed guests on behalf of our institution and introduced the representatives of PortAventura World: Ms. Coro Miguel, Head of Sales, and Mr. David Sánchez, Senior International Sales Manager.

They took the floor to thank everyone for joining such a wonderful evening and explained in further detail how PortAventura World will be welcoming new and exciting projects in 2017, including a Ferrari-themed park. They went on to show a video presentation that allowed attendees to discover and learn about the full extent of the PortAventura World experience.

From left to right: Mr. David Sánchez, Ms. Coro Miguel (representatives of PortAventura World) and Mr. Igor Urra (Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain).

After the speeches, it was time for the prize draw, where guests were in with the chance to win a weekend stay at PortAventura World. The lucky winners were Javier Arbina, from Arbina restaurant; Jose Saras, from Preiskel & Co., both members of the Chamber; and Paula Enríquez, from SCA Ontier, Patron of the Chamber.

One of the winners of a weekend stay at PortAventura World.

We would very much like to thank everyone who shared this evening with us and congratulate the winners. We are also extremely grateful to PortAventura World for having kindly sponsored this event and allowing our members to learn first-hand about their new projects.

The event gathered over 150 guests from different business sectors.

This Informal Summer Party is the icing on the cake to a fantastic first semester and it is now time to work on new activities for the rest of the year. We will be back in September with the next edition of the International Wine Tasting on Tuesday 20^th September, so please save the date in your diary.

If you missed our Informal Summer Party or just want to find out about other activities that the Spanish Chamber is organising from September onwards, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section within our website.

14/07/2016
ELEVATOR PITCH | XXVI EDITION

On Thursday 30^th June, we held the XXVI edition of our Elevator Pitch networking event. This edition took place at Kantox, member of the Spanish Chamber, whose premises are outstandingly located in the heart of The City of London.

On this occasion, Mr. Brad Newton welcomed everyone on behalf of Kantox and Igor Urra, our Secretary General and Nerea Esgueva, Corporate Relations Manager, explained the dynamics of this activity to the attendees, whose main purpose is to provide participants with the possibility to expand their network and to explore further avenues of collaboration with the rest of participants.

From left to right: Mr. Brad Newton, FX Specialist at Kantox and Mr. Igor Urra, who welcomed attendees on behalf of The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.

Should you be interested in participating in the next edition of this networking event, there are just a couple of things you need to know regarding this format: Usually there are up to 16 participant companies, and only one representative per company is allowed. However, it is possible to have up to two companies from the same business sector. Therefore, attendees are able to meet a wide variety of companies from different sectors and exchange their business cards.

On this occasion, there was a wide variety of sectors represented among the 15 companies that took part in this edition: Arbonne International (Health and Wellness), Banco Popular (Banking Financial Services), Bluefin Insurance Services (Insurance), Docexpresso (Communications, IT and Networks), F-Initiatives (Banking and Financial Services), Grupo Konecta (Business Consultancy Services), H10 London Waterloo (Hotels and Accommodation), Haymarket Risk Management (Business Consultancy Services), Kantox (Foreign Exchange), Mindjuicer Communications (Advertising and Marketing), Preiskel & Co (Legal Services), Safe Computing (Communications, IT and Networks), Stonehealth (Health), The London School of English (Language Services) and We Find Group (Recruitment Agency).

Attendees had two minutes to introduce their companies to the rest of participants.

After the round of questions, everyone had the opportunity to chat and continue networking over a delicious breakfast provided by the host company.

Thank you to all the professionals who have been part of the last edition of the Elevator Pitch and our gratitude to Kantox for kindly hosting the event and welcoming us.

After the event, participants had the opportunity to enjoy a delicious breakfast offered by Kantox.

If you missed this event or simply want to know what we are up to next, have a look at the UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website or subscribe to our electronic newsletter for weekly updates.

08/07/2016
EVENING TALK | MIND THE GAAP: DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES IN ACCOUNTING FRAMEWORKS

On Wednesday 30^th March we had the pleasure to attend the evening talk “Mind the Gaap: Differences and Similarities in Accounting Frameworks”, organised in collaboration with Kingston Smith, Patron of the Chamber, which took place at their premises in London.

The main objective of this talk was to provide a practical training about the main differences and similarities between the accounting frameworks FRS 102, old UK GAAP and IFRS and summarize the impact for companies in the UK.

On this occasion, Mr. Paul Spindler, Partner at Kingston Smith, and Ms. Viviana Arenas welcomed the attendees on behalf of Kingston Smith, a company which offers accounting, taxation and consultancy services to businesses in the UK, Spain and Latin America.

Ms. Viviana Arenas, Project Accountant at Kingston Smith and the speaker for the session, gave attendees a general overview of the FRS 102, which is based on IFRS for SMEs amended for use in the UK. This new standard applies for accounting periods beginning on or after 1^st January 2015, and replaces the old UK GAAP.

Ms. Viviana Arenas during her explanation about the new accounting standard.

After this brief introduction, she moved on to give a brief explanation of the companies that need to adopt this new accounting regime. She emphasised the fact that companies that have previously presented their accounts under UK GAAP will apply the new standard unless they prepare their accounts under IFRS, or they are able to adopt the FRS 105, which replaces the FRSSE, for micro companies.

She then introduced the key differences compared to the old UK GAAP, considering several aspects, such as, potential effects on banking covenants, profit related bonus schemes or dividend policy, property, plant and equipment, business combination and financial instruments, among others. Ms. Arenas highlighted the topics where the accounting treatment under FRS 102 is substantially different and analysed the impact on the major changes for companies when switching to the new standard.

She ensured that attendees knew the most important changes that could significantly affect the figures presented in their accounts in order to face all the challenges and requirements for accounting in the UK.

Once the talk had finished attendees had the opportunity to network and axchange their opinions about the session.

After the explanations, Viviana encouraged attendees to share their thoughts in order to identify the areas that may affect their accounts on the transition to FRS 102.

Once the session finished, participants could enjoy an interactive networking over drinks and nibbles while sharing thoughts and discussing further all the ideas covered in the talk.

Before finishing, we would like to thank all attendees for joining us as well as the team of Kingston Smith for delivering this productive presentation on the new accounting framework.

If you want to find out other activities that the Spanish Chamber of Commerce is organising, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section within our website.

07/04/2016
EVENING TALK | JUMPING BARRIERS WHEN MOVING ABROAD.

On Thursday 17th March we held the evening talk “Jumping Barriers When Moving Abroad”, organised in collaboration with Kantox, member of the Spanish Chamber.

This two-hour event was the perfect occasion to show the participants how to mitigate risks when moving abroad by explaining which possible barriers should be taken into account to succeed during this process.

On this occasion, Brandon Smith, Country Manager at Kantox, welcomed attendees and briefly introduced himself before moving on to presenting the guest speaker for the evening: Daniel Evans, Chief Financial Officer at Dating Factory, who provided a practical example of the different barriers businesses must overcome based from his first-hand experience.

From left to right: Daniel Evans, Chief Financial Officer at Dating Factory and Brandon Smith, Country Manager at Kantox.

To kick off, Daniel started by explaining relevant information about the background of the company and where it came from before tackling the main content of his speech: the issues that arose when relocating the company from Ukraine to Bulgaria.

He then elaborated on this by explaining the struggles Dating Factory had to overcome during this process, which were mainly related to the following issues: legal aspects, technology, banks and financing, employees, cultural issues and currency approach. In this sense, he emphasised the relevance of having a proper FX strategy when entering a foreign market where local currency was difficult to get from traditional banks and explained the crucial role played by Kantox in their successful case.

The attendees were listening attentively throughout the session.

To conclude the seminar, Daniel provided an overview about the topics discussed in the talk and highlighted the importance of preparing a good plan in advance, learning quickly from mistakes and having constant communication at all levels. More importantly, David emphasized on the figure of the project manager and how having one can make a big difference to ease the hassle that arises from moving the company and its workforce abroad.

The event then moved on to the Q&A session, where the speaker provided further examples to answer the questions from the participants. Once the Q &A session was over, attendees and speakers could network and share their opinions over some drinks and nibbles while enjoying the breath-taking views over London.

Once the talk had finished, attendees had the opportunity to network and exchange their opinions about the session.

Last but not least, we encourage you to keep updated on all the activities of the Spanish Chamber by visiting our UPCOMING EVENTS section. You can also subscribe to our weekly electronic newsletter in order to receive updates on the latest activities of the Chamber!

05/04/2016
TAPAS – THE DEFINING INVENTION OF SPANISH GASTRONOMY

If there is something for which Spanish food is recognised world-wide that is the invention of tapas. These little portions of food have made Spanish gastronomy popular in almost every corner of the planet, but there’s still much confusion about what a tapa is (or even isn’t). We have asked our member Mariscal & Sarroca, experts on fine food products, to shed some light on the topic. Here’s their view on the subject.

A tapa is truly an essential element of Spanish gastronomy. A tapa is defined as ‘any small portion of food that accompanies a drink’. Tapas bars can be found all around the world, and London is no exception. Experts do not agree on how the concept of tapa was created. Some people attribute its invention to the King Alfonso X, and some others to King Alfonso XIII.

Legend has it that Alfonso X, who was King of Castile and Leon in the 13th c. had weak health, and he ordered that all the inns throughout his land had to always serve wine with a bit of food, so that the wine would be easier to digest. Cervantes, the great novelist from the XVII talks about this custom.

However, there are those who think that the origin of tapas and the name must be attributed to Alfonso XIII. It seems that the King was visiting the province of Cadiz where he ordered a glass of sherry. It was very windy that day, often the case in this area, and to stop the beach sand from flying into the King’s glass, the waiter covered it with a slice of ham.

The King thought this was a fantastic idea, and he ordered all the next rounds of sherries to come with a ‘tapa’, word which in Spanish means ‘lid’ or ‘cover’. The concept quickly spread throughout the country, and as you know, going out for tapas and drinks is a very popular tradition in Spain, a fun way of tasting an array of different flavours, but not getting too full.

The products from Mariscal & Sarroca are prefect to prepare the best quality tapas in no time. Do not take our word for it and give our products a go trying to reproduce the classic ham croquetas, an all-time tapas winner.

HAM CROQUETTE (CROQUETA) RECIPE

Croquetas are small, lightly breaded and fried fritters. They are a sure hit as an appetizer or an afternoon snack with a beer or a glass of wine. They are creamy and smooth and very tasty. You can make the dough ahead and freeze it. A very popular Spanish tapa!

Ingredients (makes about 25)

– 250 g Iberico ham Mariscal & Sarroca

– 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Mariscal & Sarroca

– 120 g unsalted butter

– 115 g plain flour

– 1 l full fat milk

– ½ tsp nutmeg

– Salt and pepper for seasoning

– 3 eggs, beaten

– 250 g breadcrumbs

– 1 l oil for deep frying

Directions

Cut the ham into small pieces, heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and gently fry the ham for about 10 minutes until any fat has been largely rendered off. Stir in the flour and continue to cook, over a low heat, for a further 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Put the milk into a pan and gently warm to just below a simmer. Gradually beat the warm milk into the ham and flour mixture, stirring all the time to form a smooth béchamel. Continue to cook and stir for a further 10 to 15 minutes. Add the nutmeg and season with salt and black pepper.

Remove from heat, transfer mixture to a container and leave to cook slightly, cover with cling film, pressing it down to the surface of the béchamel to prevent a skin forming. Put in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours.

To make the croquetas, have the beaten eggs in a shallow bowl, followed by the breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl, and a tray where to arrange the finished croquetas.

Using your hands, form a golfball sized sphere with the béchamel. Dip it into the egg, coat well with the breadcrumbs and leave to rest on the tray. Repeat until all the mixture has been used.

Heat the oil in a large pan or deep fryer and fry the croquetas in batches for about 2-3 minutes until heated through and golden brown. Remove from the oil, drain on kitchen paper and serve at once while still hot.

The content of this post has been sponsored by Mariscal & Sarroca, member of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain. If you would like to find out more about Mariscal & Sarroca, learn other delicious recipes or simply order the products to reproduce at home some tasty croquetas, please visit their website gourmetfoodspain.co.uk/ or click on the image below.

Mariscal & Sarroca will be taking part in the Speciality & Fine Food Fair, the quintessential trade event for fine food, that will take place from 7^th – 9^th September in London. If you would like to drop in to visit them, please visit www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk for further details on how to attend.

01/09/2014
REGENT’S UNIVERSITY LONDON, NEW PATRON OF THE CHAMBER

We would like to welcome REGENT’S UNIVERSITY LONDON as a new Patron of the Spanish Chamber.

Regent’s University London is one of the UK’s most respected independent and nonprofit universities. Regent’s University has students from 140 different nationalities that considered it a truly international university.

Their central London campus located in the hearth of Royal Park and only a few minutes away from the financial centre of London, the West End and the many attractions of this exciting European city offers an comfortable, intimate, safe and studying ambience.

Regent’s University offers an unrivalled setting for higher education as a wide range of courses, including British and American degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Regent’s University London is comprised of seven specialist schools. Each student is a member of their own school as well as the University as a whole.

For additional information, please visit their website: www.regents.ac.uk

04/06/2014
Patron’s Club: An Evening at Wembley

On Tuesday 15^th October representatives of the Patron companies from the Spanish Chamber attended the England vs. Poland FIFA World Cup European Qualifying match at Wembley Stadium. The event turned out to be an exciting game as the outcome decided the certain qualification of one of the teams.

Club Wembley kindly provided our Patrons with a champagne reception at the Bobby Moore bar and offered them the chance to mingle and make their bets on the game before the match started.

Wembley stadium hosted the decisive match between England and Poland.

The match was decisive, since it led directly to classification to the World Cup in Brazil next June, and England did not disappoint the crowd that came to Wembley to support them. The match was really thrilling with England scoring two goals against the Polish team.

Supporters from both teams vibrated with emotion in every play and phase. Our Patrons proved to be passionate by showing their excitement and jumping off their seats every time some player got close to the opponent side.

We would like to thank Club Wembley for providing us with the chance to experience an evening at Wembley Stadium premises and for the care and attention given to our Patrons.

We would also like to thank Patrons for their participation and we look forward to seeing them at the the next Patrons’ Club Event: a blind tasting which will be held at The Haciendas Club, member of the Chamber, on 21st November.

22/10/2013

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