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What Should You ‘Outsource’ To Your Chamber(s) Of Commerce Of Choice?
Webinar

Webinar Recording

In 1599 Marseille created the first Chambre de Commerce. The main function of a Chamber of Commerce is to promote local businesses. Chambers often provide local and overseas networking, educational opportunities, apprenticeship schemes, and lobbying on business & commercial issues, as well as the latest marketing and promotional techniques. The movement is global, ranging from the Handelskammern in Germany, which have highly formal roles affiliated with government, to mutual structures in many English-speaking regions. Chambers provide an opportunity for businesses to ‘outsource’ several functions, e.g. information gathering, lobbying, events, and promotion. A ‘local’ Chamber is often a basic, useful, affiliation for a business, but membership of multiple, and varied, Chambers is often collectively beneficial. This webinar will explore what is available and what businesses should consider.

To explore the world of Chambers, we have assembled a panel of four speakers representing some of the variety available:

Sharon Constançon – Chairman of the South African Chamber of Commerce (London), and Chairman of the Council of Foreign Chambers of Commerce in the UK (CFCC)
Richard Burge – CEO, London Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Dr Adam Marshall – Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), the national representative body of 52 accredited Chambers of Commerce across the UK
Nigel Bacon – CEO, Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce

The panel will each present one example of their work with a genuine ‘paradigm’ client, and then discuss with the audience:

Global overview, and what is an ‘official’ chamber of commerce
What various types of Chambers of Commerce offer
When you should engage a Chamber of Commerce
How Chamber of Commerce services differ from government, academic, or commercial advice
What functions can be ‘outsourced’ to a chamber of commerce
Why your business should be a member

Speakers:

Sharon Constançon is a Chartered Director, Chartered Secretary and a fellow of ICSA, a fellow of the IoD, a member of CISI International Committee, Chairman of the South African Chamber of Commerce UK and a member of the WCCSA Membership Committee.

As CEO of Genius Methods and Genius Boards, Sharon offers robust, behavior-focused board evaluations, mentoring, corporate governance services and training to many industries. Her clients include FTSE and regulated businesses, SMEs, family businesses, investment trusts, insurance, financial services, health services, charities and the housing sector.

Richard Burge has been the chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry since February 2020.

He has led four multi-million pound organisations as chief executive over a total of 18 years. They ranged from a famous charity to a UK government agency to a private company to a membership body. All of them were revenue-based operations delivering public benefits.

He has been on the Board and a non-executive chair/director of five multi-million pound operations including companies, charities, two government agencies, and a UK Russell Group university.

Richard has worked in over 55 countries, specialising in Africa, the wider Commonwealth, and post-conflict situations.

Dr Adam Marshall, as the Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is a man with his finger on the pulse of British Business. Charged with representing the interests of many thousands of British Businesses, Adam works at the highest level of business, government and media to tackle many of the key issues facing business today.

Nigel Bacon has been CEO and Company Secretary of the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce in London since 2005. Established in 1921 in London and located inside the High Commission of Canada in London, the Chamber is a business networking organisation with over 300 member companies and focuses on business introductions and referrals, with a very active events programme. Prior to the Chamber, he spent 15 years with the British Council in Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Oman and Bahrain, and qualified as a Solicitor with McKenna & Co (now CMS). Nigel served as Vice Chairman of the Council for Foreign Chambers of Commerce in London for 3 years.

Date
Friday, 16 October 2020

Time
11:00 - 11:45 BST

Cost
Free

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Resources:

Chambers Of Commerce Slides

Speaker(s):

Sharon Constançon
Chairman of the South African Chamber of Commerce (London), and Chairman of the Council of Foreign Chambers of Commerce in the UK (CFCC)

Sharon Constançon's bio