26 www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com


Let’s fix the basics for business


Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, says his organisation is working hard to ensure that the fundamentals of business are working, despite the Brexit effect. Kenny Kemp reports


B


ritain must concentrate harder on getting the business basics right. That’s the conclusion of Dr Adam Marshall, Director


General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BBC), which represents the 53 accredited Chambers of Commerce across the UK, of which Glasgow Chamber is one of the largest and most senior.


Dr Marshall doesn’t want any more set speeches. He wants clear action from the politicians, both north and south of the Border, so that they will work together to build a coherent industrial strategy for the country and a resilient infrastructure so UK business can prosper. He says that while Brexit has become a


political obsession, normal business life is still going on and typical members pose questions such as: “Who can I hire and how long can they stay in my business? Who do I pay VAT to if I’m working overseas? Are my goods likely to get stuck in Customs? What regulation and industrial standards are applicable? Are overseas contracts going to be valid?” Basic questions are perplexing


companies across the UK and they simply want to know what they have to do in future to get on. The BCC is preparing a leader board of the basic issues and, as the final Brexit deal is being concluded, it will be checking to ensure each one of these issues is dealt with properly. For example, there are three million EU citizens working in UK businesses and they must be treated with dignity and given the security they deserve “because we want to keep them in our businesses”.


“We are focusing on the practicalities, so that businesses are able to crack on,” he says.


Speaking in Glasgow, Dr Marshall


gave an insight from his unique vantage point. The BCC chief has regular contact with members of the UK Cabinet and


We are focusing on the


practicalities, so that businesses are able to crack on”


has a direct line into government, with many politicians seeking his assessment of the state of business. The Director General has dual British and American nationality and has worked with BCC for ten years. Before taking on his current role, he was BCC’s Director for Policy and External affairs. Prior to joining BCC, he worked with Start-up Tech Cities. “I’ve been involved in local economic


development and cities and how they grow for coming up to 20 years. It was a logical step to work with the Chambers and people who are passionate about business success,” he told Glasgow Business. He holds a BA from Yale University and an MPhil and PhD from Cambridge University. His doctorate assessing


urban regeneration projects built up a knowledge of Glasgow’s projects in the 1980s and 1990s. “One of the things I did during that research work was look at how European structural funding was being used in Glasgow to help urban regeneration. I’ve been a big fan ever since. Glasgow has one of the best and most cohesive city centres in the UK. It has great spirit and businesses and I’ve always been proud to champion it, among others,” he said. He sees a major part of the BCC’s job


is to accentuate the opportunities and mitigate the dangers. “We need to give businesses the best chance to succeed despite some of the uncertainties out there.” With these 53 Chambers, there are 75,000 businesses employing nearly six million people. “When you join a Chamber, like Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, you then become part of a very big UK-wide family that works together collectively to try and influence the environment on behalf of business everywhere,” he said. The BCC’s activities can be summed


up in four words: Voice, Trade, Membership and Place. “Every Chamber of Commerce gives


a voice to its local business community, it helps it trade internationally, it brings companies and individuals together through that bond of membership, or togetherness, which is so important for many businesses. And of course, we try to make the places where we do business better. “We have a pretty simple job to do but in a very complex environment.”


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