Opinion CHAMBER
The Official Publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce
LINK
Editor’s View
By John Lamb
A welcome opportunity to strengthen relationships
Sutton Coldfield
Chamber of Commerce
Greater Birmingham
Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce
month, we received a timely request from across the pond as well as a particularly pertinent piece of prose from our former president, Paul Kehoe. The invitation came in the form of a request
A Greater Birmingham
Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce
Front cover: Chamber president Saqib Bhatti prepares for charity sky dive See page 8
Editor John Lamb 0121 274 3239, 0797 1144064
j.lamb@
birmingham-chamber.com
Deputy Editor Dan Harrison 0121 274 3238, 0797 1144052
d.harrison@birmingham-chamber.com
Reporter Jessica Brookes 0750 8317356
j.brookes@
birmingham-chamber.com
You can now read the latest issue of CHAMBERLINK and view back issues online at:
www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com
for a blog from the British Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Toronto. They felt that Canadians would value hearing
the views on Brexit of business representatives in the heart of the UK ahead of the high-profile GBTCC conference at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in Birmingham on 27 June. They will be attending along with many UK delegates (see page 31).
‘Any companies who may feel apprehensive about getting into exports but want to look at the US and Canada should pop into the Conservatoire’
We were able to explain that amid all of the Published by
turmoil surrounding the frustrating and fluctuating Brexit negotiations over the past three years, we have regarded the whole mess as an opportunity. An opportunity, that is, to re-build our trading
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4 CHAMBERLINK June 2019
relationships with Commonwealth countries, like Canada, as well as the rest of the world. Coincidentally, Paul Kehoe in his Postcard from
Bahrain (see pages 14 and 15) focused on exports, urging Midland (and British) companies to boost
s we build up to another conference for our Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce (GBTCC) this
their trade by re-doubling their efforts to export to the world’s largest economy – ie the US. Wise words from a man who, now that he is
based in Bahrain, can take a faraway perspective at how things are looking back home. As well as the Commonwealth, we must take a
look at the trade opportunities available in Canada and the particularly the US. And the conference, with its key speakers, will
do just that. British-branded goods are admired and desired in most parts of the world. And many, especially here in the Midlands, are geared up to take full advantage. But any companies who may feel
apprehensive about getting into exports but want to look at the US and Canada should pop into the Conservatoire. There will be many personnel from the Chamber who can help as well as getting advice from businesses that are already trading successfully across the pond. And despite all of the shenanigans going on
in Whitehall, where the only subject today is the B-word, many within those portals are working hard to help British companies succeed overseas. As Paul points out, there is a network of
overseas staff working on our behalf to raise the profile of British trade, culture and influence through the High Commissions, Embassies, Consulates and Trade Missions in some 200 countries around the world. And none more prestigious ambassadorial appointment than in Washington DC.
To find out more and to book, go to
https://bit.ly/Transatlantic2019
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