Commonwealth Greater Birmingham
Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce Contact: Mandy Haque T: 0845 6036650
Themed week to boost trade By Jessica Brookes
A renewed effort to boost international trade will provide “vital details and insight on trading” with Commonwealth countries. That’s the view of Stefanie
Bowes, international business manager at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, one of the organisers of the Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce’s (GBCCC) Commonwealth Opportunities
week. The themed week, taking place between 22 and 26 February, will include three webinars and a virtual Commonwealth Conference. Western Union has already
backed the conference, as sponsors of the event’s networking session. The webinars will focus on Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opportunities for business, culture differences when trading with different countries and the benefits of trading with the Commonwealth. Stuart Patrick, chief executive of
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, and Ian Reid, chief executive of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, will provide a presentation and answer businesses’ questions during the Games webinar. Mr Patrick was actively involved in
the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, and will be sharing his perspective on how the Games engaged and benefitted businesses.
‘We’re really pleased to be hosting our first Commonwealth themed week’
Mr Reid has served as chief of the
organising committee for the Birmingham Games for two years, previously also serving as chief financial officer and company secretary for the Glasgow 2014 Games.
Alongside the Games experts, Games organiser: Ian Reid Opportunity knocks: Stef Bowes
representatives from Chambers of Commerce and embassies from a variety of Commonwealth
Trade links promoted at Pakistan business summit
The Chamber is continuing to promote trade links between the UK and Pakistan. After welcoming a number of trade
delegations in recent years from Rawalpindi – organised by that city’s own chamber – the Commonwealth Chamber has attended a business summit in Pakistan. The three-day international chambers summit
was attended by 54 Pakistani chambers, and was organised by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI). The event took place at the end of January in Islamabad. The Commonwealth Chamber – represented
by current president, Joel Blake - was invited to address the summit to outline the business opportunities available in the West Midlands region.
Birmingham Chamber has been at the
forefront to development business links with the South Asian country, which is the fifth most populous in the world. In 2017, at a Pakistan UK Trade Conference, Birmingham Chamber signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Rawalpindi Chamber, which was designed to build future collaboration between the two organisations.
Pakistan is the 33rd largest country in the
world and has a population exceeding 200 million people. It also has the 66th largest export economy. Major trading items include textiles, pharmaceuticals and surgical equipment, ICT and leather. The UK, United States, China, Germany and
Afghanistan are among Pakistan’s top export destinations, with major exports including house linens, rice, non-retail pure cotton yarn, non-knit men’s suits and heavy pure woven cotton. In recent years, the country has been moving
from a primarily agrarian economy to one with a strong service base – the former only represents a fifth of Pakistan’s gross domestic product these days. The international summit is a key event for the
country’s business community, and in 2019 it was attended by Pakistan president and former cricket star Imran Khan. This year’s event also featured a ‘women’s
convention’, designed to highlight the growing importance of businesswomen to the country’s business community. RCCI said: “RCCI is one of the leading chambers of the country and has successfully
organised several national as well as international conferences and exhibitions around the world, with an aim in building healthier ties with different parts of the world. This is an exclusive event where all the chambers of Pakistan are present under the same roof.” Joel Blake said of his visit to the event: "The
impact of Brexit, alongside wider global challenges provides us all with the empowering opportunity to embrace these challenges together, as a global business community. “As the Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce,
we are proud to partner with RCCI bringing together inclusive leaders to explore new and innovative ways to inform policy and develop forward-thinking support at the highest levels.”
February 2021 CHAMBERLINK 51
countries, including Canada, Australia, Singapore and India will be taking part in the events, including the all-day Commonwealth Conference on 25 February. All events as part of the week
are free to attend. Ms Bowes said that the themed
week will be a “fantastic opportunity” for firms to discover more about Commonwealth markets they may well have never considered before. She said: “We’re really pleased to
be hosting our first Commonwealth themed week and conference in 2021, which will provide businesses with vital details and insight on trading with Commonwealth countries as we approach the Commonwealth Games, taking place in Birmingham in 2022.”
To find out more about Commonwealth Opportunities Week or register your place at the virtual events, visit
greaterbirminghamchambers.com/ networking-events/events-calendar
Empowering opportunity: Joel Blake
Commonwealth Chamber Patron
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