Our Global Annual Conference 2023 took place on Wednesday 17 May.

Our theme for 2023 was Building British Business. The full day conference was an opportunity for business leaders from across the UK, and the globe, to come together to discuss the opportunities for growth to help local communities thrive.

Throughout the day, delegates heard from key senior politicians and other notable public figures about their plans for growth. The conference was centred around four key breakout sessions for thought-provoking discussion amongst peers across the Chamber Network.
The four sessions were:

TRADE: Breakout Session: In Partnership with Heathrow
ECONOMIC GROWTH: Breakout Session: In Partnership with NatWest
GREEN INNOVATION: Breakout Session: In Partnership with Drax
SKILLS: Breakout Session: Brought to you by BCC Experts

Register Your Interest

Wednesday 17th May, 2023 in the QEII Centre, London

GLOBAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2023

High-Profile Speakers

Hear from brilliant and inspiring speakers from the world of politics, business and beyond.

Amazing networking opportunities

Strengthen your existing connections and make new ones at our full day in-person conference.

Help Build British Business

Add your voice to our advocacy campaigns in the executive breakout sessions.

GLOBAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2023

OUR Previous Speakers

Baroness Martha Lane Fox Cbe

President, British Chambers of Commerce

sir keir starmer

Leader of the Opposition

Ayesha hazarika

Columnist and Broadcaster

ANDREW BAILEY

Governor of the Bank of England

SHEVAUN HAVILAND

Director General, British Chambers of Commerce

SARAH HOWARD MBE

Chair of the British Chamber of Commerce and Director, Sarand Business Software

LINZI BOYD

Global speaker and serial entrepreneur

SOLANGE CHAMBERLAIN

Chief Operating Officer, Commercial & Institutional, NatWest Group

EMMA GILTHORPE

Chief Operating Officer, Heathrow

CLARE HARBORD

Group Director of Corporate Affairs, Drax Group

JEREMY HUNT MP

Chancellor of the Exchequer

AGENDA

EVENT PROGRAMME

Our theme for 2023 is Building British Business. The full day conference will be an opportunity for business leaders from across the UK, and the globe, to come together to discuss the opportunities for growth to help local communities thrive.

TRADE Breakout Session: In Partnership with Heathrow

Maximising the UK’s trade potential.

Heathrow Airport is at the heart of facilitating Britain’s trade across the world as the most valuable port in the U.K., supporting 1.4m tonnes of goods flowing through by air freight in 2021 alone. £66.7bn of UK exports passed through Heathrow Airport in 2019, some 40% of UK exports excluding the EU and Switzerland. Heathrow also hosts a burgeoning e-commerce trade representing hundreds of high-value consumer brands for sale to its millions of passengers annually.
This session will explore the opportunities and challenges for customers of air freight, trade and e-commerce with the rollout from later this year of the UK’s new Single Trade Window, and the impact of inbound border controls at ports on goods entering and leaving Great Britain through the new Border Target Operating Model. It will explore how the UK’s only hub airport and its customers can play their part in facilitating a growth in exports and global e-commerce trade in goods. Moreover, through greater digitalisation and use of technology in trade and customs facilitation processes, this session will explore how this development can travel together with export growth for SMEs too.

ECONOMIC GROWTH Breakout Session: In Partnership with NatWest

Economic growth: Scaling barriers to build British champions.

The UK has been praised as a competitive destination to start and grow a business. High Growth businesses are the engine of the UK economy, they are a key to our future prosperity, our future employers and creators of inclusive growth and regional equality. However, recent economic headwinds and volatility have added fresh challenges to businesses looking to continue on their growth journey. This session will unpack the challenges, opportunities and action needed to support more companies to scale and drive economic growth.

Global annual conference 2023

Global annual conference 2023