On Thursday 30 June, the British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference took place at the QEII Centre in London, welcoming business leaders from the UK and around the world to come together and explore the potentials of a more sustainable and responsible future.
Following the turbulence of the pandemic, the BCC welcomed the opportunity to bring people together to take a particular focus on:
- PEOPLE – Developing talent now and for the future
- PLANET – Boosting a green global economy
- PROGRESS – Seizing new opportunities
Sharon Smith, CEO, and Robert Elliot, Director of Business Development and Engagement, at Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce attended this long-awaited event and gained some incredible insight from the various panel discussions, presentations, and peer-to-peer sessions. It was also a wonderful opportunity to meet familiar faces and new, in a room full of delegates from Chambers and other organisations across the globe.
Event Opening
The event was opened by Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor at the Times, who spoke about some of the sustainability threads introduced into the event planning such as the replacement of paper using an app, the use of public transport, provision of vegan/vegetarian meals and much more. There was also a message from Her Majesty The Queen, Patron of the British Chambers of Commerce.
Following the event opening, we heard from the Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, Shevaun Haviland who spoke about the resilience of businesses in unprecedented, challenging economic times. Shevaun discussed power in partnerships and how this underpins the ability to progress people through skills and invest in new opportunities for sustainable growth.
Shevaun introduced Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and our team found the discussion about the future interesting. Rishi provided some insights into the Autumn budget such as incentives for smaller businesses to invest, and he recognised the role Chambers of Commerce play in global trade and the support we provide to importers and exporters.
This was further discussed by Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Secretary of State for International Trade, who gave an update on Free Trade Agreement progress and negotiations around the world. Anne-Marie stressed the goal of making it easier for businesses to trade overseas. She recognised that Complex Customs processes are a challenge. In an ever-more complex world of international trade, access to advice, support and training becomes an essential asset for businesses. With regular, interactive training events and ourxperienced team here to help, the HW Chamber of Commerce can offer invaluable support to the businesses of Herefordshire and Worcestershire who are supporting the international trade industry.
Find out more about our International Trade support.
There was also a great moment as the Director General asked Rishi Sunak for his ‘elevator pitch’ for investing in the UK! This prompted an interesting disussion about the future of technology and harnessing all its opportunities – ‘Innovation is the most important thing for us economically’.
Recognising and Developing the Skills of Our People
A fantastic conversation between Baroness Alison Wolf and Corin Crane, CEO of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, focused on the topic of skills, people and new local skills improvement plans. Skills is not a separate issue or conversation, it’s at the core of all business processes, challenges, and the future. Local businesses and providers must be at the heart of future provision. Adjusting and adding new skills to existing programs to support industries and technologies of the future is fundamentally important.
The team also enjoyed an excellent panel session – and an interesting maths challenge! – at the British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference which included a full and detailed discussion about the importance of enhancing business skills from school through to career.
Maths and literacy skills don’t just end with school, and we heard from Bobby about enhancing maths and literacy skills in business. This interesting session included a maths challenge which we were all encouraged to take part in. We heard the shocking statistic that 1 in 2 adults typically couldn’t answer this question correctly, and this put into perspective the need for positive change. Improving confidence and competence are two important areas that can be turned around.
Sharon Smith recounted how she particularly enjoyed hearing from Bobby, as he put the issue of maths and literacy in the workplace into real-world perspective. She found his positive attitude towards making a change to be inspirational. Sharon also revealed her slightly “geeky” side as she particularly enjoyed the maths challenge!
Introducing the World of Work During School
4 current year-10 students at the Grey Coat Hospital School with fantastic career ambitions discussed how businesses can support the progress of students into the professional world.
“The hierarchy, present future job opportunities to young people earlier, value all employees and ability to make changes in the work environment.”
Students progressing from school to the professional world have a stronger focus on good role models, a positive working environment, taking into account the people they work with, but also the physical space around them. Diversity and inclusion are important to young people and the opportunity for creativity, vision, flexibility and skills growth can make or break their decisions around employers.
Young people are questioning how they are prepared for the working-world by their schools, and they aren’t entirely convinced. There is disparity in how they are encouraged to progress into the working world and how they are expected to behave within school. However, the ownership lands with businesses becoming more involved in schools in order to prepare young people for work earlier and with more emphasis on what is really required. Bridging the skills gap can and should start from early on in the schooling years, and recognition that students prefer regular intervention to support them through their journeys should be a priority for businesses.
At the Chamber, we are just as focused on the business leaders of tomorrow, as we are on those of today. This generation of professionals are on their journey to success, and we know that, by supporting and developing them now, we are giving them some great tools and skills to take forward in their career. TYRO Events are a series of free events which take place quarterly throughout the year to inspire young professionals to network with other networking beginners and local businesses.
Sustainability
The Green Innovation Panel hosted by Miranda Barker, CEO of the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce was a great insight into the sustainability of business for the future. As the discussion flowed between people from different but inter-connected industries, the availability and accessibility of funding for businesses was shown to be both an opportunity and a barrier for businesses attempting to improve their sustainability. This eye-opening discussion left our team feeling inspired and provided insight into how the Chamber can offer greater advice and support to businesses looking to improve their green initiatives. The Chamber Sustainability Hub provides useful information about the latest sustainability topics, including how Herefordshire and Worcestershire are contributing to the governments net zero target, important updates from the COP26 event that took place in November 2021, as well as access to key policy documents such as the Chamber Net Zero Report.
A useful discussion into inclusive leadership was held when Halla Tomasdottir, CEO of The B Team, spoke to Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and current Chair of The Elders. While inclusive leadership is perhaps not seen enough at the political level, this opens an important opportunity for business leaders to take on this essential responsibility. They revealed that the 5 steps of the B Team are the way forward in producing this. Guests at the conference were called upon to start working differently, to re-think and re-set.
Our team felt a huge sense of ambition and drive following the BCC Global Annual Conference. Our commitment to the businesses of Herefordshire and Worcestershire continues to be at the heart of what we do, and armed with ideas and insight into improving the skills of our workforces, the sustainability of businesses and the progress we can make as we grow, we are more determined than ever to support our Members through challenging times.