British Chambers of Commerce

British Chambers of Commerce
Abbreviation BCC
Formation 1860
Legal status Not-for-profit organisation
Purpose Chambers of commerce in the UK, and UK business
Location
Region served
Global
Membership
92,000
Director-General
 Adam Marshall
Affiliations Business Link
Website British Chambers of Commerce

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is the national representative body of 52 accredited chambers of commerce across the UK, representing 92,000 businesses. Members range from growth-oriented start-ups to local and regional subsidiaries of multinational companies, in all commercial and industrial sectors, and from all over the UK. Its office is in London on Petty France, near the Ministry of Justice (former Home Office), and off Buckingham Gate (A323).

Director General

Adam Marshall has been Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) since October 2016. Previously, Adam served as the BCC’s Executive Director for Policy and External Affairs (July 2009 – March 2016), and as Acting Director General (March – October 2016)[1]

Prior to joining BCC, Adam helped start up the Centre for Cities, built commercial links between industry and universities, and worked in the broadcast media. He holds a BA from Yale University and MPhil and PhD degrees from the University of Cambridge. Adam is a national of the United Kingdom and the USA.

The previous Director General, John Longworth, resigned as the Director General in March 2016 following his suspension a few days earlier. Regarding the forthcoming referendum on the UK's membership of the EU Longworth had expressed views which were widely perceived as eurosceptic at a time when the BCC's official stance was neutral.

Chamber Awards

The Chamber Awards were launched by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) in 2004 to recognise and celebrate business excellence through the successes and achievements of its Accredited Chambers of Commerce and their members. To date, there have been 620 Chamber Award winners and over £250,000 given out in cash prizes. As part of recognising the significant contribution that a person under 30 can make to the success of a business, the Chamber created a new category and announced the first 'Young person in Business' award winner in November 2014, Oliver Bryssau of Origin Broadband.[2]

Annual conference

The BCC Annual Conference is a yearly one-day event. It is an opportunity for senior politicians, business leaders and thought-leaders to connect over some of the most prominent issues affecting the economy and society. Speakers usually include high profile cabinet ministers and company CEOs, which in the past have included the Rt Hon George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Opposition[3]

The Annual Conference 2017 is being held on 28 February 2017 at QEII Conference Centre[4]

Quarterly economic survey

The British Chambers of Commerce (QES) is the largest and most representative independent business survey of its kind in the UK.[5] The survey has been in existence since 1989 and the survey results are widely reported in the national media.

International trade

Export Britain is the online resource by the British Chambers of Commerce which showcases opportunities in key international markets, and links UK exporters to support available from British Chambers and business groups both in the UK and around the world.[6]

The BCC currently works with over 25 accredited or BCC-assessed international Chambers around the world, details of which can found in their International Directory. These overseas Chambers aim to promote trade between the U.K and their home countries by linking businesses, providing in-country expertise and sharing useful resources.

As part of the Export Britain campaign, the BCC hosts an annual International Trade Conference, bringing together exporting businesses, Chamber staff/members and overseas Chambers for a day of networking, panel debates and workshops. The aim of the event, branded in 2016 as 'Global Business Network Live' is to provide exporters with the knowledge, expertise and contacts they need to succeed. Workshops consisted of practical exporting advice on a range of subjects including export finance, trade events and managing currency fluctuations. Region specific sessions were also run by representatives from overseas chambers. Notable speakers at the 2016 event included Lord Price (Minister of State at the Department of International Trade) and Sarah Wood (Co-founder and CEO, Unruly) among others.

Business and education

The BCC campaign ‘Bridging the Gap’ is a positive call to action to help businesses find the talent they need, and boost the career prospects of young people. The campaign aims to increase collaboration between education providers and businesses, support young people to gain exposure to business and influence government education and skills policy to ensure young people develop the skills, experience and attitude to make a successful transition into work. The 52 Accredited Chambers of Commerce have a growing number of education providers in membership, including 1,700 schools and colleges. Chambers across the country help them connect with their local business community.[7]

This campaign is carried out through the Young Chambers, who provide a range of effective ways to connect businesses and schools, tapping into the knowledge, skills and experience of local firms[8] There are currently 18 Chambers offering the Young Chamber membership offer.

The BCC hosts an annual 'Business and Education Summit' in London to promote the values of the bridging the gap campaign and share insights from organisations around the country. The one-day event is an inspirational and interactive forum which provides the opportunity for delegates to make new connections and engage with latest best practice through expert speakers, panel debates and informative breakout sessions.[9]

Accredited chambers

The British Chambers of Commerce is the top-level business network in the UK, made up of 52 accredited chambers of commerce across the country. Together they represent 104,000 businesses, totalling 4,800,000 employees.

The 52 accredited Chambers are:

North East

South East

South West

North West

West Midlands

East Midlands

East of England

Yorkshire and the Humber

Wales

Northern Ireland

Scotland

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About the BCC". British Chambers of Commerce. British Chambers of Commerce. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "Chamber Awards". Chamber Awards. 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  3. ↑ "BCC Annual Conference 2017". British Chambers of Commerce. British Chambers of Commerce. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  4. ↑ "BCC Annual Conference 2017". BCC Annual Conference 2017. British Chambers of Commerce. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  5. ↑ British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey Archived 7 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine. BCC. 2014. Retrieved on 16 June 2014.
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150222045501/http://exportbritain.org.uk/about-us.html. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ "Bridging the gap between education and business". Business and Education. British Chambers of Commerce. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Young Chamber". Business and Education. British Chambers of Commerce. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "Business and Education Summit". Business and Education. British Chambers of Commerce. Retrieved 8 December 2016.

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