UBBC Reception at House of Lords 16 July 2026 – Mark Irwin Baroness Nicholson, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, may I begin by echoing Christophe’s thanks to everyone joining us this evening. I would also like to acknowledge our members for their continued support of the vital work the UBBC is doing to foster productive, rewarding and long-term relationships between UK businesses and our partners and friends in Ukraine, who continue to fight for their freedom and t

Baroness Nicholson, Chair of UBBC, hosted our annual reception in the House of Lords on 16th July in Committee Room G. The guests included a select group of members and businesses operating and interested in engaging with Ukraine. Speakers were introduced by Christophe Michels MD of UBBC and included Baroness Nicholson, who welcomed the guests and referenced her time as an EU rapporteur on Romania in relation to Ukraine’s accession to the EU, and how it will serve to boost th

The conference is the fourth of its kind and brings together the leading countries and funders of Ukraine. This year the accent is firmly on EU accession, and the EU member states projected a high profile, as did the agenda, which strongly focused on how Ukraine can accede to EU, the opportunities and considerations. Leading speakers included Friedrich Merz, PM of Germany, Ursula von del Leyen, of the EU and numerous Prime ministers of smaller EU countries. UK companies had a

A select group of UBBC members made the trip to Kyiv week of 15th June, for some the first time, to make new contacts, absorb and learn about the business environment, investments and opportunities to establish a presence. The meetings focused on members requests and interests, including investment in Miltech, Tech applications for export, financial accreditation for banking and business supply chains, insurance and establishing a mental health charity. Beyond several Miltech

UBBC and several members held an online forum to discuss future opportunities and specific upcoming events. Christophe Michels initially introduced two new advisory members: Mark Irwin, previously CEO of Serco, and Hans Nijkamp, formerly a senior director at Shell. Mark gave his overview of the motivations for supporting Ukraine, the business rationale for the UK, and why members should support Ukraine. He also outlined the medium- and long-term opportunities arising from the

The Strategy council’s forum at Clyde and Co, covered the energy transition in Ukraine, with a significant group of Ukrainian delegates and investors convening in London to discuss the burgeoning growth of renewable energy projects and investment into Ukraine. UK energy minister Michael Shanks MP, outlined what the UK is doing to support this initiative, including investing £573m in Ukraine’s energy system and a £33m grant for energy innovation. Areas for attention include de

Nicholas Hopton and the MEA hosted an absorbing event about digital and cyber impact on global security. Speakers included moderator, Tim Passingham of Cambridge Management Consulting, Vipul Narula CEO, Commercis Technology, Tom Burton– CMC, Steven Whitchurch, Atolls CISO & VP of Enterprise Services And a second panel on Technology in Conflict & Post-Conflict Environments Andro Mathewson, STARK Defence / PHD King’s College London, Michael Nevard, The HALO Trust, Lizzie Jones

The Belarus Free Theatre (BFT), an underground theatre group, presents Official. Unofficial. Belarus, a Collateral Event of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, between 9 May and 22 November 2026 (pre-opening: 6–8 May 2026). La Biennale di Venezia is attended by the Managing Director of UBBC, Christophe Michels. Natalia Kaliada and her husband Nicolai Khalezin, based in London since 2011, produce some of the most challenging political theatre of rec

A UBBC team attended the Industry Forum reception in House of Parliament on Wednesday 22nf April. Industry Forum is a centre left think tank and business network focused on the interaction between business and government. The two speakers were Emily Darlington MP of the Science and Technology select committee, and a government affairs speaker from Vodafone. It was interesting to note how Emily explained the importance of business and local and national government working toge

Lord Robertson, the ex-Labour defence secretary who is the author of the government’s Strategic Defence Review, accused “non-military experts in the Treasury” of “vandalism”, in a speech delivered on 14 th of April. The SDR was prepared by the June 2025 but the 10-year investment plan to fund it has been delayed and as noted by Lord Robertson in his interview with the Financial Times, the prime minister was “not willing to make necessary investment”. Lord Robertson, high

The DBT’s webinar covered a IFI investor activity in Ukraine, along with the mechanisms to engage with procurement and business bids. Key IFI’s included The Word Bank , The EBRD, MIGA and IFC , who outlined the extent, nature and sectors for investment, and procurement portals Prozorro and RELINK, REPOWER, DREAM and PREPARE , the GOV UKR portal for prioritising projects, along with the procurement portals of both EBRD and World Bank. In short, the World Bank is investing

The EBA or European business association in Ukraine, represent about 900 businesses from all over Europe, many of them large corporates and investors. With 80 members of staff and various sector initiatives from bids to lobbying, they represent the most formidable business organisation in Ukraine and put on events, trips and conferences. The EBA covers sectors including industrial, agricultural, Pharma, IT, and government departments, though like UBBC is funded only by member