All about business, UBBC’s Summer Reception at Palace of Westminster

Baroness Nicholson, Chair of UBBC, hosted our annual reception in the House of Lords on 16^th 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 their economy and security immeasurably. Mark Irwin, Advisor to UBBC and former CEO of Serco, gave an insightful and informed speech on his observation of the Gdansk URC26 and his visit to Kyiv. We will be releasing his speech separately, but in short, he observed the tone of Gdansk was about practical delivery of investment and the mechanisms to achieve it in the context of EU accession, rather than previously vaguer feel-good promises.

Ashley Goodall gave a short description of the recent UBBC Kyiv visit, the confidence and opportunity that is Ukraine, and the disconnect between the more perilous media view of Ukraine versus how we found Kyiv as relatively safe. UBBC will be launching a campaign with partner organisations, to encourage British companies to engage with Ukraine as soon as possible, for fear of missing out. Now is the time! 

Guests included members EAME, Molfar and Acrow, with wider contacts including Bernard Jenkins MP and MP's representatives, Jacobs, Atkins Realis, Allianz, EBRD, LSEG, AMS, Citibank, Friends of Ukraine, EBA, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, Gately, Commercis, Sigma, PA Consulting, Mott Macdonald, The CityUk and many more.

The next event is UBBC Conference at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader on 23^rd September.