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British Chambers of Commerce

Abbreviation	BCC
Formation	1860; 159 years ago (1860)
Legal status	Not-for-profit organisation
Purpose	Chambers of commerce in the UK, and UK business
Location	Petty France London, SW1 United Kingdom
Region served	Worldwide
Membership	92,000[contradictory]
Director-General	Adam Marshall
Website	britishchambers.org.uk

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is the national representative body of 52 Accredited Chambers of Commerce across the UK, representing 75,000 businesses, which employ over 5m people^[1]. 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)^[2]

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.

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. 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.^[3]

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^[4]

Foreign Secretary William Hague speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce in London, 14 March 2013

The Annual Conference 2018 is being held on 8 March 2018 at QEII Conference Centre^[5]

Quarterly economic survey

The British Chambers of Commerce (QES) is the largest and most representative independent business survey of its kind in the UK.^[6] 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.^[7]

The BCC currently works with 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.^[8]

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^[9] 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.^[10]

The 52 accredited Chambers are:

North East

• North East England Chamber of Commerce

South East

• Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce


• London Chamber of Commerce and Industry


• Hampshire Chamber of Commerce


• Sussex Chamber of Commerce


• Surrey Chambers of Commerce


• Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce


• Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce


• Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce


• Channel Chamber of Commerce

South West

• Business West Chambers of Commerce


• Somerset Chamber of Commerce & Industry Ltd


• Dorset Chamber of Commerce & Industry


• Cornwall Chamber of Commerce

North West

• St Helens Chamber


• North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce


• Liverpool Chamber of Commerce & Industry


• Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce


• Cumbria Chamber of Commerce & Industry


• Lancashire Chamber of Commerce & Industry


• Wirral Chamber of Commerce


• West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce


• South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce

West Midlands

• Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce


• Shropshire Chamber of Commerce


• North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry


• Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce


• Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce


• 
  Black Country Chamber of Commerce (web page)

East Midlands

• East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire)


• Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce


• Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce

East of England

• Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce


• Suffolk Chamber of Commerce


• Norfolk Chamber of Commerce


• Essex Chamber of Commerce


• Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry


• Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Yorkshire and the Humber

• Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce


• Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce


• Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce


• Doncaster Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise


• 
  West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce (Formed in March 2014 with the merger of Bradford Chamber and Leeds, York & North Yorkshire Chamber)

Wales

• South Wales Chamber of Commerce


• West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Northern Ireland

• Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce

Scotland

• Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce


• Fife Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise


• Glasgow Chamber of Commerce


• Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce


• Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce


• Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce


• Inverness Chamber of Commerce [1]
  

See also

• Confederation of British Industry


• Federation of Small Businesses


• Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry

References

External links

• British Chambers of Commerce


• Quarterly Economic Survey


• Scottish Chambers of Commerce


• Chamber Awards


• Twitter


• Business and Education


• Global Business Network Live


• YouTube Channel


• Export Britain


• CEE Business portal


• 
  Documents and clippings about British Chambers of Commerce in the 20th Century Press Archives of the German National Library of Economics (ZBW)

Video clips

• Interview with David Frost