MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

LETTER FROM THE BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL

The British-American Business Council Northern California  cordially invites you to the 33rd Annual BABC Economic Forecast Luncheon at the City Club in San Francisco.

Moderated by Richard Waters, West Coast Editor for the Financial Times, our panelists will be delving into the global and local economies and sharing their expertise on the path forward for business as we emerge from the global pandemic. 

The last few years have seen profound economic changes, from remote work to accelerated digitalization, and a less stable global landscape. The Bay Area is at the center of many of these shifts.

Our panelists will discuss the implications and the road ahead, both locally and globally covering:

• The US and China seem farther apart than ever. What does the road ahead look like for US-China business and can we still cooperate?
• How has Russia’s war in Ukraine changed the security and economic landscape?
• How are global supply chains realigning and what does that mean for companies in the US and the West?
• Globalization seems on the defensive. What is the outlook for trade and new trade agreements
• How strong is the recovery from Covid and how far do we have to go?
• How is remote work changing the business landscape and the structure of our cities and what does the future of commercial real estate and prospects for recovery in downtown San Francisco look like?
• Some prominent companies have left the Bay Area. Why is that, and is it a trend?

Join fellow Brits and BABC Members for our first networking event of the new year!

This is a great opportunity to catch up with friends in beautiful Marin and meet more members of our BABC community living in the North Bay. Guests from the East Bay, South Bay and San Francisco also more than welcome. Free to attend, no host bar.

We will be meeting up at The Junction's beautiful outdoor beer garden in Mill Valley, and are limiting this event to the first 20 registrants. While it is free to attend, please do register and look for the table with the UK and US Flags on it

Can't wait to see you there!



Please join us for an evening of networking and re-connecting with members and friends of the Australian American Chamber of Commerce, hosted by our Premier Member, Werqwise.

The event is also open to non-members and you don't have to be British or Australian to attend. All nations are welcome!

Enjoy hors d'oeuvres and complimentary beer and wine, sponsored by Werqwise and Penfolds.



Join us in the fabulous Wine Cellar at Wingtip — a 21st century interpretation of the classic, members-only, social club — for drinks and appetizers in the company of young professionals from different countries, businesses and industries.

This event will provide you with a chance to meet and talk about your careers and businesses, and share tips on life in the Bay Area.

$15 Members; $25 Non-members.

Thank you to our Sponsor Wingtip for hosting the event.

Interested in becoming a Young Professionals Member? Join here!

We’d like to thank everyone who joined us at the Fairmont San Francisco on Friday, December 9th, 2022 for the 59th Annual BABC Christmas Luncheon. How wonderful it was for us all to gather in-person to celebrate the season and to re-connect.

Special thanks to all our Gold, Silver and Bronze Sponsors. To all the airline, hotel and other Grand Raffle and Live Auction Donors and to the wine and beverage donors, we thank you.

We hope that you all had a wonderful time and that our event put you in the holiday spirit this year. Looking forward to seeing everyone again next year for the 60th Annual BABC Christmas Luncheon on Friday, December 9th, 2023!

Check out the video of the event below produced by 2020 Productions!

Lewis & Llewellyn is pleased to announce that Paul Llewellyn’s debut book, Unshackled: Reimagining the Practice of Law is now available for purchase on Amazon!  For the first week only, we have set the Kindle price at just $0.99 for friends of the firm.

A must-read for every lawyer, aspiring lawyer, or those simply interested in the legal profession, Unshackled is a call to action for establishing a more service-oriented and satisfying profession. From how we train lawyers and bill hours to how we service clients and market ourselves, the legal system is long overdue for a wake-up call. After practicing criminal and civil law in England and California, Paul brings a unique perspective to an age-old problem: how to update an outdated system. In Unshackled, Paul reimagines the practice of law as a more humane and human-centered career, presenting a practical plan for improving the lives of lawyers and their clients. 

Learn more at www.unshackledlaw.com. 

Get your copy of Unshackled on Amazon now.

As you know, workers have returned to the office. Now, how can organizations keep them engaged while they’re there?

CFOs, CEOs and CHROs of companies of all sizes, industries and geographies are considering how to engage their workforce in new ways that are effective for their organization and meet the desires of their employees. As they develop strategies for 2023, leaders should have clear goals for how they plan to reimagine and revitalize the employee experience in and outside of the office — because hybrid work is here to stay.

Continue reading here.

London continues to demonstrate its strengths in the financial and tech services after being named the world’s biggest centre for fintech funding reports London & Partners. Overtaking San Francisco and New York, the city raised £7.8bn in fintech venture capital funding since the start of 2022.

Prospering in areas like payment processing and online banking, the capital offers access to policy makers, regulators and financial institutions, making it a key spot for international investment. Recent data also reveals that London is considered the most successful place in Europe for employees of unicorn companies, with 27 of London’s unicorns producing 168 new ventures, the highest in Europe.

Join the St. Andrew's Society of San Francisco for an incredible night to rejoice and celebrate the life and works of Scotland's national Bard – Robert Burns. The evening will begin with a delightful welcome reception, followed by Piping in the Haggis, the Selkirk Grace, the Address and Toast to the Haggis, and lots more entertainment, such as the Immortal Memory and the acclaimed Toast to the Lassies, with the response!

The dress code is long evening dress, Black tie or Highland dress. Ticket includes a 3-course dinner with wine and Isle of Arran whisky. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact membership@saintandrewssocietysf.org. 

TICKET SALES WILL CLOSE JANUARY 13th 2023!

The not-to-be-missed Mostly British Film Festival returns February 9th through February 16th, 2023 at the Vogue Theatre in San Francisco. The festival opens February 9 with critically acclaimed “Emily,” a story about Emily Bronte that San Francisco Chronicle movie critic Mick LaSalle has on his list of “Movies to Watch Out for in 2023.” Other highlights include a tribute to The Thorn Birds 40th anniversary. Stars Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown will come together on Zoom to talk about making the series.

World Rugby and the HSBC LA SEVENS returns to Southern California and its traditional window of February 25-26, 2023 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

LA Sevens, part of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, will feature Team USA and the 15 best rugby 7s nations as they go head-to-head in Southern California, at the same open-air stadium that will host rugby at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. The weekend will also feature broadcast coverage across multiple NBC platforms, including live television coverage on NBC Sports.

Tickets for HSBC LA SEVENS are on sale at www.LAsevensrugby.com or by calling 1-888-9AXS-TIX.

Duncan Edwards

CEO

BritishAmerican Business

A very happy new year to members and friends of BritishAmerican Business. I hope everyone was able to enjoy at least a few days of downtime before heading back into the fray. 

The new year newspapers are full of the usual forecasts and predictions for the year ahead which are always worth reading to get a sense of the prevailing mood as much as for the likely accuracy of the forecasts. In fact, the one thing you know for certain is that the forecasts, especially economic, are going to be wrong, it is just a question of by how much! But the more interesting stories are the qualitative predictions, the evaluation of risks, the sense of optimism or otherwise that is in the minds of the authors, the economists, the think tanks and journalists that produce these pieces.

Continue reading here.

Events and Membership Coordinator (London)

PATRON MEMBER

The smartest business solutions come when we work together – international but working as one integrated team. We’ve continually looked at every aspect of our business for the past 125 years. There’s always more we can do. Collaborative, agile and partner-led: that’s Simmons & Simmons. A law firm that challenges, creates new possibilities and offers opinion not just option.

We focus on four highly regulated sectors – using our specialist skills to understand your business, and the forces at play around it. All grounded in exceptional knowledge of the legal detail.

This is how we consistently deliver smarter, more efficient, ways to tackle your most complex challenges.

CORPORATE MEMBERS

Top Ten U.S. Public Accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), with more than 120 locations across the United States is an independent legal entity, is a founding member of CLA Global, an international organization of independent accounting and advisory firms.

On June 30, 2022, Evelyn Partners, the UK’s leading integrated wealth management and professional services group, and CLA, the 8th largest accountancy firm in the United States, announced the formation of a new multinational organization — CLA Global Limited (CLA Global) — of which CLA and Evelyn Partners are founding members. Together, Evelyn Partners and CLA serve more than 10,000 international clients operating in over 100 countries. Being a part of this network of independent firms enables us to provide a holistic international service to our clients.

Our wines are curated from small, unique wineries all over the world. We seek out authentic wines created by people who have a deep connection with the terroir and the land they farm. Featuring a mix of regions, varietals and styles, our wine list has something for every palate. We do our best to keep favorites in stock, while regularly sharing exciting new finds we think you’ll love.

Discovering great wines has always been my passion – and as the saying goes, the best wines are ones shared with friends!

BUSINESS MEMBERS

The Barracuda Championship is a week-long Golf Tournament taking place at Old Greenwood Golf Course at Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, CA; and is one of only 3 Co-Sanctioned PGA TOUR and DP WORLD TOUR stops. The Barracuda Championship is operated by The Reno-Tahoe Open Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which to-date, has donated over $5 million to nonprofits, focused on Sustainability, DE&I, and Military and First Responders. The tournament has proudly showcased world-renowned competitors such as Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and many others.

Bristol Global Mobility is a premier, privately-owned, full-service relocation management company. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Bristol maintains service hubs in Dallas, TX, Toronto, London and Singapore, as well as a distributed workforce throughout the U.S. and Canada. 

Our relationship-centered philosophy of Connecting with, versus Controlling people fuels our ability to provide innovative mobility solutions and built-to-last engagements with all process constituents. Our mission is rooted in a unique relational philosophy we long ago coined as Connect versus Control ®. Relocation success is never about a person, or, a single company. 

LoopUp helps organizations move their global communications into the cloud to support flexible working, increase productivity and reduce complexity and cost. Solutions include full telephony integration for Microsoft Teams, which is delivered over LoopUp’s premium voice network via Direct Routing, and a premium remote meeting solution, available as a native app for Teams or as a standalone solution.

LoopUp provides a fully managed global service with customer support from 15 offices around the world. LoopUp is a Microsoft Gold Partner with deep expertise in voice solutions, and has built a reputation for quality solutions, premium service and reliability over the last 15 years.

We are the go-to retained legal search firm for venture capital firms and their portfolio companies.

Helping fast-growing companies to hire their first General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer and build out their legal and compliance teams is our sweet spot.

Our client list includes a16z, GV (fka Google Ventures), Valar Ventures, Credit Karma, Airship, Workato, Plaid, Ladder, Omada Health, ipsy, Pantheon Platform, Even, LiveAction, Walmart eCommerce, Prosper, Zenefits. We employ a rigorous, data-driven, inclusive search method, and combine the best of new technologies with good old-fashioned human contact.

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS

Eryn McNulty-Kowal

Andrea Saliba

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

International Churchill Society

Bryan Rivers

Ruthe Stein

Pouya Taaghol

Joanne Tan

PREMIER MEMBERS

Founded in 1978, Erickson Immigration Group, P.C. (“EIG”) is a 150 member global law firm that provides comprehensive business immigration, global migration, and compliance solutions that enable companies to hire the best and brightest talent from around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., with an office in San Francisco, and a global alliance spanning more than 100 countries, EIG represents clients ranging from Fortune 50s to cutting-edge startups. Sectors represented by our firm include technology (including CRM services, e-commerce, social and online news media, online entertainment and television/movie production, FinTech, online payments), financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and universities/public school districts

ZEDRA is an international provider of Global Expansion, Funds and Active Wealth solutions. Our experienced teams deliver tailored high quality advice to companies and family businesses expanding overseas on a range of global expansion, accounting, tax, global mobility, payroll and HR matters. We also support high net worth individuals and their families seeking diversified active wealth solutions, as well as asset managers and their investors. Our hands-on approach and entrepreneurial outlook helps our clients safeguard their assets and unlock their ambitions for growth, no matter how complex their challenges might be.

BUSINESS & COMMUNITY PARTNER MEMBER

CFGI—a portfolio company of Carlyle and CVC—is an established national leader in providing operational finance and technical accounting services. Our clients range from pre-revenue private start-up companies to Fortune 100 public companies, including various private equity firms and their portfolio companies. We work with finance leaders during every stage of the business lifecycle to solve complex business challenges.

CFGI is comprised of professionals with a unique combination of Big Four expertise and first-hand executive-level financial operations experience, allowing us to provide solutions across our clients’ business.

INDIVIDUAL MEMBER

James Field

One of the benefits of membership in the BABC Northern California is the opportunity to access Member-to-Member-Only special offers and hot deals.

To learn how to access codes and instructions, log in to your BABC Account and click on the Member-to-Member Deals button.