The Cheshire Commonwealth Association has enjoyed two great events to date – at the Chester Racecourse on 19th June 2019 “The Commonwealth – Business Opportunities and Benefits” and at the Daresbury Laboratory on 24th September 2019 “Doing Business in Africa”. Both of these conferences were very well attended, comprising a wonderful mix of delegates facilitating some great discussions.

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At our launch event our speakers included Asif Ahmad, the British High Commissioner to Jamaica and the Bahamas, Ruth Lea CBE, a renowned Economic Advisor, and also two Northern Powerhouse Export Champions – Elizabeth Vega from Informed Solutions and Martin Ruda from the Tall Group.

In September we welcomed the following speakers – Graham Collins from EA Technology, Daniel Buturo from the Ugandan Business Forum, Kevin Ledwith from UK Export Finance and Godfrey Kwoba, Minister Counsellor from the Ugandan High Commission.

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A key feature of our events is the Commonwealth Connections area, designed to enable informal networking and discussions hosted by Northern Powerhouse Export Champions and professional advisors such as the Department for International Trade. Tables are assigned to particular areas, and we have covered Africa, Australasia, Canada, Caribbean, India and South East Asia. The objective is to share experiences of doing business in particular Commonwealth nations with a view to encouraging businesses to enter these markets.

We pro-actively encourage peer-to-peer discussions and the sharing of real trading experiences, acting as a conduit to connect businesses with professional advisors, and also with other businesses, who may be able to assist in their trading journey. All of this hosted in an informal environment conducive to building new relationships and business strategies.

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We have undertaken post-event surveys and the feedback has been extremely positive, reflecting that we’re achieving a perfect mix of content.

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Future events will include deep-dives into particular Commonwealth countries and also specific trading activities. We look forward to welcoming you to our next Cheshire Commonwealth Association event!

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David Maisey, OBE, DL
Chair – Cheshire Commonwealth Association

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