January 2022 Newsletter
Dear Members and Friends,
I hope you have all enjoyed a restful festive season and had a positive start to the New Year.
I think we all can look back on 2021 with pride at how much we have achieved, in spite of the challenges the pandemic continued to present. We have put in place services, mobility and transport agreements to keep the trade relationship between the UK and Switzerland really strong – I trust you are all feeling the benefits of that and it’s really heartening that our trade figures have remained so stable over the past year as a result. We also finalised an ambitious Free Trade Agreement with Liechtenstein and the other members of the EEA and we certainly hope to maintain this momentum to support businesses in Switzerland and UK to continue working together as smoothly as possible.
The ongoing level of engagement and interest in our trade relationship is very clear; the Embassy hosted visits from Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena and Trade Envoy Stephen Timms over the last few months, and we will kick off 2022 in a similar fashion with Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner Chris Barton set to visit before January is over!
Thank you to all of you who have fed back on how things are working for you and for your contributions to these efforts. I am optimistic about the challenges ahead for 2022 and I look forward to meeting many of you again via our own channels and through the exciting events hosted in partnership with our colleagues across the BSCC.
With all best wishes for the year ahead,
Jane Owen
Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation and non-resident Ambassador to Liechtenstein,
Honorary President of The BSCC
New Basel Chapter Chair
We are delighted to welcome our new BSCC Basel Chapter Chair, Manu Chhokra, as of January 1st 2022.
Our heartfelt thanks go to former Chapter Chair Ute Dehn for her dedication and continued efforts to
engage with Members and expand the BSCC's presence in Basel. Her successor, Mr Chhokra, is Director of Operations and Business Development at CTC Solutions and has previously supported the BSCC as a member of the Basel Chapter Committee, working closely with Mrs Dehn.
We look forward to seeing how Mr Chhokra will impact the city where the BSCC originated from.
Survey on trade in services between Switzerland and the United Kingdom (SECO)
As conditions of access to the UK market have changed for Swiss firms since Brexit, the State Secretariat for economic affairs (SECO) would like to learn about practical experiences from firms interested in the British market.
A questionnaire aims at understanding middle and long-term needs of businesses in the field of cross-border trade in services. The BSCC encourages Members to contribute to this valuable research by completing the survey until January 28th. Depending on your situation it might take up to 20 minutes to answer the questions.
Please click here to access the survey in German or in French.
Business Luncheon hosted by the Geneva Chapter with Anuradha Gupta,
Deputy CEO of Gavi - the Vaccine Alliance
21.01.2022 | 11.45 - 14.00 CET
BSCC Extraordinary General Meeting on January 26th 2022 (Members Only)
26.01.2022 | 10.30 - 11.15 CET
Speaker's Corner hosted by the Geneva Chapter with Ambassador Alexandre Fasel,
Special Representative for Science Diplomacy; formerly Switzerland's Ambassador to the United Kingdom;
and past Honorary Co-President of the BSCC
03.02.2022 | 18.30 - 22.00 CET
BSCC Zurich Network Drinks
08.02.2022 | 18.15 - 20.00 CET
BSCC Geneva Informal Drinks and Networking Evening at Café Papon
08.02.2022 | 18.30 - 20.00
For the latest news about our other upcoming events please click here.
Welcome to the BSCC!
We have welcomed 17 new or upgraded members. We look forward to meeting you at our upcoming events and to supporting you as much as we can.
Feel free to contact our Membership & Sponsorship Manager Emma Story in case you have any questions.
A getaway in Europe - Whether in the city, or on the beach, a travel is what you make of it.
Taking the time to do nothing while soaking up the sun, letting yourself be guided by inspiration through
the streets of a big city and enjoying the small pleasures of life: a travel is what you make of it.
For a city break or a sunbath, SWISS takes you to the four corners of Europe. Discover our offers from Geneva
and let yourself be tempted to dream about your next getaway.
CIGA - 2022 and beyond...
Friday, 27.01.2022 | Online
Digital Assets Regulation - Time for an Update?
Thursday, 10.02.2022 | Online
Are you a BSCC Member and have an upcoming event? Click here to submit your event details.
The Reluctant Returner
With little research conducted to date, Unispace embarked on a robust study combining the results of an in-depth survey to understand the true motivations behind why employees are reluctant to return to the office.
Find the key take aways and access to the study in this Member News Article.
Interested in more BSCC Member News?
If you are a registered Member and haven't signed into the Member Hub yet, you can do so here.
10% Discount for BSCC Members
Baur au Lac Vins
Up to 40% Discount on 'Staycation' Packages
Blue Orchid Hotels
If you would like to create a special offer for BSCC Members, click here.
Don't forget to also visit:
BSCC NEWS / MEMBER EVENTS / MEMBERSHIP HUB
  
CONTACT US OR FOLLOW US!
The British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce
Bleicherweg 12, 8002 Zurich
info@bscc.co.uk
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