Business Insight:

Networking in a new world

While convention halls, canapés and business cards are currently just a distant dream, networking in the new world remains vital to business. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or part of a corporate giant, building a solid network is integral to your professional and personal success. One person who knows this well is DAVID KELLY, Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore; we find out about the Chamber’s latest endeavours and how it has evolved to ensure the community stays connected in a digital space.

Tell us a bit about yourself; what brought you to Singapore?

I’m originally from Manchester, but I arrived in Singapore in 2015 on my first international posting when I was running a pan-APAC maritime business and moving from their headquarters in London. My career has taken me from industry to industry, including wines and spirits and the financial service sector. In July 2019, I took the role of Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore and it’s been my most rewarding role yet.

Before we talk business, what do out-of-office hours look like for you?

In my downtime, you’ll either find me on the tennis court, out enjoying a good meal with friends or at home dusting off my piano! Travelling is also a big passion of mine; I’ve been lucky to travel to most countries in Asia and I look forward to seeing more when the opportunity returns.

You’re coming into your third year with the British Chamber of Commerce; how’s the journey going?

Amazing! I feel immensely passionate about supporting the British business ecosystem in Singapore and across the ASEAN region. Last year was undoubtedly a challenge, but we used this as an opportunity to drive new ideas and activities, launch a podcast channel and create

engagement with our members and businesses in different ways. We also launched our Future of Trade portal to help UK companies looking to export and expand into Singapore. Soon, we’ll also be launching our Future of Work portal that champions workforce development and skills of the future; and we’ve continued our activities in the Diversity & Inclusion space to great effect, too. On a separate note, I’m proud to report that our Road to Net Zero programme is well under way, with the Chamber becoming carbon neutral as of last year.

Wow! Sounds like a community worth being part of! Is it solely for companies or can individuals and start-ups join, too?

The Chamber is made up of some truly brilliant companies – what’s more, we had over 70 new companies join us in 2020, which was great to see. There are several membership categories, from the Sterling Membership for larger corporates who can sign up all of their staff to join the Chamber network, through to a Start-up Membership level for newly formed businesses.

How do the members benefit?

Just like the Expat Living team, we’re here to support businesses, connect people and create opportunities. I initially joined the Chamber as a member when I moved to Singapore and found that the access to government and the wider business ecosystem was hugely valuable. Members can share their expertise, bounce ideas off one another and make the most of the content that comes from the business committees.

We’ve been working really hard to maximise these benefits going forward and have made huge strides over the past 18 months. Members of the Chamber are kept up to date and involved in our various conversations where we represent companies to both the Singapore government agencies and the team at the British High Commission in Singapore. The High Commissioner, Her Excellency Kara Owen CMG CVO, and her team have been a huge support and been available at various events and sessions for the business community.

Do I have to be British or work for a British company to join?

A large proportion of our members are British, but we also see a great number of international and local member companies join us. There’s no requirement for British nationality or country ownership – this is fantastic in terms of building the impact of the community we represent and support.

Is it worth getting involved in a committee?

Yes! When I was a member, I threw myself into two committees and took a huge amount of value from them. It was a privilege to share my knowledge to help others, and vice versa. Last year, our committees, led by outstanding business leaders, were incredible in supporting members and were the driving force in generating outstanding content, which we published online and through our podcast channel. Keeping in touch with the latest industry trends provides great access to information.

Tell us about the type of events BritCham holds.

We run a whole range of events, from presentations and panel discussions, to access to high-profile ministerial lunches and Q&As, all the way through to our brilliant International Women’s Day conference, our sporting events like our annual F1 networking, and, of course, The Great British Ball which we host jointly with The British Club.

Naturally, lately we’ve had to pivot the Chamber into a digital space, but we constantly work to introduce our members to one another and support their activities. We launched our podcast channel last year, which allowed us to hold meaningful recorded conversations with some great business and culture leaders – at some stages, our content even got us to “top of the pods”, which I’m extremely proud of.

Any exciting news or plans on the horizon for 2021?

Plenty! The key themes we’re focusing on this year include the Future of Trade, the Future of Work, the Road to Net Zero, and Diversity & Inclusion, and we will soon be launching our Education Hub, too. I’m lucky to have a brilliant team and a Board led by our President, Richard Warburton, who have put a great deal of effort into the activities that Singapore and the UK are well aligned on. Our Trade Services team have also been successfully supporting the export of UK companies and helping companies to explore Singapore and the wider ASEAN region as markets to expand into. We’re also part of the Britain in South East Asia (BiSEA) network, which I co-Chair, consisting of all British Chambers in Southeast Asia, which is great in terms of regional connections and expansion for our members.

With some major events happening this year around the implementation of the UK’s trade deals and COP26 being held in Glasgow at the end of the year, the Chamber remains as committed as ever to bringing people together and maintaining our relevance and influence, together with our brilliantly engaged members.

I initially joined the Chamber as a member when I moved to Singapore; the access to government and the wider business ecosystem was hugely valuable.