Please join us for the annual South African Chamber of Commerce UK Summer Drinks. Graciously hosted by Investec on their stunning rooftop terrace with breathtaking views over London, this event promises to be a highlight of the summer. It will be a fantastic opportunity to network with fellow South Africans, share business insights, and build valuable connections in a relaxed and elegant setting.

Ticket price:  £35 inc VAT
Members:  £20 inc VAT

Organised in collaboration with the SA-UK Trust Network, in addition to fostering business relationships, you'll also be supporting incredible charities that make a significant impact. The SA-UK Trust Network is a forum where representatives of UK-based Trusts and Charities who support southern and South African partner organisations can interact and further their common purpose: the development and upliftment of southern and South Africa.

Jill Ritchie,  Chairman, SA-UK Trust Network, will introduce Alan McKelvey, Director and Trustee of Masicorp UK and their partner from the RGA Reinsurance Group of America, Karen Van Zyl. Karen is the General Council at RGA for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

We are also pleased to announce that Bruce Whitfield, Award winning broadcaster, best-selling author & speaker, will be our headline speaker. Bruce will draw on lessons from his 20 years as host of South Africa's leading daily business radio show as well as his two most recent projects; The Art of Deciding podcast series which launches in the northern hemisphere autumn and The One Thing book project which uncovers innovative solutions to some of the country's most intractable problems. You will never consume news in the same way again.

Gerhard Perold of Perold Wine Cellar will talk about his wines and will offer wine tasting through the evening while Stuart Dickson, from the Braai Club, has kindly donated some SA style Biltong and Dry Wors for you to enjoy.

We look forward to seeing you for a glass of wine and more.

Speakers:

Bruce Whitfield
Bruce Whitfield is a multi-award-winning journalist, best-selling author and sought-after speaker.
Throughout his career, he has had unparalleled access to titans of industry; mavericks who are changing the game; and brilliant entrepreneurs who reimagine what is possible. This access has provided him with an exceptional perspective of how we can change the future, today.

With over 20 years of working in print, broadcast and digital media, he brings a unique brand of realistic optimism to the murky intersection where business, politics and society collide.

Jill Ritchie,  Chairman, SA-UK Trust Network
Author of 30 books, Jill Ritchie steered the formation of the SA-UK Trust Network and to which she has dedicated 14 years. She has spent over three decades as a charity fundraiser, securing over ZAR2 billion.

Alan McKelvey B.E.M. , Director and Trustee of Masicorp UK
Alan is a Trustee and Volunteer Director of Masicorp UK Ltd, the UK fundraising arm of Masiphumelele Corporation. Focusing on education in the township of 40,000+ situated an hour’s drive from downtown Cape Town, Masicorp runs nurseries for around 400 children aged 18 months to 6 years, helps improve English, Maths and Science teaching for 1,950 students in the local primary school, runs computer training centres accredited to ICDL/ECDL and provides adults with sewing and digital skills training. Masicorp’s work is made possible by a team 64 staff members and 47 volunteers who give their time and talents, and by donors from South Africa, America, the UK and elsewhere.

Karen van Zyl, General Counsel, EMEA, RGA Reinsurance Group of America
Karen has dedicated the last 10 years to fundraising for Masiphumele Corporation in both South Africa and the United Kingdom, particularly focussed on Maths and Science opportunities for underprivileged primary school children.

Join us for our monthly South African Business Breakfast in Cambridge on 25 October, from 07:30 to 09:00. This event continues to offer an invaluable opportunity to connect with fellow South African professionals in the UK, fostering new relationships, exchanging ideas, and enhancing business networks.

Please note the change of date from Thursday, 10th October to Friday, 25th October.

With the support of our esteemed sponsor, Mills & Reeve LLP, a leading national law firm with long-standing and deep roots in East Anglia and a strong international outlook, the time is perfect to reconnect.

Who Should Attend?

If you’re a South African professional based in the UK, or someone in the UK with an interest in South Africa, this event is for you. Whether you’re looking to expand your network or simply connect with like-minded individuals, you’ll find a warm South African welcome here.

Why Attend?

• Expand your network
• Gain insights from our speakers
• Build meaningful business relationships
• Uplift the lives of South Africans.

Getting There:

The venue (Botanic House) is a five-minute walk from Cambridge rail station. The closest parking is at the Cambridge rail station, and the nearest Park & Rides are at Babraham Road, about 2 miles south of Botanic House, and Trumpington, about 3 miles from Botanic House. Buses run every 10 minutes to the rail station. Cycle racks are available at both Cambridge station and Botanic House.

Booking Details:

Booking is essential, as places are strictly limited. To secure your place, please book as soon as possible. Booking is only available via the website and bookings are only final once payment has been received, and may be cancelled if no payment is received within 24 hours.

Price:
Members: Free
Non-members: £10.00 (including VAT)

Dietary Requirements:
If you have any dietary requirements please add them on your profile page (you will need to be logged in to the website), or please let us know.

We are pleased to announce we will be holding a series of 4 webinars thoughout 2024 focusing on "Unlocking AI: Essential Tips for Boosting Business Success". Learning about AI can open up new opportunities for business growth and innovation, allowing you to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.

The dates are:
• Friday 24 May, 8:30am UK time – An introduction to generative AI, Chat GPT, Copilot and prompt engineering (please see our video archive for recording)
• Friday 19 July, 8:30am UK time – Leveraging Generative AI for Business Innovation (please see our video archive for recording)
• Friday 25 October, 8:30am UK time - Creative Applications of Generative AI
• Friday 22 November, 8:30am UK time - The Future of Work with AI Assistants

In this 3rd session, our speaker, George Honiball, Senior Manager (Modern Work) at Microsoft will cover:
• Exploring the creative side of AI: storytelling, content creation, and more.
• Hands-on session with Copilot for creative tasks (images, stories, proposals).
• Discussing the impact of AI on creative industries.
• Addressing copyright concerns and promoting originality.

About George Honiball
George is a Senior Manager (Modern Work) at Microsoft, and a certified Industrial and Organizational Psychologist. With a career spanning across renowned firms such as Deloitte in South Africa and KPMG in the UK, George has honed his expertise in implementing cutting-edge technologies including SAP, Oracle, and Workday. Currently, he lends his strategic acumen and leadership prowess to Microsoft, where he plays a pivotal role in supporting a few of their Top 500 accounts across Europe.

Participation is free, but registration is essential. Microsoft Teams links will be sent out in the 24 hours prior to the event.

Join us from 8am to 10am, on 29th October at the London offices of Simmons & Simmons, for an exclusive roundtable discussion delving into how support from the corporate and philanthropic sectors in the UK can help reimagine education and dramatically reduce unemployment in Cape Town and beyond.

From classrooms to life. Christel House in Cape Town enrols children experiencing poverty at age five, and provides them with education, nutrition, healthcare, mental health support and career guidance through to age 23, ensuring they find gainful employment and become upwardly mobile citizens. This pioneering model works with both students and their families to drive sustainable change – permanently shifting the economic dial.

Christel House stands as a beacon of hope on the Cape Flats, transporting students from abject poverty to becoming doctors, lawyers, engineers and corporate employees. The school was recently recognised as one of the Top Ten Schools in overcoming adversity in the World’s Best Schools Prizes and is one of only six Microsoft Showcase Schools in South Africa. Their model has the potential to solve the systemic structural challenges of the country.

To date, Christel House has impacted the lives of more than 20,000 students, and has an ambitious strategy to expand its schools globally and in South Africa.

“Understand Christel House, and you have the keys to solving our national school crisis.” – Professor Jonathan Jansen

Christel House South Africa consistently achieves excellence, having a profound impact. 94% of their graduates are in employment, education or training, compared to a national average of 66.7%. In 2023, they achieved a 100% pass rate at grade 12 compared to a national average of 82.9%, with a grade 12 Bachelor’s pass rate of 82% compared to 40.9% nationally.

Spaces to the exclusive event are extremely limited. If you are interested in supporting this project but haven't yet received an invitation please click the "Contact Organiser" button above to request to be invited.

If you have been invited, please click the link in your invitation. You will need to login, if you don't have an account you will be redirected to create one.

Speakers:

Lord Peter Hain came to the UK as the son of South African exiles, Walter and Adelain Hain. He rose to prominence in the Anti-Apartheid Movement through the Stop the Tour campaign against sporting links with apartheid South Africa. He faced several court battles, orchestrated by supporters of the apartheid regime, but succeeded in defending himself against the charges. He later joined the Labour Party and was elected to Parliament in 1991, occupying several Ministerial positions before becoming Minister for Northern Ireland where he played a key role in negotiating the settlement that brought about the power sharing government. He stood down from Parliament in 2014, whereupon he was nominated for a life peerage, and became Baron Hain of Neath. He remains a vocal advocate for South Africa, and a fierce critic of corruption.

Adri Marais is the CEO of Christel House South Africa. With over 30 years of experience in education and social development, Adri combines expertise in science, business, and education to drive impactful social change. Before joining Christel House in 2018, she headed up Varsity College in Cape Town and co-founded TSiBA, a non-profit business school that offers full tuition scholarships to underserved students. Under Adri’s leadership, Christel House South Africa has received numerous accolades for its innovative education model and is now spearheading the organisation’s efforts to grow the number of Christel House schools in South Africa.

Attending our monthly global networking event, on the last Thursday of each month, not only provides a valuable platform to connect with professionals from diverse industries but also embraces the spirit of ubuntu, a fundamental philosophy deeply rooted in South African culture.

Ubuntu emphasizes the interconnectedness and importance of community, fostering a sense of togetherness and collaboration.

Our virtual networking events offer numerous benefits such as:

• Expanding professional connections, in the UK and SA
• Knowledge sharing
• Exchanging ideas and business challenges
• Unlocking career opportunities
• Enhancing visibility
• Fostering a sense of emotional support and camaraderie

This month our guest speaker is Douglas Kruger - ‘Hall of Fame’ speaker and bestselling business author.  THEY’RE YOUR RULES, BREAK THEM! Based on Douglas’s bestselling book, this is a talk for strategists, mavericks and originals. Do you have the courage to disrupt your own rules?
Every rule comes with an associated cost. It could be a monetary cost, or the loss of opportunity. It could be an agility-cost, as your own structures prevent you from serving customers. Worst of all, it could be a talent cost, as all your brightest people flee, while the dull and passive remain.
Real leaders are less interested in 'the way things have always been done’ than they are in achieving real goals. Douglas has detailed 50 specific ways to dismantle needless rules, and become way more productive. In this short talk, he will share several of the best of them. 

Speaker bio:

Douglas Kruger was one of South Africa’s best known speakers…until he relocated to the UK. Well, to the Channel Islands, to be exact. The bestselling author of business books like, ‘Own Your Industry,’ ‘Poverty Proof,’ and ‘They’re Your Rules, Break Them!’, he was a regular guest on platforms like Talk Radio 702 and SAfm. He was even inducted into the ‘Speakers Hall of Fame’ by the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa.
Douglas’s talks are extremely popular. One lecture delivered for a university, on the topic of wealth and poverty, has over 2,8 million views online.
Now he speaks for leadership teams in the .UK. His clients already include the likes of Lloyd’s, BDO, EO London and Jersey Business.
Douglas specialises in something quite unique: strategic rule-breaking. He helps leaders to dismantle the self-imposed rules that hold them back. Dynamic South Africans will instantly recognise the spirit of this talk as: ‘’n Boer mask ’n plan!’

Participation is free, but registration is essential.

Zoom links will be sent out in the 24 hours prior to the event.

The South African Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce the launch of its Wealth Creation Programme with its first pitch event which will take place on 19th November 2024 from 1800 to 2030 at Streathers, Baker Street London, W1U 6TL.

The evening will showcase some of South Africa’s most promising start-ups for investors who are serious about building their own portfolios, and committed to growing a wealth creation ecosystem generated by South Africans wherever they are based in the world.

Our aim is to maximise potential to leverage SACC’s global network of investors in enterprises generated by South Africans, and wealth for people investing in it.

Entrepreneurship provides a vital steppingstone from the informal economy into mainstream economic activity, of particular importance in the South African context where the informal sector is massive, and economic development is critical to uplifting the lives of millions of people.

The SACC UK pitch event on 19th November is the first step on SACC UK’s journey to create success for its investor and enterprise creator members.

We invite you to join us and become part of this story.

This event is free, but registration is essential.

We are pleased to announce we will be holding a series of 4 webinars thoughout 2024 focusing on "Unlocking AI: Essential Tips for Boosting Business Success". Learning about AI can open up new opportunities for business growth and innovation, allowing you to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.

The dates are:
• Friday 24 May, 8:30am UK time – An introduction to generative AI, Chat GPT, Copilot and prompt engineering (please see our video archive for recording)
• Friday 19 July, 8:30am UK time – Leveraging Generative AI for Business Innovation (please see our video archive for recording)
• Friday 25 October, 8:30am UK time - Creative Applications of Generative AI (please see our video archive for recording)
• Friday 22 November, 8:30am UK time - The Future of Work with AI Assistants

In this 4th session, our speaker, George Honiball, Senior Manager (Modern Work) at Microsoft will cover:
• Predicting the impact of AI on the future workplace.
• Training session on advanced prompt engineering techniques.
• How to stay ahead of the curve with continuous learning.
• Q&A session to address specific concerns and curiosities.

About George Honiball
George is a Senior Manager (Modern Work) at Microsoft, and a certified Industrial and Organizational Psychologist. With a career spanning across renowned firms such as Deloitte in South Africa and KPMG in the UK, George has honed his expertise in implementing cutting-edge technologies including SAP, Oracle, and Workday. Currently, he lends his strategic acumen and leadership prowess to Microsoft, where he plays a pivotal role in supporting a few of their Top 500 accounts across Europe.

Participation is free, but registration is essential. Microsoft Teams links will be sent out in the 24 hours prior to the event.

South African Chambers from across the globe have joined forces to create the International Association of South African Chambers of Commerce (IASACC). IASACC has been in existence for little over a year and we currently have 9 South African Chambers that talk regularly and share ideas, thoughts and insights across what we do for our Soth African communities living abroad.

We have now joined forces with the SA Chamber in UK and will co-host their Ubuntu Virtual Global Networking event on Thursday 26th September. We are very excited about this opportunity and will be giving members of the SA Chambers the ability to connect with each other and help build their global networks.” 

Attending our monthly global networking event, on the last Thursday of each month, not only provides a valuable platform to connect with professionals from diverse industries but also embraces the spirit of ubuntu, a fundamental philosophy deeply rooted in South African culture.

Ubuntu emphasizes the interconnectedness and importance of community, fostering a sense of togetherness and collaboration.

Our virtual networking events offer numerous benefits such as:
• Expanding professional connections, in the UK and SA
• Knowledge sharing
• Exchanging ideas and business challenges
• Unlocking career opportunities
• Enhancing visibility
• Fostering a sense of emotional support and camaraderie

Participation is free, but registration is essential.

Zoom links will be sent out in the 24 hours prior to the event.

AFSIC – Investing in Africa has for more than a decade focused on nurturing investment and collaboration across the investment value chain and driving sustainable growth in Africa.  AFSIC – Investing in Africa 2024 will offer delegates more than just leading edge content as the investor networking opportunities are expanded and investor ready projects from the African Investments Dashboard are profiled through the AFSIC Deal Book and in on-site project pitching.

As a results-focused, private sector-led investment event, AFSIC – Investing in Africa provides the ultimate forum for investors, African business leaders and dealmakers to connect, collaborate and close deals.

Deligate Tickets

AFSIC 2024 will commence at 2pm on Monday 7th October and run until 5pm Wednesday 9th October 2024.  The individual delegate tickets include one delegate place at the conference, refreshments, lunch on whole conference days, access to all presentation areas, access to our online event platform which allows connections between all delegates and investors, meetings can be pre-booked for 7th to 9th October 2024.  Your travel to the venue and any accommodation are not included.

Delegates registered on our Africa Business Opportunities Dashboard will be given a boosted profile ranking on our Africa Business Opportunities Dashboard mailers.

Optional Extra – Meet African Dealmakers event

In addition to the registration ticket, it is recommended that you book tickets to the Meet African Dealmakers ticket only event (£163 +20% VAT). The Meet African Dealmakers event is one of the most popular events during AFSIC. It takes place on the evening of Monday 7th October 2024. It is specifically designed for corporate finance advisors/stockbrokers/dealmakers/investors and African business leaders to network with a wide range of investors, other dealmakers and companies from all regions of Africa. The quality of attendance is very high and the networking opportunity provided is perhaps unparalleled, offering dealmakers the opportunity to develop their network efficiently removing the requirement for a considerable amount of travel on the continent. Tickets can be booked on a first come first served basis.

Optional Extra – Deal Room Meeting Table

In addition to the delegate ticket, delegates may wish to book a dedicated Deal Room Meeting Table for their sole use for the duration of the event (£795+20% VAT).  Deal Room Meeting Tables are limited and can be booked on a first come first served basis.

Pay by bank transfer

To request an invoice and pay by bank transfer to register to attend AFSIC – Investing in Africa 2024 please complete a  request an invoice form .  If you have any queries please contact [email protected]

Need more information? Contact [email protected]

 

Featuring: Bob Skinstad

Join Bob Skinstad & Home from Home for an evening of fun-raising!

A relaxed evening awaits with special guest, Bob Skinstad. Enjoy South African wine and canapes with the gees we know and love.

The South African Chamber of Commerce (UK) Limite is proud to announce its support for the upcoming Africa 2024: Agency, Energy & Infrastructure Finance conference.

29-30 October | Cape Town, South Africa

View the event website here.

Join Exile Group (TXF, Proximo & Uxolo) as they deliver an exciting agenda tackling each region's market's latest trends and concerns; see the full agenda here.

200+ delegates will gather to network, originate new deals and hear the latest insights from experts active within agency, energy and infrastructure finance.

This event unites CEOs, CFOs, regional business heads, and eminent figures from top-tier exporters and producers, local banks, DFIs, leading developers, financial sponsors, as well as esteemed representatives from law firms, technology providers and insurers.

Connect with decision makers looking to move projects forward:

● Hitesh Kumbhat, CFO, Kalpataru Power Sweden
● Ntombifuthi Mdluli, Senior Underwriter, Short Term Insurance, ECIC
● Malick Ba, Director of Financing and Public Private Partnerships, Ministere Economie Senegal
● Michal Lupkowski, Director, Emerging Markets, LUG Light Factory
● Mahlatse Ndabane, Export Sales Manager, MAN Automotive
● Greg Fyfe, Global Head ECA and Agency Finance, Standard Bank
● Janusz Wladyczak, CEO, KUKE
● Robert Doyle, CFO, Sun Africa
● Alain Descamps, Chairman, Bouygues
● Francisco Anzola, Principal, CC Solutions
● Dirk van den Berg, Head of Export Finance Southern Africa, UK Export Finance

View all speakers.

Complimentary tickets available to corporates (ie. exporters, borrowers, developers). Enquire at [email protected]

We’re delighted to offer members a discounted rate of 15% on tickets. Book here.

If you would like any further information on the event or other upcoming events in 2024, please email [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you in Cape Town this October!

Featuring: Alistair Hargreaves in conversation with Matt Stadlen

In aid of Help2read - supporting literacy programmes in South African township schools

Rugby Fireside Discussion

Alistair Hargreaves, former Springbok and Saracens Rugby player in conversation with presenter and journalist Matt Stadlen