We hope that everyone who attended the 2022 Annual Gala Dinner enjoyed the wonderful evening we shared at Mansion House. Despite quite a number of last-minute cancellations due to Covid, we still had 170 people turn up for a fantastic evening of food, conversation and first-class entertainment.
Having spent that last two years in lockdown, we all needed a new release and a place to network in a safe and inclusive environment – which was amply provided by the majestic halls of Mansion House.
In fact, this was our largest event ever, which shows how effective the Chamber’s strategy of being resilient and flexible throughout the pandemic has been. We’ve managed to reach wider audiences and engage even higher profile speakers across a wider range of subjects as a result of moving to an online format for our meetings and webinars. The Gala Dinner allowed us to finally once more bring together old friends and new, to meet in person, generate new friendships, have a great meal and enjoy entertainment that blended the ceremony of the UK with music of a distinctly African flavour, including hits from “The Lion King” delivered by Nic and Peal Vani, with Lizzy Makhubela and Emmanuel Bonsu providing backing vocals and keyboards.
Guests were welcomed by Lord Peter Hain, a long-time supporter of the Chamber, who also introduced Lord Jonny Oates, who has recently re-established the All Party Parliamentary Group for Africa within the Houses of Parliament.
Sir Peter Estlin, representing the Lord Mayor of the City of London, presented the Keynote speech, during which he shared his passion for South Africa and some stories of the City and Mansion House, which he told us has played host to many South African dignitaries.
Lord Paul Boateng spoke, emphasising the importance of every individual’s contribution to the project of growing the South African economy and generating jobs and wealth, and he also recounted some of his experiences as the UK High Commissioner to South Africa.
As a Chamber of Commerce, we focus on supporting our members to trade, to internationalise their products and services, find customers and supply chains and gain support mechanisms to facilitate growth. We are proud of the SA Chamber’s national and international reach, which has been achieved over a short period of time; the Mansion House Gala Dinner epitomising our journey of growth which is ongoing and we thank you for sharing the journey with us.
A selection of videos is below, which capture various aspects of the evening for your enjoyment:
The SA Chamber and our Chapters are planning many events in the weeks ahead, notably the Professional Women’s Chapter in-person event on diversity, a showcasing of Entrepreneurs, some global online networking, an in-person meeting with the UK High Commissioner to SA and the hybrid AGM. Please check our website and your inbox regularly for invitations and notices of upcoming events to get the most from your membership and interactions with the Chamber.
We thank our many sponsors of the evening, in particular Standard Bank who also supported the Board’s strategic planning day on Wednesday. Standard Bank International have a presence in London, Isle of Man, Jersey and Mauritius. Please email Chadwick Philips for any information on the products and solutions they provide across banking, investments and fiduciary services.
Sponsorship opportunities are already available for the 2023 Annual Gala Dinner, to find out more please click here.
