This article by Milton Silverman, a Partner at Streathers Solicitors, explores the laws imposing sanctions against Russia, and what businesses who trade internationally need to be aware of in order to stay on the right side of the law.

This article by Milton Silverman, a Partner at Streathers Solicitors, explores the laws imposing sanctions against Russia, and what businesses who trade internationally need to be aware of in order to stay on the right side of the law.
Most of the population are aware of sanctions legislation operating against high-profile Russian oligarchs, and the impounding of assets which can result from that. Perhaps less well-known are certain other provisions under The Russian (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
Section 46B states as follows:
(1) The export of luxury goods to, or for use in, Russia is prohibited.
[“Works of art, collectors’ pieces and antiques” are included in the definition of “luxury goods”.]
(2) A person must not directly or indirectly:
(a) supply or deliver luxury goods from a third country to a place in Russia;
(b) make luxury goods available to a person connected with Russia;
(c) make luxury goods available for use in Russia.
[….]
(4) A person who contravenes a prohibition in paragraph (2) commits an offence, but:
(a) it is a defence for a person charged with the offence of contravening paragraph (2)(a) to show that the person did not know and had no reasonable cause to suspect that the goods were destined (or ultimately destined) for Russia;
(b) it is a defence for a person charged with the offence of contravening paragraph (2)(b) (“P”) to show that P did not know and had no reasonable cause to suspect that the person was connected with Russia;
(c) it is a defence for a person charged with the offence of contravening paragraph (2)(c) to show that the person did not know and had no reasonable cause to suspect that the goods were for use in Russia.
Look carefully at the following in 46B 2(b) above: “… to a person connected with Russia”.
Given the completely global nature of the art trade, you may wonder precisely what ‘connected with Russia’ means.

The answer is found in Regulation 21:
“For the purposes of this Part, a person is to be regarded as “connected with” Russia if the person is –
(a) an individual who is, or an association or combination of individuals who are, ordinarily resident in Russia,
(b) … an individual who is, or an association or combination of individuals who are, located in Russia,
(c) a person, other than an individual, which is incorporated or constituted under the law of Russia, or
(d) a person, other than an individual, which is domiciled in Russia.”
So under Regulation 21, if you sell to an individual who is ‘ordinarily resident’ or ‘located’ in Russia (a or b above), you may be committing an offence as the export of luxury goods to him or her is “prohibited”.
Your only defence may be under 46B(4)(b) if it can be shown that you “did not know and had no reasonable cause to suspect that the person was connected with Russia” – showing this may be onerous.
These provisions are not just theoretical: government lawyers are actively engaged in pursuing consignments where these provisions do – in their view – apply.
Another very reasonable speculation may occur to you – individual business/shipping transactions apart. Could not, for example, Harrods, be caught by selling something across the counter to “a person … “connected with Russia”?
Border Force can, and do, seize consignments which are in apparent contravention of Regulation 46B. HMRC may then also become involved.
As much due diligence as is reasonably possible is the only answer.

• By Milton Silverman, Partner, Streathers; first published in the Antiques Trade Gazette on November 11, 2023
  www.streathers.co.uk/

The South African Chamber of Commerce (SACC) and Global Trade Review (GTR) hosted a high-level roundtable event with His Excellency Sihle Zikalala, Minister of Public Works & Infrastructure for the Government of the Republic of South Africa on 7 November 2023.

The event was hosted by Chamber member Streathers Solicitors and was attended by SACC members, UK industry, UK government, UK professional service firms, and the Minister’s team. Ed Harkins (SACC Director and Trade Ambassador) chaired the event on behalf of the Chamber.
\The Minister’s team briefed the attendees on South Africa’s infrastructure plans and there was a discussion as to how UK Plc could help to finance and deliver the infrastructure that South Africa needs. A team from Infrastructure South Africa was part of the delegation.

Their aim was to:
■ Give a progress update on the implementation of its gazetted Strategic Integrated Projects
■ Showcase progress on the Infrastructure Fund Project Pipeline as operationalised in 2020
■ Signal regulatory and policy stability and agility

■ Pivot investment ready projects in the areas of energy, water, port and rail and digital infrastructure
■ Strengthen existing partnerships for long term collaboration on infrastructure delivery
■ Ready themselves and stakeholders for the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of South Africa

The roundtable was followed by an informal networking session for the attendees. The Minister and his team were delighted with the event. The Minister delivered the keynote address at GTR’s London Africa the following day.
“As South Africa, we are a story of economic growth, hope and resilience to investors and social partners. We are open for business and we guarantee your return on investments in a country that is continuously eliminating red tape, has economic stability, improving the ease of doing business and where the
rule of law is jealously guarded by our democratic institutions and our courts.”
said Zikalala in his keynote address.
By Ed Harkins, Director and Ambassador for Trade, SACC UK

Added sources https://www.gov.za/speeches ; https://www.facebook.com/InfrastructureSA

by Mireille Wenger, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities.

The Western Cape is a leading regional economy with world-class infrastructure, serving as a perfect springboard into the rest of Africa. We are also the tech and green energy investment hub of the country, and home to four top universities, giving investors and businesses access to a growing and skilled workforce.

Our dedicated one-stop investment shop, in the heart of the Cape Town CBD is designed to make it as easy as possible to bring your business to the Western Cape. As a government, we place significant emphasis on clean governance and consistently achieve the best audit outcomes in the country. In the last financial year, every single one of our 14 government departments and 11 public entities achieved unqualified audit outcomes, the best results in half a decade.

This means that every cent of public money is spent where it matters most – to deliver basic services to our residents and businesses who trust us with their aspirations and hopes. The Western Cape is also world-class tourism destination, with Cape Town being voted the best city in the world by the Telegraph Travel Awards this year, as well as being home to some of the best brandy, best wines, best food, and best olive oil in the world.

We also received confirmation recently that 14 out of Conde Nast’s top 15 hotels in east and southern Africa are located right in the Western Cape as well. It is also now easier than ever to fly direct into Cape Town, with 215 international flights coming into the award-winning Cape Town International Airport from January 2024, providing better and far more convenient access to some incredible conferencing options.

In the Western Cape, we are more determined than ever to be an example of what can be achieved with the right policies, the right plans and decisive action. ‘Growth For Jobs’ is the Western Cape’s new economic growth strategy and bold step towards enabling the private sector to grow and flourish and create many more jobs. These are just a few of the reasons to invest here, backed by clear and determined action by the provincial government, why the Western Cape is a destination of choice for businesses and investment.

We are determined to work with and enable the private sector and to help it succeed so we can boost economic growth that leads to job creation that we can really make an impact on and improve the lives of our people.

W: www.wesgro.co.za

A Bright Torch in the Darkest of Times

Sivusisizwe Africa Initiative, a powerful concept that resonates with the spirit of rejuvenation and revival, encapsulates the essence of “Rebuilding the Nation.” The organisation is a symbol of hope, as it supports and guides young men who are raised by single mothers and have not had the presence of their biological fathers in their lives.

Sivusisizwe, shining like a celestial torch in the darkest of times, a radiant symbol of optimism, was launched in June 2022. After a year of meticulous desk research, they uncovered the profound impact of fatherlessness on the boy child in South Africa.

Their mission extends its nurturing arms to adolescent fatherless boys, who, like tender buds, blossom within the walls of primary and high schools. But their reach doesn’t stop there; they also extend their support to courageous single mothers, who, like lionesses, fiercely raise their boys in the absence of their biological fathers.

Through their captivating campaigns and transformative programmes, they strive to unlock the dormant potential within these fatherless Adolescent Boys and Young Men (ABYM). Their ultimate goal is to empower resilient mothers, equipping them with the tools and resources needed to create a nurturing and empowering environment for their beloved sons.

Their initial focus lies within the townships of the eThekwini, where they aim to sow the seeds of change. But their ambitions stretch far beyond, envisioning a future where their impact blankets the entire KwaZulu-Natal region. However, this dream can only be realised with the support of generous funding, which they eagerly seek to propel their noble initiative forward.

“Our aim is to motivate and unleash the complete potential of adolescent boys and young men (ABYM) through our programme.  We also support single mothers raising their

sons alone by providing a safe space to connect, create local support groups and access resources that will empower mothers to raise their sons in a supportive and resourceful environment,” explained Sivusisizwe CEO Dudu Thabede.

Their efforts up to this point have demonstrated their sincere commitment to empowering boys and young men, assisting them in realising their complete potential as compassionate and understanding individuals.

Their grand vision involves offering culturally attuned and conveniently accessible tools to single mothers who bravely navigate the challenging task of raising these boys without their biological fathers.

But that is not all! They are also determined to weave a vast web of support across the nation, tackling head-on the pressing problem of fatherlessness and lending a helping hand to single mothers in nurturing sons who are not only well-rounded but also overflowing with kindness.

The organisation is led by a committed team of directors who are responsible for steering its overall strategy and ensuring that its actions positively impact all people involved. They are assisted by an advisory committee comprised of a diverse group of academics, social activists, and community developers. This committee plays a crucial role in providing additional information and expertise to address any knowledge deficiencies.

“In addition to our achievements in the field, we have also made significant progress in establishing a passionate multidisciplinary volunteer advisory committee. This committee will guide our strategy and focus areas, ensuring that we make the most impact. Furthermore, we have appointed a dedicated and skilled Board of Directors who are fully committed to our programme and the long-term sustainability of our organisation,” said Thabede.

For more information about Sivusisizwe Africa Initiative and how you can get involved and support their objectives, contact [email protected] or their chairperson, [email protected]

www.sivusisizwe.com – Article courtesy of The Men’s Voice, an online magazine dedicated to supporting positive role models for men of South Africa

Internationalise Yourself, Your Wealth, and Your Business

The mid-90s saw scores of young professionals arriving in the UK from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Among them was Reg Bamford, a South African, who immediately saw the need for a service that could help expats like him with their visas, tax affairs, and forex. He founded a small company called 1st Contact. As more and more of these expats chose to make the UK a permanent home, they found that their financial and tax affairs got more complex. 1st Contact continued to adapt to cater to the increasingly sophisticated challenges their clients faced and became Sable International.

By bringing on board dozens of cross-border experts, Reg Bamford’s brainchild became a company spanning three continents with offices in the UK, Europe, Australia, and across Africa. Sable International is today known as the cross-border expert that offers a host of services empowering businesses and individuals to overcome the challenges of global trade and citizenship.

These services include:

• UK and Australian immigration
• British nationality
• Golden visas and citizenship-by- investment
• Studying abroad
• Offshore real estate investment
• Business relocation

• Cross-border wealth management
• Global tax advice
• Forex and international payments
• UK accounting services for SMEs
• UK corporate immigration
• Immigration advice and services for UK schools

For South Africans looking to “internationalise” themselves, Sable International is the one- stop-shop. This month, Sable International is hosting a Global Citizenship and Emigration Expo in Johannesburg, Durban, Gqeberha, and Cape Town. .

A World-Leading Expert on British Nationality

If you’re a South African and you, or a family member, have a UK-born parent or grandparent, you might have inherited British citizenship without knowing.

Philip Gamble, a Senior Partner at Sable International, is widely regarded as a world-leading expert in UK immigration and British citizenship, with a particular focus on complex colonial claims.

He has represented the industry as a whole with the Home Office After-Entry Committee and Advisory Committee of the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner. He has assisted the Home Office with the formulation of their Policy Guidance and has been actively involved in individual cases that have resulted in changes in the law.

If you’re currently in South Africa, Philip and his team will be hosting free one-on-one consultations as part of the Global Citizenship and Emigration Expo. If you’re outside of South Africa, you can fill in a free online assessment to discover your options.

Tel: +27 (0) 21 657 2120 | +44 (0) 20 7759 7514
E-mail: [email protected] W: www.sableinternational.com

Main photo: John Battersby, Sir Nick Stadlen and his son, Tommy Stadlen at the 2022 Chamber Awards where Sir Nick was awarded an Exceptional Achievement Award for his significant contribution to South African history. © 2022, South African Chamber of Commerce UK

The English Judge Who Loved South Africa

by John Battersby

A chance meeting with the late Rivonia defendant and anti-apartheid hero Denis Goldberg in Cape Town changed the life of a former English High Court Judge and inspired him to seek a wider audience for “Mandela’s Unsung Heroes”.

Sir Nicholas Stadlen KC, who died on 5^th 0ctober aged 73 after a long illness, spent the last decade of his life researching the “back story” of the 1964 Rivonia trial which saw Nelson Mandela and seven co-defendants sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage.

The trial changed the course of South African history and led 30 years later to the first democratic elections.

Nick’s research resulted in an award-winning documentary – Life is Wonderful: Mandela’s Unsung Heroes – the creation of a charity to fund the screening of the film at 6000 state schools in South Africa and dozens of articles about the surviving Rivonia defendants and legal team.

After retiring as a judge in 2013 following six years on the bench, Nick was on a visit with family in Cape Town when Mandela died on 5^th December 2013.

He was struck by the overwhelming local and international media coverage that was devoted to the Mandela story and the Rivonia trial but in contrast by how little most people knew about Mandela’s colleagues and the legal team led by the brilliant Afrikaner barrister Bram Fischer.

Nick read an article about Denis Goldberg in the Cape Times, called the newspaper for his contact details, then called Denis who immediately invited Nick and his wife, Frances, to spend the day within the Goldberg home overlooking Hout Bay Harbour.

“It was a life-changing experience,” Nick wrote later in a tribute after Denis died in April 2020.

Nick was mesmerised by the courage and integrity of the Rivonia co-defendants and the sacrifices they made for a “higher purpose”.

He was humbled by the fact that they were not only prepared to die for the cause but almost invited the death penalty by endorsing Mandela’s famous statement from the dock that “if needs be” he was prepared to die.

Nick was also intrigued, as a practitioner of the law, that both Mandela and Fischer had demonstrated in their respective trials that the only way to honour the rule-of-law in apartheid South Africa – which they so profoundly believed in – was to break laws which were immoral and had not been endorsed by the majority of the population.

Nick had internalised the stories of his parents who both fled the Nazi Anschluss in Austria in their youth and knew of the trauma of a great uncle, Friedl, who waited too long and then took his own life rather than live under Nazi rule.

Nick’s lifelong professional role of implementing the rule of law – first as barrister then as judge – does not tell the full story of his compassion and generosity in his daily life.

According to his eldest son Matthew, a broadcaster, he was constantly helping people who had been dealt an unfair hand in life.

Nick was a powerful and persuasive advocate of the values and vision that he believed in and there was no room for compromise on principles.

Much of his idealism and commitment to human rights came from his mother Hedi (nee Simon) – a passionate anti-colonial activist who studied moral sciences at Cambridge at a time when women could graduate but were not allowed to attend their graduation ceremony.

She campaigned for Indian independence with Indira Gandhi in London and her first marriage was to an activist in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) who headed the Communist Party in that country while she organised strikes and protests as a trade union organiser.

Hedi later reconnected with Peter Stadlen, Nick’s father, who she had met in Austria, while on a trip to London and they married. Hedi was inter alia a musicologist of note and Peter was a celebrated concert pianist who later became a music critic in Britain.

Nick’s human rights education was ignited while on a gap year in the United States in 1968, the year Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis. Nick caught a bus to attend his funeral in Atlanta.

“I grew up with a very strong sense of the wickedness of apartheid and of the wrongness of the rebel tours to South Africa”, said Matthew, a broadcaster and writer.

As President of the Debating Union at Cambridge, his alma mater, and during a second “gap year” before becoming a judge, Nick interviewed a series of prominent global figures in podcasts under the title Brief Encounter on the Guardian website.

They included former South African President FW de Klerk, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Shimon Peres, Hannan Ashrawi and Jerry Adams.

Nick was involved in the setting up of the British Irish Association in a bid to secure peace in Northern Ireland.

From the day spent with Denis Goldberg in Cape Town, Nick learned of the other two surviving Rivonia defendants – Ahmed Kathrada and Andrew Mlangeni, both well into their 80’s – and the then surviving members of the legal team: Lord Joel Joffe, George Bizos and Denis Kuny.

Nick knew that he had to move fast to record their interviews for the documentary which he produced, directed, narrated, and edited with the help of his cousin, Jonathan Stadlen.

He was seized with a sense of mission and radiated the enthusiasm of an activist half his age.

He wanted their lives and values to be better known abroad and, in particular, among the youth in South Africa to ensure that their vision is kept alive, and that the hard-won democracy endures.

 “I thought that young South Africans have the right to know about these unsung heroes and I resolved to record their stories,” he said.

The film was screened more than 100 times at invited audiences on four continents at which Nick would appear and lead discussions after the film had been viewed. It was also broadcast on Britain’s Channel 5 and South Africa’s MNET.

It was screened dozens of times during the Mandela Centenary exhibition at London’s Southbank Centre in 2018, at the British Museum and on interactive virtual sessions during the pandemic.

As became clear from the eulogies of his three sons – Matthew, Tommy and William at his funeral attended by 300 people in St James Church, Holland Park on 30^th October– Nick did not allow his professional life as a top commercial barrister detract from his role as a dedicated father and husband.

“We don’t always recognise greatness when we live in its presence… let alone when it emerges in the shape of our own father,” said Matthew Stadlen, Nick’s eldest son in his eulogy at the funeral.

“But Dad, like his mother before him, was a great human being.” said Matthew. “He was a giant who walked among us.”

The painstaking research, hands-on filmmaking and advocacy over a decade was a radical change for a retired High Court judge.

Photo: Sir Nick Stadlen the day after concluding his 119 day speech. Credit PNS-Avalon

Nick’s legendary 119-day opening speech in the epic 256-day civil case in which he represented the Bank of England against the liquidators of the collapsed BCCI bank in 2004, stands as the longest court address in British legal history.

One of the juniors in that case, Ben Valentin KC, described Nick as “one of the most persuasive, fearless and stylish advocates of his generation”.

The BCCI liquidators not only lost their claim for £1bn (R23.5bn) in compensation but had to pay the Bank of England’s costs of about £75m (R1.8bn) as well as estimated BCCI costs of a similar order.

Nick was happiest when he was organising debates or seminars on issues of the day such as the role of law in securing South African democracy, the role of the UK parliament in approving Brexit and whether it is ever justified to break the law – all debates he chaired during two years as a fellow at St Anthony’s College, Oxford.

In 2015, with the help of his friend the late Lord Joel Joffe, Mandela’s solicitor in the Rivonia trial, Nick organised a colloquium at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg to coincide with the award of an honorary doctorate posthumously to Bram Fischer, who headed the legal team which spared Mandela and his colleagues from the gallows.

Denis Goldberg, the only white among the eight convicted Rivonia defendants, attended the colloquium.

Lynda Murray, who convenes Wits alumni in the UK, recalls how Nick worked tirelessly with Joffe in preparing the ground for a dynamic panel which discussed the controversial role and life of Bram Fischer.

In 1961 Fischer, a white Afrikaner from a top family, was simultaneously a leading member of the Johannesburg Bar Council and secret leader of the of the outlawed South African Communist Party (SACP).

Nick was sometimes challenged to explain how a retired High Court judge could be an advocate for communists.

“Although he was a convinced Marxist, Denis, like his hero and comrade Bram Fischer, became a communist because he loved people, wanted to improve the lives of the poor, and could not bear the cruelty and stupidity of racial discrimination,” wrote Stadlen, who was working on a book on Fischer at the time if his death.

In 2018 Stadlen organised a seminal debate in London between South African Constitutional Court Judge Albie Sachs and David Neuberger, President of the UK Supreme Court from 2012-2017.

“It was exquisite in the true sense of the word,” recalled Sachs.

“With a foot in both countries, Nick was the perfect chair and provided an eloquent and free-flowing discussion. There was a respectful energy and deep curiosity in the room.”

Nicholas Felix Stadlen was born in Hampstead London in 1950. He was educated at St Paul’s School in London and read classics at Trinity College, Cambridge graduating with a BA Honours in classics and later a Master’s.

He enjoyed being a mentor but advised young people serious about justice not to read law at university.

In 1972, he married his girlfriend Frances Howarth, daughter of the headmaster of St Paul’s school where they met and began dating.

Nick practised as a barrister from Fountain Court Chambers in the Temple from 1977- 2007 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1991 and to the High Court Bench in 2007.

He was passionate about the underdog and about helping people which he did directly at times and through being a trustee of a number of charities covering a wide range of interests including music, literacy, advocacy, health and the film, Life is Wonderful, so named after Denis Goldberg’s words shouted out to his mother in the courtroom on being spared the gallows.

Out of the court room Nick was warm, kind, and inclusive with an immense respect for people from all walks of life.

He had an extraordinary recall and was a great storyteller. But he was also a good listener.

He sometimes faced questions as to why a retired High Court Judge was teaching South Africans about their own history.

His humility and respect for the country and its people invariably won them over. Over a decade he travelled to South Africa on numerous occasions.

Nick was regarded as an honorary citizen by the South African community in London and forged close bonds with key South Africans.

He continued to travel to South Africa in connection with the film and his youngest son Tommy was married there.

Nick was working on a film on the murdered black consciousness leader Steve Biko when his illness took over.

He believed passionately in the future of South Africa and that despite all the problems besetting the country, in the long run the values, vision and of the Rivonia generation would prevail.

Nick made a final visit to South Africa in March this year and he and Frances were joined by their three sons for a week each to further explore the Western Cape in the country they had come to love.

In April, Tommy organised a surprise dinner for about a dozen of Nick’s closest associates in London.

I feel truly blessed to have known Nick Stadlen and to have spent so much time with him in the last action-packed decade of his extraordinary life.

My last visit to his home in London in July came back to me as I listened to Matthew’s moving eulogy to his father.

“He was strong and gentle. Successful and modest.  Serious and silly with an acute sense of the absurd,” said Matthew.

“Above all he was a man of infinite love.”

Nick is survived by his wife Frances, sons Matthew (43) William (42) and Tommy (36) and grandchildren Jude, Skye, Wilfred, and Marlon.

Sir Nicholas Stadlen, barrister, judge, writer, mentor, filmmaker, and philanthropist was born on May 3, 1950. He died of mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer, on October 5, 2023.

John Battersby is a London-based writer and consultant. He is a former newspaper editor and foreign correspondent, and a trustee of the charity Life is Wonderful.

The documentary Life is Wonderful: Mandela’s Unsung Heroes is available on Amazon Prime.

[email protected]

This tribute first appeared in the Daily Maverick.

South African chambers from across the globe have joined forces to create the International Association of South African Chambers of Commerce (IASACC).

Jason Lamb, board member of the South African Chamber in Singapore and EXCO member of the South African Chamber in the UK said, “This has been a long time coming and in February 2023 we decided to bring chambers  from  Singapore,  Korea, Mauritius, UK and Dubai together on a call to discuss the idea of putting this platform together. There was lots of excitement, and everyone agreed to join and start this great initiative.”

Most of the South African chambers of commerce or business councils have similar purposes, goals and strategies. By opening the communication lines across the SA chambers globally, the IASACC will enable board members and members to share experiences, knowledge, expertise and ultimately give our members access to a broader network and community.

We all have a special connection back to our country and currently all South African chambers create a platform for South Africans living abroad to connect, facilitate trade and investment, help with relocation, promote tourism and of cause get together over a braai. The IASACC will build on this purpose, and we will work with each other and the various government entities to enhance business and trade relations with our international partners.

For more information, please reach out to your local SA chamber of commerce or business council or if you have any questions on the IASACC, please contact Jason Lamb at [email protected]

The South African Chamber of Commerce UK today shares the departure of Alison Kingsley-Hall from her role as Chief Executive Officer. Alison has decided that her plans lie outside the Chamber and has made the difficult decision to leave this role.

Although short, Alison’s period at the Chamber was marked by a willingness to engage in many aspects of the Chamber. “Alison’s energy and fresh perspectives were welcomed, and we are thankful for her input,” said Sharon Constancon, Chairman of the SA Chamber of Commerce UK. “We respect her decision and support her continued passion for fostering trade, investment, and collaboration between the UK, South Africa, and across the African continent.”

Alison expressed her commitment to her mission: “I remain dedicated to the work that supports our shared interests and will continue to advocate for the unique value that such international relationships offer. I wish the SA Chamber of Commerce (UK) great success in the future.”

The Chamber’s Board of Directors is considering the succession, to build upon the solid foundation laid by its leaders, past and present. In the interim, the Chamber’s operations continue as normal.

The SA Chamber of Commerce UK stands firm in its mission and assures members and partners that its dedication to strengthening business ties remains unwavering.

Further announcements regarding the new leadership will be made in due course. The Chamber is eager to welcome a new CEO with the enthusiasm and dedication characterising our esteemed organisation.