Tag Archives: Cardiff Business Club

Business, Cardiff, Events

Cardiff Business Club signs Armed Forces Covenant

At its latest event, Cardiff Business Club signed the Armed Forces Covenant alongside Cardiff Bus, with speaker Major General Duncan G Forbes, the Royal Navy’s Director of Strategy and Policy and Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff.

Sponsored by RFCA Wales, the Major General addressed the Club, shouting out his old captain and mentor Brigadier Jock Fraser as he retires this summer, before fittingly highlighting his lecture’s theme of legacy.

Promising to talk with no agenda or spin, but using the occasion to tell stories, kindle relationships and rest, the Major General began by discussing the broad strategic context of the Navy’s current work, touching on the UK’s support to Ukraine, the rise of China, politics, and the situation in Gaza, which he highlighted as the most worrying and important issue right now following Israel’s actions over the weekend.

He then moved to discuss what the Navy is doing right now, thanks to taxpayers’ money. He discussed the SSBN in the North Atlantic, a recent £44m drug bust, and the naval support for Ukraine. Having been involved since day one, he stated: “It will get worse before it gets better. If Ukraine lose, we all lose.”

The Major General then proceeded to look forward, highlighting the importance of young servicepeople and the confidence he has in them, but acknowledging that old systems need to be changed to be bolder, more creative, and take more risks. However, whatever they do to change the approach must maintain the key driving force of being in service to the nation, as that is what the Navy is intrinsically built on.

Touching on the Navy in Wales, he stated that they recruit twice as many marines and sailors from Wales than the wider population, and that those recruits serve for longer than average. They then almost always return to Wales after service, with the right traits to support business growth. He mentioned the HMS Cardiff which will be fully operational later this decade, and the Ministry of Defence’s investment into Cardiff and across Wales.

Lt Colonel (Retired) Craig Hampton-Stone, Director at Cardiff Bus, gave the vote of thanks, before he, Major General Duncan G Forbes and Phil Jardine, Chair of Cardiff Business Club, signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Covenant is a voluntary pledge made by businesses, designed to allow organisations to express their support the armed forces community and commit to ways in which they can provide it. All Covenants have to be approved and registered with the MOD Armed Forces Covenant Team.

Phil said: “We’re so pleased to have signed the covenant, especially alongside such a decorated guest as Major General Duncan G Forbes. Formalising our recognition and appreciation for the armed forces was an easy decision, and we’re pleased to have taken the step alongside Cardiff Bus.”

Cardiff, Events

Swiss Ambassador highlights close working relationship with the UK in Cardiff Business Club address

His Excellency Markus Leitner, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United Kingdom, addressed Cardiff Business Club at a lunch event sponsored by Eversheds Sutherland, on 27 February at Sophia Gardens.

Leitner spoke about the strong working relationships between Wales and Switzerland through programmes such as the electrification of the railways and the supply of a large number of trains as part of the significant redevelopment of the Transport for Wales network, focusing on the many links and partnerships between the UK and Switzerland.

His speech shed light on the Swiss government’s four focuses for our two countries to work more closely together in the near future, highlighting a modernised free trade agreement and improved mobility alongside a focus on financial services and science and research.

With negotiations currently in place for a modernised free trade agreement, Leitner said mobility needed to be improved in order to ease the trade process for the service provider, ensuring easier and freer trade between the two nations.

He highlighted that both countries hold major financial centres, mentioning Cardiff’s fintech industry, and said that there needs to be an agreement between these financial centres to work in tandem. With life sciences taking specific focus, the Ambassador supported the Government’s aims and outlined that the onus is now with the private sector to support his Government’s plans.

He touched on Brexit and how Switzerland can lead by example as a European country that is thriving outside of the European Union, thanks to its strong currency and dominant economy, alongside their policy of neutrality. Switzerland is fully committed to its policy of neutrality, which is not the same as indifference, he said. The Ambassador reiterated that the country is fully committed to international law, support to the civilian population and eventually peace in Ukraine.

 

 

One of the biggest challenge Switzerland faces is its relationship to the EU, as in some ways it was more integrated than some of its members, the Ambassador said.

Switzerland opted for access to the single market through five agreements, which should be updated and expanded by two more agreements. While the British and the Swiss starting points towards the EU might be different, a reinforced cooperation between the UK and Switzerland remains important.