Richard Burge

LCCI expands

international reach

Richard Burge, CEO of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), explains how the organisation is forging links between Wandsworth firms and businesses overseas…

It has been more than 18 months since Richard Burge assumed his current role as CEO of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). In that time, he has had many challenges to overcome, notably helping businesses to navigate through the worst global health pandemic in living memory.

Now, though, Richard’s focus is on the future – and in particular, on forging new connections with Chambers of Commerce and their members in overseas cities.

He says: “Since I took on my current role, we’ve worked hard to ensure that there are really good Chambers at a borough level in London, organisations that provide good granular services to local businesses. In many cases this has worked very well.

London is not only a gateway to the rest of the UK, it’s a gateway to businesses all over the world. The city is recognised as a global hub for business, particularly in international financial services. It’s also home to a growing number of small, indigenous businesses that are driven by innovative entrepreneurs.

“Now we’re aiming to expand and grow our international operations. LCCI International has been approved by our board and the aim is to build relationships with up to 35 cities across the world. Some of these cities will be in Europe; others will be further afield.

“We’ll focus on networking with the relevant Chamber within these cities and subsequently build links with their members. We’ve already started discussions with Chambers in five cities, including Hamburg and Berlin, and we’ll be launching LCCI International at the Dubai Expo later this year.

“The idea is to have a threeyear agreement with each city. Businesses that are members of Chambers in these cities will benefit from the services that we provide at LCCI.”

If anyone can make this project work, Richard can. He has a wealth of experience in international trade and global affairs, particularly in relation to social impact investment and the use of innovative technology. An independent advisor on international affairs, he has had a varied career that has seen him lead four multi-million-pound organisations including a famous charity, a UK government agency, a private company and a membership body over a total of 18 years.

Richard has also been on the board and a non-executive director of five multi-millionpound operations and has worked in more than 55 countries, principally in emerging economies, specialising in Africa, the wider Commonwealth and post-conflict situations.

He says: “We want to reflect London’s status as a global city. It’s far more than just a subset of the UK.

“London is not only a gateway to the rest of the UK, it’s a gateway to businesses all over the world. The city is recognised as a global hub for business, particularly in international financial services. It’s also home to a growing number of small, indigenous businesses that are driven by innovative entrepreneurs.

“One of the key strengths of London is the diversity of its people; this is recognised internationally. It’s also benefiting from growth sectors such as biomedical and financial and professional services. In addition, we’re starting to see the entertainment sector adopt disruptive technology-led business models.

“This is a highly competitive world and London has a major role to play in it. We have the power and influence to forge relationships with cities and businesses all over Europe and beyond.”