April 2025

Your BABCNE Membership Today

We connect. We inform. We support.

In this time of uncertainty, personal connections are more valuable than ever. The British American Business Council of New England (BABCNE) offers a trusted community where meaningful relationships, international insights, and professional opportunities come together.

Now is the ideal time to renew your membership—or join for the first time—and take full advantage of what’s ahead in 2025.

Video courtesy of Hawke Commercial Filmmaking

From our Consul General, David Clay, MBE

A few days out from the anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, it’s time to refresh my memory of the battles and what led to them.

I’ve always loved history and believed it matters for diplomacy.

I don’t buy the idea that there are direct lessons that you can draw from historical examples, but I do think it helps you to think about the present in new ways. Reflecting on how people acted in very different contexts in the past helps me to come up with different ideas for responding to new challenges today.

A lot of diplomacy is about meeting the challenge of empathy - figuring out where the person on the other side of the table is coming from. History (and fiction for that matter) helps to train the brain to do this. And without understanding the history of whatever you’re working on, it’s pretty hard to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

It’s also a great way to connect and build relationships. I rarely meet people here that don’t have at least a passing interest in history, and plenty that are passionate history fans. I’ll certainly come across lots of people who want to talk history this week.

And finally, it can be a wonderful way to tell the story of international relationships. I think the story of the uniquely close contemporary US-UK relationship is even more powerful when we think of the conflicts it emerged from.

Looking forward to a history-filled weekend.

2025 America's Cup Networking Sailing Event

June 18, 2025, Newport, RI

Join 30+ guests competing (gently) on genuine 70ft 1960's Americas Cup winning yachts in Newport, Rhode Island on Wednesday June 18th, with America's Cup Charters.

Meet business contacts on board, grab a drink and network afterwards at the shore party... Many thanks to corporate partner Hollywood Agency for joining the party again in 2025 - there are a few more corporate packages with branding and social benefits, and individual tickets are available too (on a 'first come first served' basis as we've sold out every year).

UK Department for Business and Trade

HAVE YOUR SAY:

Following the 10% reciprocal tariffs on a range of products announced by the Trump administration, UK companies are being invited to give their views on what any future UK response should look like, by providing feedback to questions asking them the average value of their US imports, the impact of any possible UK tariffs and how they would adjust to them. 

Read more 👉https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-seeks-business-views-on-response-to-us-tariffs

London for Life Sciences Summit in Boston

April 23, 2025

London & Partners is supporting Lendlease and the Department for Business and Trade to deliver a reception showcasing the opportunities for US businesses and investors in London's thriving life sciences sector and bringing together innovators from both sides of the Atlantic.

Speakers include:

- Howard Dawber, London's Deputy Mayor for Business & Growth

- Angela Kukula, CEO of MedCity

- Richard Broyd, Senior Advisor at Lendlease

- Geraint Rees, Vice Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) at University College London

- Daniel Orr, FDA Regulatory Senior Counsel, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Space is limited so please register to attend via the link below.

9th United States-United Kingdom Small and Medium Enterprise Dialogue

April 30, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina

Small business stakeholders are cordially invited to attend the 9th United States-United Kingdom Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Dialogue on Wednesday April 30, 2025 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Launched in 2018 under the Trump Administration, the U.S.-UK SME Dialogue is convened by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Small Business Administration with the UK Department for Business and Trade, alternating locations between the United States and the United Kingdom.

The trade relationship between the U.S. and UK amounts to over $300 billion per year with $1.7 trillion invested in each other’s economies. The SME Dialogue brings together small businesses on both sides of the Atlantic together with officials to discuss trade opportunities and challenges. It also aims to increase bilateral trade opportunities for small businesses.

The event will feature presentations by senior trade officials and small businesses from both countries. Small businesses will have the opportunity to network and engage with trade promotion agencies from both countries.

RSVP for U.S. small business stakeholders: Please provide your name, title, organization and city/state to international@sba.gov



The BABN engages with the US and UK governments on a broad range of policy issues impacting the flow of goods and services between the UK and North America. For more details visit: https://babn.org/about-us/ The BABCNE is a founding member.

You may be interested in viewing the events of the twenty chapters of the network: https://babn.org/events/



Focus on the Future: Navigating the Demands of Tomorrow’s World

The 2025 Transatlantic Conference —taking place April 30 through May 2, 2025 in Charlotte, NC — will feature experts discussing key topics like AI, sustainability, green finance, circular economies, renewable energy, AR in healthcare, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, and upskilling.

They will address the challenges of technological growth, ethical and privacy concerns, necessary safeguards, and how non-tech executives can lead in this evolving landscape. 

Has the Political Consensus on Trade Permanently Moved?

The latest update from BAB CEO Duncan Edwards OBE is now available to read here

Some European ports are congested but not (yet) related to tariffs, trade wars

AJOT, Stuart Todd, April 15, 2025

According to a recent article in The Sunday Times (of London), entitled "Chaos at European ports", as trade war leaves ships in limbo, queues of hundreds of ships are building up at maritime gateways in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK amid tit-for-tat tariffs and plans to impose a $1 million fee on Chinese-linked vessels docking at US ports.

The article also quoted data from the shipping analytics firm MarineTraffic which showed that in the first week of April, 226 ships called at the Belgian port of Antwerp, compared to 34 in the same week a year ago. And 51 ships called at the port of Southampton, up from 12 in the equivalent week.

Read more here

Unpacking the impact of reciprocal tariffs: Stay diversified, stay invested

April 3, 2025

Courtesy of BABCNE Member, Edward Jones, Angelo Kourkafas

On April 2, President Donald Trump announced the highly anticipated U.S. reciprocal tariff plans under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The U.S. will impose a 10% tariff on all countries, which will take effect on April 5, along with higher tariff rates on nations the U.S. has larger trade deficits with, which will take effect on April 9. China will be charged a tariff rate of 34%, which will stack on the 20% tariffs imposed earlier this year. Other major trading partners of the U.S., such as the European Union, Vietnam and Japan, will be subject to tariff rates of 20% or more.

Learn more here

New route!

BABCNE member, Jet Blue, is happy to annouce a new daily, seasonal service between Boston (BOS) and Edinburgh (EDI), beginning May 22, 2025 (Eastbound) and May 23, 2025 (Westbound). The service will run through October 24, 2025. 

American at 250 - news from the MFA

Ethan Lasser, Chair, Art of the Americas

April 1, 2025

In 2026 USA country will turn 250 years old. To mark this milestone, the MFA is embarking on a monumental project: reimagining and reinstalling the galleries for 18th-century Art of the Americas. Standing front and center in this new display will be Paul Revere’s Sons of Liberty Bowl.

Often described as a national treasure equal in significance to the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution, the Sons of Liberty Bowl is a true icon of the MFA’s collection.

Crafted in 1768 by the silversmith and midnight rider Paul Revere, the bowl celebrates the defiant Sons of Liberty, Bostonians who vocally opposed British rule, and chastises the British authorities—or, as Revere’s wonderful engraved inscription puts it, the “insolent Menaces of Villains in Power”—who levied taxes on the colonies without their consent. The bowl embodies Bostonians’ raw and unbridled spirit of resistance and the convictions that led to the war for independence.

Read more here

Old North Patriot's weekend activities: https://www.oldnorth.com/250th

BABCNE SOCIAL MEDIA

We invite you to follow us, post on our pages and build your network among our community.

 LinkedIn | Facebook