October 2025

Mark your calendars for December 5, 2025! The 37th Annual Christmas Luncheon will be held at the Harvard Club, Boston.

Our biggest Event of the year. The BABCNE’s 37^th Christmas Luncheon, in Grand British Tradition!

THE best Christmas Luncheon in town! This festive event has become a celebrated favorite with the business community in this area. 

This flagship social event blends festive cheer with fabulous food, drinks, and top-tier networking. Mark your calendar — this is one holiday celebration you won’t want to miss! 

Only 20 tables remaining – secure your table now! Individual reservations are welcome.

31st International Business Forum and Networking Evening, October 14, 2025

On October 14, 2025, we had an amazing turnout at the 31st International Business Forum and Networking Evening at Suffolk University, despite the storm! A big thank you to everyone who joined us and to our wonderful speakers for sharing their insights.

We’re especially grateful to Dr. Amy Z. Zeng for hosting us, to Professor Shahruz Mohtadi for his economic update, and to our sponsor, Kenneth Vacovec from Vacovec Mayotte & Singer. A shoutout to James Reggie Colimon, and Jeevan Ramapriya for keeping us informed with updates from the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts!

A huge thanks to Douglas Banks for doing a fantastic job as our moderator, and to our incredible panelists: Michael Haueisen, Rahul Kapoor, H. Caglar Ozdag, Audrey Philippot Dahan and Kenneth Vacovec.

We were also honored to receive a Certificate of Recognition from the City of Boston for our efforts, which was presented to Urszula Wojciechowska, MBE., Executive Director of BABCNE.

Amid evolving trade policies, shifting global alliances and growing challenges to international supply chains, this year’s forum focused on how global businesses are adapting to a rapidly changing landscape - marked by accelerating technological innovation, strategic realignment and emerging partnerships.

The panel discussion, moderated by Doug Banks, featured international experts across key industries. It was an impressive lineup of speakers who gave their insights on supply chains, energy storage and semiconductors, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, financial and tax strategies, and manufacturing.

You may be interested in viewing the events of

the twenty chapters of the network: https://babn.org/events/

David Clay, MBE., HM Consul General, Boston

This week marks 20 years since I joined the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Looking back, 2005 was probably one of the last gasps of a more analogue age.

I remember that Ministerial submissions still had to be printed onto "blue" paper with an embossed crest. It was always a pain to work out how to get it the right way up in the printer. Annexes ("flags") had to be marked with small coloured post it notes, and the whole package was tied up in the top left corner with a treasury tag. I remember running through the corridors of King Charles St to get a submission into Private Office before the box closed (probably delayed by printing the crest upside-down for the umpteenth time). Or trying to persuade a private secretary to open up the box if it was late.

The office looks different 20 years later. Fewer treasury tags, single hole punchers and post-it notes required (although I discovered today they can all still be found in the lesser-used cupboards of British Consulate-General Boston). Not so much running in the corridors. But the fundamentals are the same: smart, fun and committed colleagues driven to make a difference for the UK overseas; a job that matters and that gets you into some of the most interesting rooms in the world; a career that is uniquely varied and that gives you the opportunity to develop a whole range of skills.

Thank you to all my colleagues at the Foreign Office - especially UK in Libya, UK in Egypt, UK Mission to the United Nations and British Consulate-General Boston - who have made the last twenty years so rewarding and so much fun.

International Trade Week - November 3 - 7, 2025

Overview:The fifth edition of International Trade Week will take place from Monday 3rd to Friday 7th November. The week will see a number of webinars and in-person events to help businesses develop their exporting knowledge and skills. ITW is free for UK businesses to attend.

The aim of ITW is to help businesses:

• Develop their exporting knowledge and skills
• Understand global opportunities and how to seize them
• Learn about export support from DBT and its partners
• Understand the benefits of trade deals the UK has signed
• Connected with other businesses and experts in international trade

Attend an event: You can sign up to any of the free events across the week here.

Your BABCNE Membership Today

We connect. We inform. We support.

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. JOIN US!

Video courtesy of Hawke Commercial Filmmaking

The Complete Captain has launched to elevate the role of merchant mariner captains in the US

Richard McKenna, President of BABCNE

For more than 30 years I’ve worked in the marketing and advertising industry, much of it navigating, on behalf of clients, the cultural differences between businesses in the UK and the US.

As a life-long boater, I recently took the plunge and enrolled in “captain school” to prepare for the rigorous 5-part US Coast Guard 100 Ton Master Captain exam. While in class, it occurred to me that with such high demand for licensed captains, (50 unfilled captain jobs just in Boston) there must be a better way to encourage people to enroll into training programs and turn their passion for boating into a career. Hence the formation of The Complete Captain.

My new business elevates and expands the roles captains take on, and connects me, the primary captain, with commercial and private boat owners in need of a seasoned pro.

Bringing this concept to life required a modern and easy to navigate website. In my marketing business, it’s often told that some Brits are too risk adverse to thrive in America and many Americans are a bit too brash to assimilate well in the UK. These generalizations may have some truth, but it didn’t stop me from reaching out to UpshoringUK.com to select a digital partner to bring The Complete Captain to life. 

If you’d like to learn more about contract captain services including HelmSense, and see me in my posh new uniform, please visit www.thecompletecaptain.com 

If you’d like to learn about upshoring, visit www.upshoringuk.com.

Did you know....

The British American Network (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. The New York/London chapter, named British American Business (BAB), represents all the chapters on policy matters, the latest update of which is below.

For more details visit: https://babn.org/about-us/ The BABCNE is a founding member of the network of 20 chapters.

Trade & Policy update - October Summary

September has been a major month for transatlantic engagement, policy, and investment announcements. President Trump's State Visit to the UK was a diplomatic and economic success, featuring the signing of the Technology Prosperity Deal.

The UK Government completed a Cabinet reshuffle, with new appointments in key transatlantic portfolios. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins also visited London, en route to the OECD in Paris. More broadly, UNGA and Climate Week NYC saw attendance from governments globally, including a strong UK delegation.

Looking ahead, the UK Government prepares for its upcoming International Trade Week in November, offering a week of events to support businesses expand their global footprint, in line with its long-term Trade Strategy, announced earlier this year.

Read more here

The State Visit and investment announcements are a positive sign for

the UK US relationship

Duncan Edwards OBE, CEO, BritishAmerican Business

September 23, 2025

I was in London for the last two weeks, including for the State Visit in which business played a remarkably large role. Traditionally, visits by a head of state to the UK revolve around the ceremony, pageantry and high diplomacy that the UK does so well, and this was all there, but alongside this was an extraordinary focus on the business and investment relationship between the US and the UK. 

At their meeting at Chequers, the President and PM signed a new MOU entitled the Technology Prosperity Deal which envisages a shared commitment to work together on AI innovation, the development of quantum computing capability and civil nuclear power capacity, and other future facing technologies.

Read more here

BritishAmerican Business Congratulates The Right Honourable Peter Kyle MP on his Appointment

as Secretary of State for Business.

September 8, 2025

Statement from BritishAmerican Business CEO Duncan Edwards

“On behalf of BritishAmerican Business, I congratulate The Right Honourable Peter Kyle MP on his appointment as Secretary of State for Business. We look forward to working with him at this important time for the UK economy and the transatlantic relationship.

“As highlighted in our 2025 Transatlantic Confidence Index released today, US companies continue to value the UK as a destination for investment, but concerns remain around high taxes, rising energy costs, and regulatory burdens. Businesses are calling for a more flexible, stable, and competitive environment, alongside the delivery of the government’s new industrial strategy.

“We also look forward to supporting the government in delivering the Economic Prosperity Deal with the US, and seeing progress in sectors such as digital trade, AI and aerospace. BAB stands ready to work with Secretary Kyle to address business concerns and strengthen the transatlantic economic corridor.”

UK Business and Trade - North America

The UK has launched a one-stop shop to cut red tape and remove barriers for global firms investing in UK financial services, reinforcing the UK as the ideal place to do business 🤝



The free service, delivered by the Office for Investment, is a partnership between

HM Treasury, financial regulators and the City of London Corporation, and will provide tailored support for global investors, including:

🏙️ picking locations

✅ understanding regulations

📊 navigating the UK’s business environment

UK Chancellor Rt Hon Rachel Reeves announced the fully operational Office for Investment: Financial Services during the IMFMeetings in Washington DC last week. This comes at a pivotal moment as the UK and North America continue to deepen financial services ties, especially following last month’s UK-US State Visit.

Read more 🔗 Here

Tariffs can’t stop trade — DHL tracker shows globalization proving resilient

FreightWaves, Noi Mahoney, October 14, 2025

Despite tariffs, geopolitical frictions, and talk of de-globalization, global supply chains are holding steady, according to DHL and the New York University Stern School of Business’ latest Global Connectedness Tracker.

“Despite policy headwinds, globalization — when it comes to actual international flows — has not gone into reverse. What we’re seeing is a pattern of companies and countries managing the risks of a more turbulent world rather than retreating from international engagement,” Prof. Steven Altman of NYU Stern’s School of Business, said during the DHL Global Connectedness Tracker webinar on Tuesday.

Read more here

The Princess warned that digital devices frequently do the opposite

of keeping people connected

The Telegraph, October 9, 2025

The Princess of Wales does not share a great deal of her opinion or advice in public. She does not seek controversy, rarely gives headline-grabbing speeches, and can more often be heard asking questions than answering.

When she does decide to say something, then it is generally worth listening to.

In an academic essay – an unusual format for a member of the Royal family – the Princess warned of the lifelong damage screens can do to the next generation.

“When we check our phones during conversations, scroll through social media during family dinners, or respond to emails while playing with our children, we’re not just being distracted, we are withdrawing the basic form of love that human connection requires,” she wrote.

Read more here

Foreign travel advice

Get advice and warnings about travel abroad, including entry requirements, safety and security, health risks and legal differences. Details https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) Update

Overview: The UK Home Office have provided an updated on the UK's ETA process for non-UK nationals travelling to the UK.

Key points:

• You may need a visa to come to the UK to visit, study or work.

• U.S. citizens traveling to the United Kingdom for short visits, tourism, or business, including those just passing through UK airports, will need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) if they do not have a UK visa or legal residency in the UK or the Republic of Ireland.

• Eligible visitors taking connecting flights (transiting) and passing through the UK border need an ETA. Those who are transiting and do not pass through the UK border do not currently need an ETA.

• An ETA costs £16 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years or until the holder's passport expires - whichever is sooner.

• British and Irish citizens do not need an ETA, including dual citizens.

Want to know more? For more information, see here.

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