Press release

10/03/2010 Council affirms position as leading representative for foreign firms

 

The Council of Foreign Chambers of Commerce in the United Kingdom affirmed its position as the representative organisation for its network of more than 10,000 foreign businesses in the UK when it met  the Mayor of London at a reception hosted by City Hall, London on 9 March 2010.  Florence Gomez, the acting chair of the CFCC, told Boris Johnson  that there was an open invitation for him to consult her and CFCC members about matters that might affect business in London, or other issues such as the low carbon economy for London.

She likewise said the organisation was close to the continuing concerns of businesses in London and she would aim to bring those to his attention at suitable times. 

The occasion for this breakthrough in business representation was a groundbreaking reception, where the guest of honour was Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. This was the first time the Mayor had hosted such a meeting. 

The reception was addressed by Ms Gomez who celebrated the enthusiasm of the 38 country members of the CFCC, noting that no less than 230 CEOs of blue chip companies attended the reception, representing 26 organisations. These came from countries as diverse as Japan, Canada, Russia, Turkey or Lithuania. 

Boris Johnson, in his address to the CFCC, expressed his interest in the organisation and its key position as the representative of foreign businesses in London. He hailed London’s entrepreneurial culture and said that London had a thriving educational sector, that the City of London was strong, despite the economic circumstances, that culture and theatres were burgeoning across the capital, that London had the highest number of electric vehicles and that the streets of the capital were increasingly safer from crime. 

London’s transport infrastructure would be enhanced by the building of CrossRail, a train system linking Heathrow with The City, Canary Wharf and Central London, and by developments to modernise the London Underground. 

Finally, Mr Johnson celebrated the arrival of the Olympic Games to London in 2012, saying it would revitalise the neglected area of East London.