Dear Friends and Members,
As a long-standing Councillor of the BCCI it is a great pleasure for me to have been given the opportunity to contribute to this first Newsletter of 2020, and let me start by wishing you all a very Happy New Year.
For those of you whom I have not yet had the chance to meet let me give you a brief introduction:
I first came to Italy in 1974 when I spent 6 months in Florence, studying Italian at the University for Foreign Students as part of my UK degree course. Needless to say I fell in love with “everything Italian”! After graduating from Leeds University I joined Barclays Bank International and spent 3 years in the UK and the US before being transferred to Milan in 1980. My career with Barclays lasted over 40 years and my last role was as COO of the Corporate and Investment Bank, looking after International clients.
Since my retirement in 2018 I have returned to studying, following courses on Italian literature and history, as well as teaching English to a class of 20 “mature” students!
2020 marks the start of a new decade, which promises to be full of exciting challenges for the BCCI and you, our members, not only as a result of the imminent Brexit agreement but also due to the climate change, the changing financial environment and the influence of artificial intelligence in our workplaces and indeed in our lives generally.
Together with our members the BCCI will be hosting a rich calendar of events and workshops throughout the year, covering themes such as Sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion, Innovation and, naturally, Brexit.
On January 8th, together with Rothschild Bank, we start our Brexit road-show in Catania, moving up through Italy to finish in Milan on January 20th.
Our first Brexit event after January 31st will be co-hosted with the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the UK and Assolombarda on February 4th and this promises to be an enlightening conference.
For further events in 2020 I encourage you to visit our website so that you can start to take note of the dates in your diaries before they get too busy!
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our welcome-back aperitif at the Rosa Grand Hotel, Piazza Fontana, Milano on January 21st.
Renewed best wishes for a prosperous 2020
Lesley Jackson
BCCI Councillor