Milan, Italy – The British Chamber of Commerce for Italy is pleased to announce that, at its Annual General Meeting on 27 June, Tom Noad was formally appointed as President of the Chamber, taking over from Daniel Shillito.
Tom has been a Councillor of the Chamber since September 2016 and was appointed Vice President in February 2018. Tom was elected to replace Daniel at the Chamber’s Council meeting in March. Tom is an English solicitor and has been practising in Italy since 2010, firstly with international law firm, Withers, and more recently with Veneto based start-up, L2B Partners.
At the AGM, Tom thanked Daniel for his leadership and hard work in the two years of his presidency, highlighting – amongst many other achievements – Daniel’s successes in instituting the Chamber’s Business Excellence Awards, overseeing the first Diversity project, sponsoring a number of trade delegations, leading the Chamber’s response to Brexit and enticing several top CEOs and country managers to speak at its business lunches. Daniel will remain as Vice-President of the Chamber.
On the Chamber’s future direction, Tom spoke of remaining relevant to the needs and interests of the English-speaking business community in Italy. There would continue to be a focus on important themes such as AI and Innovation, Diversity and Brexit, the outcome of which is still unknown. This was already reflected in the events scheduled for the second half of 2019, such as a series of Blockchain breakfasts starting in October, a major disability conference planned for 11 October as well as Brexit roundtables organised in conjunction with KPMG which would commence in the autumn, prior to the 31 October envisaged Brexit date.
Tom noted that, for the end of 2019 and into 2020, the Chamber would be introducing events around the topic of sustainability, and this would be kicked off with an event on Smart Cities and Mobility scheduled for 28 November at which Daniele Maver, President of Jaguar Land Rover Italia, would be a keynote speaker.
Tom announced that the Chamber would be also concentrating on three new initiatives: firstly, a drive aimed at developing the Chamber’s regional presences which would be led by Councillor Mariateresa Giussani; secondly, the relaunch and expansion of the Chamber’s Next Generation Group, a body led by new Councillor Nicol Ogston and aimed at being the leading community for professionals under 40 years of age with UK/ Italian interests; and thirdly, the development of a series of member-led working groups focussed on specific areas of member interest. On this last category, a working group on Fashion and Luxury, led by members Bernoni Grant Thornton (Paolo Besio) and Deloitte (Ida Palombella), and a working group on Diversity, led by Councillor Donatella Cungi and Secretary General, Aaron Pugliesi, were unveiled at the AGM.
Tom remarked, “it is a privilege to have the chance to lead the Chamber into the next decade. The Twenties will present great challenges for us all. But I believe strongly in this organisation as a fantastic platform, not just for those with a UK-Italy connection, but for all businesses and individuals with an interest in a world which is rapidly changing, to share, discuss and confront those challenges.”
For further information please contact The British Chamber of Commerce for Italy: Tel. +39 02 877 798 – Email bcci@britchamitaly.com
