The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has created a new company council for the country’s top businesses, following the CBI lobby group’s struggles with sexual harassment allegations and lost founding members. Founding members BP, Heathrow, Drax, and IHG are among those who will be represented by the BCC’s council, which will focus on topics including the future of the high street, net-zero policies, and digitalization. The BCC has stated that the new council will develop policies “rooted in their local communities but with the ability to shape the national and international debate”. The CBI faces an extraordinary general meeting looking for member support on June 8, and the BCC’s move has been criticised as opportunistic by some in the CBI.
Additional piece:
The formation of the BCC’s company council, and companies such as BP and Drax joining this group, highlights the challenge for lobby groups such as the CBI in satisfying their membership base whilst ensuring they fulfil their role of advocating and representing business interests. Advocating policies that are relevant to local communities while at the same time having a voice in national political and economic debates can be a balancing act for lobby groups, and this has been highlighted in recent years by many large business organizations facing similar challenges as the CBI. This move by the BCC could potentially lead to other groups calling for a merger or referendum, further shaking up the UK business lobby landscape.
The challenges of representing and advocating in business also come amid the rising tide of businesses calling for a greater focus on sustainability and environmental issues. The successes of companies such as Tesla and Beyond Meat highlight a shift in consumer expectations and priorities toward products that are sustainable, ethical and environmentally friendly. At the same time, companies are becoming increasingly focused on demonstrating their own sustainability credentials, both in terms of their products and their operations as a whole. This means that business lobby groups will need to be agile and responsive to changing business priorities, especially with the June 8 CBI extraordinary meeting highlighting the difficulties that traditional business groups can now face in the era of social media and heightened levels of transparency.
Summary:
The BCC has created a new company council for the UK’s top businesses, with founding members including BP, Heathrow, Drax and IHG. The group will focus on issues such as digitalization, net-zero policies and the future of the high street. The BCC said its new board would be “rooted in their local communities but with the ability to shape the national and international debate”. The move highlights the challenges facing lobby groups like the CBI, which has had some of its members depart over allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct.
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The CBI business lobby group has been hit with a new one threat to his future Sunday as its rival, the British Chambers of Commerce, created a new grouping in a bold move to become the voice of the UK’s most important companies.
BP and Heathrow are among the companies that have joined the newly formed company council, which the BCC said was part of a “new national offer to businesses”.
Power generation group Drax and hotel group IHG have also joined as founding members of the board, which the BCC says will aim to “design and lead the future of the British economy”.
It follows the departure of the CBI by some of its top members, including Aviva and NatWest, after a scandal over allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct.
BCC chief executive Shevaun Haviland said: ‘Over the past few months, working closely with the chamber network, we have spoken to the nation’s largest companies and it has become clear to us that they are looking for a different kind of representation.’ .
“These companies want to be part of a framework rooted in their local communities but with the ability to shape the national and international debate.”
BCC leaders to meet with board founders and other prospective members in London on Monday just one day before CBI holds extraordinary general meeting seeking the support of its members.
The BCC’s formation of a new board for big business sparked an unhappy response within the CBI, which has been blocked by government ministers and has halted most activities since April.
A person close to the CBI said: “The timing of this is very opportunistic. Business thrives on a collaborative approach and we find it more effective.”
The CBI, whose membership partly overlaps that of the BCC, told staff it would cut its payroll by a third after high-profile members have their memberships suspended or cancelled.
Siemens and Microsoft led a last minute drive to support support for the CBI ahead of Tuesday’s vote of confidence in the organization.
Uncertainty over the CBI’s survival has raised questions about whether one of its rivals could expand to fill the gap. It could also potentially be replaced by a new organization or the merger of other smaller advocacy groups.
The BCC said the new board would focus on issues for the UK economy ahead of the upcoming general election, including digitalisation, net-zero policies and the future of the high street.
Haviland said Westminster was already preparing for an election before the end of 2024. “The voice of business needs to be heard loud and clear, and now is the right time for us to speak up,” he said.
Louise Kingham, head of UK and BP’s senior vice president for Europe, said: “The UK needs to maintain its international competitiveness and it is essential that the voice of business is heard.”
Haviland he told the FT last month that the BCC was “conversating” with some anonymous former members of the CBI about joining its organization. He told the agency’s annual conference on May 17 that his organization was an advocate of “everything.”
https://www.ft.com/content/d5092dfb-d0c7-49f3-9978-564de97114a1
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