Chambers Wales
Since 1846, Chambers Wales has helped businesses in Wales grow and be heard. Originally based in Swansea to support the rapid growth in the metals industry and its growing ports, Chambers Wales has expanded to create an organisation that supports businesses throughout the South, West and Mid-Wales, spanning around 80% of Wales. Chamber Wales is currently based in Newport.
Chambers Wales is a not-for-profit SME and is funded by its members and the services they provide. Its key objective is to support and guide its members and help them to promote their products and services, make worthwhile connections and to receive relevant training and mentoring.
Chambers Wales has a number of partners from the corporate world, such as SH&P, Bristol Airport, Acuity Law and ACCA, as well as a number of affiliates, such as The Cyber Resilience Centre, Cardiff Business Club and the British Chambers of Commerce. All the partners and affiliates are in or local to Wales.
Through its extensive connections, Chamber Wales helps its members with their end-to-end supply chain connectivity across national and global markets. One example of this is the help and guidance they give in relation to free trade agreements.
They also assist with the arrangement of importation and exportation documentation and the logistics of cross-border movement.
Chambers Wales runs a number of training courses which are accredited by the British Chambers of Commerce and HMRC. These include the ‘Foundation Award in International Trade’, which is a bespoke training programme tailored for each business. To facilitate this tailoring, Chambers Wales offers a number of different courses from which each business can select those that best suit their needs.
Chambers Wales also hosts regular webinars covering a range of topics, such as ‘Path to Net Zero’ and ‘Trading with the USA’.
Regular events are also held throughout the year, such as networking events and the annual Wales Business Awards ceremony. The awards cover a variety of categories, including the ‘Apprenticeship Scheme of the Year’, ‘Customer Excellence’, ‘Start-Up Business of the Year’, and ‘Wales Creative Impact’.
Chambers Wales also runs a monthly newsletter which is free to subscribe to. Its members’ achievements are frequently publicised on the Chamber Wales website. The website also has a vacancies page which advertises employment opportunities throughout Wales, including apprenticeships.
As a partner of Chambers Wales, SH&P helps its members and community by providing clear guidance on intellectual property rights through presentations, guides and webinars. This includes support on core IP principles as well as the key considerations required when exporting and expanding into overseas markets.
Bob Barnes, SH&P IP Systems and Business Development Director, is our Chambers Wales point of contact. Our team of trade mark and patent attorneys are on hand to assist and support Chamber Wales members.
For more information about Chambers Wales, you can visit their website here
