On Thursday, October 3, 2019 the British American Business Council of Greater Philadelphia and Select Greater Philadelphia hosted a welcome lunch in honor of Lord Wei. The objective of the lunch was to build relationships and congregate local leaders interested in discussing Brexit, Hong Kong, China, and the emerging role of cities influencing societal changes. Attendees included a diverse group of professionals from both the public and private sectors, including the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. Lord Wei, Mayor Michael Nutter and Rachel Molano, Former Advisor to Bristol City Council, were the distinguished guests.
Michael Pedrick, BABCPHL President led the discussion and introduced the featured speakers. Baron Nat Wei of Shoreditch, East London, is a current Member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. He is a business and social entrepreneur, focused on strengthening economic ties throughout the UK and the world. Previously, Lord Wei advised Her Majesty’s Government on social policy, working with Prime Minister David Cameron. He holds numerous board and advisory positions in the real estate, technology investment, education and wealth management sectors. Lord Wei has been a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and adviser to a number of city mayors and leaders in the UK and globally. He is currently an Advisory Committee member of the Global Parliament of Mayors along with Mayor Michael Nutter.
It is through Lord Wei’s connection to Mayor Nutter, and to Chris Bravacos, President & CEO of Bravo Group, Pennsylvania’s largest independent public relations firm, that our group met to discuss these top of mind issues. Chris and Lord Wei are working together to find commonalities that can bring cities and local communities to the forefront of socio-economic and technological progress. Lord Wei enthusiastically spoke about the important historic ties between the US and the UK, and the need to strengthen the friendship between the two nations. He emphasized the great opportunity for cities to enhance trade, with a focus on education, sustainable growth, AI, data, and technology. Lord Wei espoused the important principals of the law and social justice. He talked about “democracy 3.0,” and how citizens need to work together to provide solutions to problems.
The Q&A portion of the program was dynamic. The role of centralized government and how this affects both major and surrounding cities was discussed. Repositioning the four nations – England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales was also touched upon in the context of Brexit. And lastly, questions about how to use data responsibly to drive innovation and positively empower future generations was also covered.
Special thanks to Rob Wondering, President & CEO, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia for sponsoring the lunch.
Click here to view photos from the event.
