Dear BABCPHL Members and Friends,
I hope this message finds you well and safe. Testament to our global reach, we continue to offer robust programing in partnership with the 22-Chapter British American Business Council Network. I know many of you are participating in our multitude of activities, and are maximizing your membership benefits. Our second tier pandemic membership engagement strategy is currently in development and will be launched early on in the New Year with an emphasis on B2B connections. Before year end we invite you to join us on Thursday, December 10 from 12-1:00 pm EST for our Signature Annual Holiday Program – The Transatlantic Looking Glass: Lessons Learned – A Look Back & Ahead. Keynote speakers will deliver timely updates about the transatlantic business corridor – what transpired in 2020, lessons learned, and how we can prepare for, and what we can expect in 2021. The program will include business content as well as some fun and festive activities. Click here for more information and to register.
There is much change afoot on both sides of the Atlantic. The BABCPHL is your conduit to building and enhancing transatlantic business. The US and the UK recently completed the fifth round of the US-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. The UK government reports it was the most intensive round of negotiations held so far. Read the full statement on the www.gov.uk site.
Along with advances in the US-UK FTA, our members are involved in groundbreaking work and lifesaving developments. BABCPHL Club Level Member company, Almac Group, the Northern Ireland pharmaceutical firm with US operations right outside of Philadelphia, is playing a key role in the clinical trials of the first effective Covid-19 vaccine. Last week Pfizer and BioNTech announced preliminary results showing it can prevent more than 90% of people from getting the virus. Almac’s clinical services division provides clinical trials support to BioNTech, such as distribution, labelling and temperature management. The vaccine, which has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries, has to be kept in ultra-cold storage at below minus 80C. Almac’s hardware and software is used to maintain this temperature requirement. Almac is working with a variety of other pharmaceutical, biotech and research institutions to support over 80 separate research projects into Covid-19 treatment options. Dame Karen Pierce, British Ambassador to the United States recently visited Almac’s US Headquarters in Souderton, PA. BABCPHL congratulates and thanks Almac for their essential work in creating a vaccine for Covid-19.
Thank you for your continued interest in and commitment to the BABCPHL.
Sincerely,
Nick Lotz
President, BABCPHL
