Previous events





Head-hunting Seminar 20 February 2008

Martin Mortensen - Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce

Wednesday the 20^th of February members of the Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce were invited to a Head-hunting Seminar at the Royal Danish Embassy. Martin Mortensen from the Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce presented the topic of evening and the guest speaker, Kai Hammerich, who is Partner at Russell Reynolds.


First Kai Hammerich explained how he started his career in the head-hunting industry 12 years ago. Before he entered the industry, he thought of a head-hunter as someone who chases you when you already have a job and someone who are not available when you really need it.

Kai Hammerich - Russell Reynolds

He elaborated on the importance of getting the right person to the right job and stated that head-hunters need at least 5 years of experience to be able to recognise pitfalls and learn downside aspects of employing the wrong person in a job.

Many applicants want to become CEOs but do not realise the reverse of the medal and perhaps not suitable for the job anyway. If the right person is not found, the enterprise will not grow. In addition, Kai Hammerich stated that large enterprises also carry a responsibility for educating the next generation of CEOs and if the enterprises lack this responsibility they will fail ultimately.

Furthermore he emphasised on the changes from the industrial era to the knowledge society and how that has affected the requirement for more qualified labour. Highly educated persons are in demand and it is a core aspect of the head-hunting industry as it needs to keep up with the different requirements and skills needed in specific jobs.

The buffet

After the presentation, the participants discussed aspects the head-hunting industry and the discussion continued when drinks and canapés were served.

Kai Hammerich - Russell Reynolds Dr Thierry Dorfsman - International Business & Life Coach Piet Helmer-Gregersen - Deutche Bank	Oskari Tammenmaa - Goodwille Limited Vincent Poole - Domino-UK	Bronte Blomhøj - Scandinavian Kitchen Kaj Worsøe Jensen - OEC
Jesper Hansen - Nordea Claus Andersen - Bevan Kidwell	Oliver Norris - International Business & Life Coach Helene Oxfeldt - Braben Henrik  von Lowzow - Kingston University	Richard Conway - Corren Troen Dr Thierry R. Dorfsman - International Business & Life Coach

 

 

Nordic Thursday Drinks 28 February 2008

Guests

28 February 2008 members of the Danish, Norwegian and Finnish Chamber of Commerce were invited to the 2^nd Nordic Thursday Drinks of the year at the Radisson SAS Portman Hotel.

Nordic Thursday Drinks is an excellent event for meeting fellow members from the other Nordic Chambers in an informal environment. A free drink and delicious canapés were sponsored by the Radisson Portman Hotel.


The next Nordic Thursday Drinks event will be 27 March 2008. We are looking forward to seeing you.

Karen Marie Kristensen - Danes Abroad Guest	Claus Andersen - Bewan Kidwell Thomas Bjørn - Miller Rosenfalck LLP	Patrick Jonassen - LCC EMEA Guest

Impacts of new tax legislation

Tuesday 4^th March Members of the Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce and guests of Danske Bank’s UK subsidiary Northern Bank were invited to a breakfast meeting at 7.15 am in the London Capital Club. The topic for the meeting was the proposed changes in the taxation of UK non-doms.

Nick Bacon - Partner, People Services, KPMG

Chairman of the Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce Per Troen introduced the guest speakers, Nick Bacon and David Kilshaw from KPMG and Henrik Skriver from Northern Bank. The speakers presented an analysis on the proposed legislation, which gave attendees clearer picture of the rules.

Core to the proposed changes, is an annual charge of £30,000 starting on 6^th April 2008, for individuals who have been resident in the UK for at least 7 out of the previous 9 years and wish to retain the benefits associated with non-dom status.

If a non-domiciled resident does not elect to pay the £30,000 per annum, he or she will be taxed on worldwide income and capital gains. Should assets be jointly owned, an annual charge will need to be paid per person.

David Kilshaw - Private Client Group, KPMG

The change in legislation is also expected to impact those using off-shore mortgages to finance UK property, where interest is typically used to service the loan. This will now be regarded as a remittance, in effect increasing the payment on those mortgages by 40%.

Another effect is that gifts made outside the UK to relatives will become taxable if they are remitted to the UK by the person receiving the gift.

Despite the government being widely criticized by a wide range of industry bodies as well as its own advisors, KPMG expect that the proposals will be part of this year’s budget, to be announced on March 12^th.

Henrik Skriver - Head of Private Banking, Northern Bank

 

Head of Private Banking in Northern Bank, Henrik Skriver was the last presenter. He introduced Northern Bank and the services they can provide in assisting costumers affected by the new tax legislation.

After the presentations, the topic was discussed among the attendees.

Torben Garde Due - Stanford Group Guest	Per Troen - Chairman of the Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce Henrik Skriver - Northern Bank	Guests
Guest Dan Frisch	Paula Owens - Northern Bank Guest	Tom Schrøder - Grundberg Mocatta Rakinson LLP Martin Mortensen - Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce Jan Bowen-Nielsen - JBBI Ltd

 News from the Director

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Dear Members,

Two days from now, on the 12^th of March 2008, Alistair Darling will disclose his final proposals concerning the new non-dom legislation as part of this year’s budget announcement. Central to the proposed changes is an annual charge of £30,000 starting from 6^th April 2008 for those individuals who have been resident in the UK for at least 7 out of the previous 9 years and wish to retain the benefits associated that stem from non-dom status.

The proposed legislation is affecting all individuals transferring return on offshore capital into the UK; an example would be those using offshore mortgages to finance UK property, servicing the loan with interest earned offshore. This will now be regarded as a remittance, in effect increasing the payments on those mortgages by 40%. As you will have read on the previous pages the Danske Bank sponsored and hosted a popular and extremely informative breakfast meeting and updated material will be circulated following the announcement on the 12^th of March 2008.

Next month on the 18^th of April 2008 we shall celebrate the DUCC Annual Dinner which once again will be a great opportunity to entertain your clients in the very elegant surroundings of the Merchants Taylors’ Hall in the City of London. We have invited Mr Peter Schmeichel as Guest of Honour and after dinner Speaker, so it is once again a great opportunity to bring key staff and clients.

Early 2008 saw the launch of the DUCC Advisory Board at the Ambassador’s Residence, since then four more prestigious Danish companies have joined this exclusive membership category and the number of Advisory Board members is now 23. The next DUCC Advisory Board Dinner will be hosted by Mr Jesper Kjædegaard, CEO, at The Maersk Company. New to the Advisory Board are Danfoss, DFDS Tor Line, DONG and Rockwool. Of these Rockwool is new to the Chamber and we are delighted to introduce them fully on page 9. In addition OEC and Liquid Graphic have joined the Chamber as new Small Corporate Members and they are both presented at page 8 and 9.

I would like to express our appreciation to those of you who took the time to support our cause by responding to our annual Economic Business Survey through which we aimed to obtain insights into your expectations for the UK’s future business climate. The result, which for the record was encouragingly positive, is now public to members of the DUCC and was covered in Borsen on the 15^th of February 2008. (Please do not hesitate to contact us should you like to receive a copy)

Best regards,

Martin Mortensen
Executive Director
Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce

DUCC Member: Michael Gray - Hotelier of the Year

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In December 2007, Member of the Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce, General Manager Michael Gray from the Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill, was awarded the “Hotelier of the Year” Price.

The Hotelier of the Year price is arranged by the Caterer which is the trade magazine for the hotel industry and Michael Gray was nominated by peers in the hotel industry. “It is a great honour to be nominated by other peers as they know the industry from the inside” he says.

 

Michael Gray - General Manager at Hyatt Regency Hotel - The Churchill

Michael Gray started his career in the hotel industry in 1968 and has been with the Hyatt chain since 1992. Hyatt took over The Churchill in 2004 and since then it has been refurbished to change it into its original character. Michael Gray has previously been General Manager for the Hyatt Carlton Tower also in London and prior to that he has operated Hyatt hotels in Australia and Singapore.

The Hyatt chain is operated by the Pritzker family from Chicago, USA and the family spirit is present both among staff and guests. Gray explains that the staff is closely knitted together – almost like a family - and it creates a good spirit which is very valuable, especially for the guests. “Some guests say that arriving at the Churchill is like arriving at home” says Gray as an example of the family spirit.

When asked about the membership of the Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce Gray explains he would like to support the local communities as well as the business communities in London. Being member of an organisation like the Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce provides opportunities for both parties. The Hyatt Regency London gets the opportunity to see what is going on in the Anglo Danish business society and on the other hand members will have the opportunity to use the services provided by the hotel. He says that membership of a club or organisations works both ways, and the more effort you put into it, the more you get out of it.

For further information on Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill please click here   

Madsen Food in The Times





Member of the Dansh-UK Chamber of Commerce and Founder of Madsen Food, Charlotte Madsen has been interviewed for a newspaper article in The Times. The article enligthens Charlotte Madsen's path from training to her main idea and motovation for founding her own catering company Madsen Food.

To read the full article "My big idea: Madsen Food", please click here

OEC bistår mindre og mellemstore danske virksomheder, der ønsker at etablere sig med datterselskab eller filial på det britiske marked, med at finde den rette Country Manager. Dette sker gennem headhunting og rekruttering.

OECs kernekompetence er at finde den rigtige leder – første gang.

En væsentlig del af vores koncept er kvalitetsgarantien. Hvis samarbejdet med den anbefalede kandidat ikke fungerer inden for en 6 måneders periode, og årsagerne skyldes faktorer, der kan relateres til OECs anbefalingsgrundlag, genbesættes stillingen uden beregning.

Valget af konsulentfirma er afgørende for et godt resultat. Der er dettes ekspertise, analytiske og kreative evner samt gennemslagskraft, der skal løse opgaven.

Kaj Jensen - OEC

Vi har stor faglig viden om forretning, ledelse, organisation og mennesker og har et veludbygget netværk indenfor british industri, handel, service og detail. Med vort brede kendskab til det britiske erhvervsliv og forretningsskik samt til landets egenartede regler for selskabskonstruktion, ledelsesnormer og ansættelsesforhold , yder vi professionel assistance med at lokalisere den helt rigtige kandidat til stillingen.

I forbindelse med udvælgelse af kandidater har OEC den grundholdning, at kandidaternes faglige baggrund og personlige egenskaber er ligevægtige vurderingsparametre.

Vores succeskriterium er langtidsholdbare løsninger, så vi interesserer os ikke bare for jobkompetencer, men i særdeleshed for værdier og holdninger. Det gør en forskel!

Læs mere om OEC på www.oec.as


OEC
Old Mill House
Nedging Tye
Ipswich
IP7 7HW
England

Tel: +44 (0) 1473 249 024

Rockwool

Rockwool is the leading manufacturer of stone wool insulation in the United Kingdom. With its wide product offering, Rockwool’s products can be used in a broad range of applications.

Rockwool insulation is manufactured using igneous volcanic rock, an abundantly-available resource. Every year, around 38,000 times more of this rock is created than Rockwool uses. It offers a superior “4 in 1” solution: In addition to its excellent thermal properties, it is non-combustible and has excellent acoustic properties and sustainability credentials. Rockwool insulation enjoys a rating of zero Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP) and Global Warming Potential (GWP).

The company has annual sales of over £72 million in the UK and Ireland, and employs 440 people. In 2007, the Rockwool Group approved a €100 million (£70 million) investment in Rockwool, which will double its UK manufacturing capacity by the end of 2008.

Founded in 1937, the Rockwool Group has a turnover of €1.55 billion and more than 8,000 employees in 35 countries. The Rockwool Group operates factories across Europe, North America and Asia and has a world-wide network of sales offices, distributors and partners. Group headquarters and its R&D and environmental departments are based in Hedehusene, near Copenhagen, Denmark.

www.rockwool.co.uk

Liquid Graphic

The company was established in London by Mads E. Petersen in 2005. He brings to the firm fourteen years of experience in the design and print trades in both Denmark and the U.K. Liquid Graphic handles all types of design and print-production, including book illustration.

Corporate Clients are the mainstay of the business. Liquid Graphic works in co-operation with larger companies to fulfill all their requirements from producing reports and conference materials to designing corporate identities, stationery and logos.

Major projects have involved working with international companies in sustainable supply sourcing and the manufacture of packaging materials in conjunction with a major producer in China and Hong Kong. The latter were engaged in printing and packaging educational board games for a Scandinavian company.

Print services are offered in both Digital and Litho to accommodate any quantity of published material from brochures to books.

For businesses based in the United Kingdom or with a global outreach for whom English is a second language, Liquid Graphic offers to edit texts of any kind for English usage.

www.liquid-graphic.com

Phone 0870 933 0324

Membership offers

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This month's special offer

the KNIGHTSBRIDGE GREEN hotel

159 Knightsbridge
London
SW1X 7PD

TEL: 020 7584 6274
FAX: 202 7225 1635

www.thekghotel.com
reservations@thekghotel.com

We are delighted to be able to offer the opportunity to stay in one of the best locations in London at a very special rate.

Easter Special rate from 17 - 31 March 2008

Easter Special

Single £130
Double £175
Suite £205


Book early to avoid disappointment!

Business services

Goodwille Limited
Goodwille provides corporate services to small and medium sized companies.

The offer
50% off your first boardroom or meeting room booking.
We also offer one hour free cross-cultural business consulting.
Read more click here

Looking for a job using your DANISH language skills?

Then come and join TOP LANGUAGE JOBS at the Language Recruitment Fair in Dublin!

Have the opportunity to meet leading employers who are currently recruiting language speakers and discuss possible job opportunities!

The Language Recruitment Fair will be held in the Gresham Hotel, Dublin 1 on:

4th April: 10.00am – 17.00pm

5th April: 10.00am - 17.00pm

For more information on the fair and for your FREE TICKET visit:

http://www.languagerecruitmentfair.ie

Look forward to seeing you THERE!

The monthly newsletter from

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55 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9SR
+44 (0) 207 259 6795

For further information on members of the Advisory Board please click here