King's Principal appointed to China-UK business Advisory Council

King’s College London President & Principal, Ed Byrne, has been appointed to a new Advisory Council within the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC). Made up of some of Britain's leading business people with important China connections, Byrne will join the 30-strong group of chairmen and CEOs of FTSE-100 companies and senior partners from the UK’s largest professional services firms.

The new initiative has been implemented in order to assist CBBC members in both the UK and China and drive forward collective China business efforts. The Advisory Council will raise awareness of the business opportunities in China and third markets across a wide range of sectors, encourage more UK companies to engage with China and boost trade and investment between the two countries.

Commenting on his appointment, Byrne said: “I am delighted to have been invited to join the advisory group. King’s recognises the importance of China, and are committed to encouraging new academic, business and research collaborations between the UK and China. We already have a number of exciting collaborations with esteemed institutions in China, with more in the pipeline, and our Chinese students are an indispensable part of the King’s community. Being included on this panel means King’s can join the conversation and shape vital relations with the world’s fastest developing nation.”

CBBC Chairman Lord Sassoon said, “The launch of the new group at the time of the state visit demonstrates the commitment of business to supporting the UK's collective effort to maximise opportunities with China. The Advisory Council will be a useful group for ministers and senior officials to engage with on strategic China issues.”

He went on to say, “In China, there is a government committed to transitioning the economy to the New Normal. In the UK, we have a government committed to deepening the bilateral relationship with China - and to supporting British business at the heart of the relationship.”

Those who have already agreed to join the Council include Lord Chadlington (Huntsworth), Robert Elliott (Linklaters), Douglas Flint (HSBC), Professor Sir David Greenaway (Nottingham University), Sir Gerry Grimstone (Standard Life), Greg Hodkinson (Arup), Sir Henry Keswick (Jardine Matheson), Uwe Krueger (Atkins), Ivan Menezes (Diageo), Sir Alan Parker (Brunswick Group), Ian Powell (PwC), Sir Michael Rake (BT), Xavier Rolet (London Stock Exchange), Sir Martin Sorrell (WPP), Ralf Speth (Jaguar Land Rover), Malcolm Sweeting (Clifford Chance), Merlin Swire (John Swire and Sons), Sam Walsh (Rio Tinto), Sir Andrew Witty (GlaxoSmithKline)