Learning From Others - Networking

This week I had two different and very interesting lunches that I would like to share with you.

The first was the British Business Group lunch, which was held by the Ambassador at his residence. This is a very useful activity held every two months, which allows senior management of British companies in the market to share their views on specific topics that might affect their business, and to share their experience with other companies.

From the Embassy position, this allows us to get other perspectives on what is happening in Chile and it helps us to analyse how to develop our job to best support British companies in Chile or those entering the market.

On this occasion, GlaxoSmithKline kindly agreed to share their knowledge of Avian Flu preparedness by the Chilean government, and the steps that organisations might take to ensure business continuity should any such incident occur. Although the biggest risk for this post is to face an earthquake,  the Embassy has developed a contingency plan that will help us to manage any unexpected emergency involving British nationals. According to Peter Connolly, Deputy Head of Mission, although the avian flu issue has dropped out of the news lately, the risk of an outbreak remains real, and it is important for all organisations to maintain up-to-date contingency plans. The Embassy has an avian flu contingency plan which is designed to ensure that in the event of an outbreak, we will be able to (a) ensure the welfare of our staff, (b) provide services to the public and (c) keep our business activities going as far as possible.

Although it is almost impossible to anticipate when an emergency will occur, it is key for business and for any organisation to have a plan to know what to do and the steps to follow in  the case an emergency arises.
 
The other lunch was with Andronico Luksic, a well-know businessman in Chile, who invited a group of young professionals to have lunch at the Bank of Chile. The Luksic Group, controller of Quiñenco S.A., is a Chilean business conglomerate with a portfolio of companies involved in financial services; food and beverage; telecommunications, and manufacturing. Sales of the group’s companies reached nearly US$3.2 billion in 2006. Additionally, through Antofagasta Plc, they participate in the mining sector.

According to Mr. Luksic, their proven track record is based on their ability to identify business opportunities through their extensive business network, acquire a controlling interest, and utilise this as a base to further build their interest in a given sector. In the past, Quiñenco has often capitalised on its position by seeking add-on acquisitions or strategic partners, which contribute additional know-how and funding. 

Recently Banco de Chile announced a strategic alliance with CitiGroup. According to Andronico Luksic the alliance between Banco de Chile and Citigroup started to materialise a long time ago, by first creating personal links and building confidence between the people who were leading the strategic changes in both companies. During the lunch, Mr Luksic also mentioned that people usually think that there are few opportunities in life to develop a business, but according to him there are plenty of opportunities. A good project will always find financing and we should trust ourselves and move forward.

This made me think that often we create our own barriers to prevent the pursuit of projects.

Posted at 17:32 26 October 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |