Thursday, Jan. 13

Philip Thomas, a 30-year veteran of the British Foreign Office, who is now serving as consul general in New York, will be speaking on United States-United Kingdom economic relations at a luncheon on Thursday, Jan. 13, at the 103 West restaurant in Buckhead.

Sir Philip also is director-general for U.K. Trade and Investment in the U.S.

The British American Business Group is hosting the luncheon, which begins with a reception at 11:30 a.m. and costs $35 for members and $40 for non-members.

As British consul general, Sir Philip handles U.K. interests in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Fairfield County, Conn. As director general, he is responsible for the teams across the U.S. that help U.K. companies to invest and operate in the U.K.

This is his second posting in the U.S., having been counselor for politico-military affairs at the British Embassy in Washington from 1991-96, chiefly working on arms control, counter-proliferation and conflict management.

For more information, call the BABG at (404) 681-2224. To register, go to www.babg.org

Wednesday, Jan. 19:

Colin Alexander, vice president of Safety and Security North America for British Airways, will speak at a breakfast of the British American Business Group’s networking committee to be held on Wednesday, Jan. 19, at Anthony’s restaurant in Buckhead.

Mr. Alexander is to discuss airport security.

He joined British Caledonian in 1973 and then British Airways in 1988 when the two companies merged. He has worked in the U.S. from 1985 to date with the exception of 1996-99 when he was in London.

The breakfast begins with registration at 7:30 a.m. and the cost for BABG members is $15 and for non-members $20.

For more information, call the BABG at (404) 681-2224 or go to www.babg.org

Wednesday, Jan. 19:

The Atlanta-based consuls general of Canada and Mexico will join Carlos Martel, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, on a luncheon panel Wednesday, Jan. 19, at the Capital City Club downtown to discuss the impact of Nafta over the past 10 years.

The luncheon that will feature Malcolm McKechnie, the Canadian consul general and Remedios Gomez-Arnau, the Mexican consul general, is to be hosted by the Atlanta Council on International Relations.

The panel will address whether the free trade agreement had a positive or negative effect on the economies of Canada, Mexico and the United States.

To make a reservation for the event that begins at 11:45 a.m., call Francesca Cesa Bianchi at (404) 832-5560 ext. 11 or send an email to mailto:pr@gciv.org by Friday, Jan. 14. The cost to attend is $25 for members of the council and $35 for non-members. Wednesday, Jan. 19:

The Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 2005 quarterly membership meeting will be held at the offices of the Atlanta-based law firm Alston & Bird LLP on Wednesday, Jan. 19, from 6-8 p.m.

Luis Aguilar, a partner at the firm, will provide welcoming remarks. Carlos Pagoaga, the chamber’s chair, and Sara J. Gonzalez, president, will attend as will the members of the board of directors.

The event is free for members of the chamber and costs $20 for non-members. RSVP by fax at (404) 929-9908 or via email at volcese@ghcc.org by Tuesday, Jan. 18.

 

Wednesday, Jan. 26:

The World Trade Center Atlanta in association with the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (Pridco) will hold a seminar concerning the advantages of using Puerto Rico as a base of operations for exporting and manufacturing businesses on Wednesday, Jan. 26. The seminar is to begin at 4:30 p.m. and is to be held at the WTCA, SunTrust Plaza, 303 Peachtree St. N.E.

Speakers are to include Bill Poole, partner with Epstein Becker & Green P.C., who will provide an overview of U.S. tax, commercial and legal issues in relation to doing business in Puerto Rico, and David Press, senior financial analyst, with Pridco.

There is no cost to attend the program but register with Patrick Tonui at (404) 880-1562 or send an email to events@wtcatlanta.com