Managing Partner Tim Logan and Associate Susan Ryan from Ellisons were among 100 senior professional advisors from 27 countries in Berlin last week for the EMEA Regional Conference of Alliott Group, one of the world’s leading international associations of accounting and law firms. Ellisons is the association’s law firm member for the UK.
The exclusive, invitation-only event, held from 10-13 May 2017, connected accountants and lawyers from 54 independent firms around the world to exchange views on the latest developments in the international trading environment and to learn how to improve services to clients operating across geographic borders.
Speakers from business, government and professional consultancies shared insights into trends impacting the world of business, what clients expect from their professional advisors and the current and future opportunities offered by Germany and other countries in the EMEA region and beyond.
Tim Logan commented: “Ellisons has a growing number of clients who are involved in cross border business. Our attendance at this conference benefits both these clients and those who are considering entering new geographic markets, by strengthening our relationships with professional experts across the world.”
“The relationships we have built and the knowledge we have gained at the conference enables Ellisons to advise our clients on how changes to the economic and political environment will affect their business, how they can adapt and where in the world growth opportunities can be found. The conference also gave us the opportunity to learn more about Berlin’s vibrant start up sector which is attracting a huge amount of venture capital.”
Keynote speakers at the event included David Weissert, Head of the Economic Policy Unit at the Berlin City Government, who played an active part in successfully restructuring Berlin’s economy after German reunification. Weissert provided insights into Berlin’s past, present and future, the potential consequences of the upcoming German elections in September and of Britain’s exit from the EU, and into Germany which remains the European Union’s largest consumer market with a population of 80.9 million and GDP of US$49,055 per capita.
Other speakers included foreign exchange expert Chris Towner of HiFX who explained how businesses with foreign exchange risk can protect themselves from adverse market moves.
Ellisons also attended the ‘New Markets 2017: TECH/DIGITAL’ conference hosted by Alliott Group and Connect which explained the different strategies used by innovative start-ups to identify and take advantage of opportunities in Germany and internationally to scale up their businesses and attract venture capital. Keynote speaker Nikita Fahrenholz, a co-founder of two hugely successful disruptive businesses including Book a Tiger and Delivery Hero, shared his approach to disrupting and digitizing different sectors by creating software driven platforms that are more attuned to the fast changing needs of customers and explained how and why they can be introduced quickly to the market.
Attendees from Ellisons also received cultural awareness training from Alliott Group commercial partner Farnham Castle Intercultural Training, further enabling the firm to support clients in developing a global mindset, communicating more effectively and building rapport faster when working across borders.
James Hickey, Alliott Group’s CEO comments: “This year’s EMEA Regional Conference was our largest to date due to the growth of the association within the region and huge interest from member firms and their clients from outside the region. The large core of EMEA participants was supplemented by the attendance of members from countries including the U.S., Australia, Argentina and Uruguay. Our member firms continue to leverage their Alliott Group membership to differentiate themselves as local providers of cross border services and to develop business for their clients that will accelerate the firm’s growth and enrich the careers of their professional people.”
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