About
The Wales France Business Forum – colloquially known as Le Club - is the Franco-Welsh networking business forum.
Le Club’s purpose is to stimulate networking, partnership development and trading opportunities between organisations with both Welsh and French links – whether these links are through their business operations or through their people.
It is a not-for-profit business club, and membership is open to anyone with existing or ambitions to grow Franco-Wales business relations.
Founders of Le Club are its Chair, Céline Jones, Associate Solicitor and Head of the French Desk at Capital Law, and Avocat Conseil auprès du Consulat Général et de l’Ambassade de France à Londres, and Dan Langford, marketing and business development consultant, formerly a Director of leading recruitment firm Acorn.
Le Club was launched at the British Embassy in Paris at a reception hosted by the British Ambassador to France, Lord Llewellyn and the Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP.
Partners
Le Club has received invaluable support from its Founding Partners Acorn Recruitment, and both the UK and Welsh Governments – along with generous sponsorship from leading French companies Keolis and Bouygues.
Keolis is one of the world leaders in shared mobility and was part of the successful JV (with Amey) that was awarded the £5bn contract, the largest ever awarded in Wales, to run the Transport for Wales rail and metro franchise.
Bouygues Group operates in over 100 countries spanning construction, civil works, energy, services, telecommunications and media. Bouygues UK, which is very active in Wales, delivers award-winning construction, development and regeneration projects across public and private sectors.
With their offices in both Bridgend and La Rochelle, Reval is a leading provider of assisted bathing products for the healthcare sector.
Thales is a global technology business operating across aerospace, defence, digital security, transport and space.
Events
Upcoming Events
Through our events and communications activity, Le Club is a central source of information and contacts for all organisations with Franco-Wales business interests - facilitating new connections, sign-posting to support services and working closely with all three governments and their offices in Wales, the UK and France.
Wales / France Bastille Day Commemoration & Quiz
We’re inviting you to join us from 6.30pm for an informal catch-up and update from Le Club, followed by our Bastille Day quiz.
This is a social event lasting no more than an hour – we very much hope you can make the time to join us, and perhaps even win a prize! Email celine.jones@walesfrance.com to book your place. This event is kindly sponsored by www.glacon.co.uk – please enquire about the rosé offer for this event.
Recent Events
In conversation with Mr Christian Fatras, Economic Counsellor at the French Embassy in the UK and Mrs Ivon Van Heughten, Welsh Government
St David’s Day Reception
By invitation only
Wales Week Paris
Details here walesweek.paris
Wales v France - Six Nations Dinner
Wales v France Six Nations Dinner with Eluned Morgan, Minister for International Relations.
Why France?
Presentations and discussion together with the Crédit Mutuel CIC Group and KPMG about doing business in France. Further details to be confirmed very shortly.
Beaujolais Day
Join Le Club and the South Wales Chamber of Commerce, together with officials form the Franco-British Council to celebrate one of the most important days in France's food and drink calendar.
International Strategy Roundtable
Lunch with Baroness Eluned Morgan AM, Minister of International Relations & the Welsh Language – join us to hear from the Minister about the development of the Welsh Government’s new strategy for international relations, with opportunity for questions and for you to contribute from your own international trading experience.
Doing Business with France
Together with the South Wales Chamber of Commerce, opportunity to meet representatives of French inward invest met organisations to find out more about setting up and / or developing exporting operations in France.
Inaugural Members Lunch
Le Club Founders will introduce Le Club to its new members, open up discussion about its future activities, and invite members to participate / engage in helping to take Le Club forward - all over a 5-course lunch.
Launch of Le Club
Le Club will officially be launched on 22 February 2019 at the British Embassy in Paris, at a reception hosted by the British Ambassador to France, Lord Llewellyn and the Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP.
Membership / Getting Involved
Membership of Le Club is open to any person or organisation with existing or ambitions to grow Franco-Wales business / trading relations.
Membership is free
If you would like to become a Member of Le Club, please sign up below, and for any other details / enquiries, please contact either Céline Jones or Dan Langford:
We need your support
The activities of Le Club are only possible through the generous support of our sponsors. If you or your organisation is interested in being involved and / or supporting future events we would be delighted to hear from you.
A trading relationship
France and Wales already have a thriving trading relationship, for which the Welsh, UK and French governments do an immeasurable amount of work to develop and nurture.
Le Club wishes to support these efforts and facilitate the development of new connections between French-Welsh businesses.
In the year ending June 2018, France was the second largest export market for Welsh products, with £2.7bn worth of Welsh products reaching the French market. Equally, France exported £0.8bn worth of French products to Wales that year.
The nature of trade between the two countries is varied and includes transport, medical and pharmaceutical, automotive, iron and steel, electronics, food and drink, and a wide range of services.
The extent of the importance of the relationship between the two countries was perhaps best demonstrated in May 2018, when the biggest contract ever awarded in Wales, worth £5bn, to run the rail franchise and deliver the next phase of the South Wales Metro, was awarded to a joint venture of French transport giant Keolis and leading infrastructure management consultancy Amey.
As the trading relationship between the UK and Europe changes in a post-Brexit world, developing the mutual understanding and collaboration between Wales and France becomes ever more critical.