Annual General Meeting 2023

On 30 March 2023, during the Annual General Meeting of members that took place in the offices of KPMG, a company providing auditing, tax, and consulting services in Riga, the British Chamber of Commerce in Latvia (BritCham) elected a new Board.

The newly elected Board members are Justīne Ignatavičute, Senior Associate at the law firm Eversheds Sutherland Bitāns, and Robin Dallas Poynder, BritCham Individual Member.

Re-elected to the Board for another term were Kalbinder Singh Srai, a board member of SIA Stock, and Gordon Latimir, Consulting Partner at PwC in Central and Eastern Europe.

The terms on the Board continue Simon Boddy, owner of SIA Brīvības 205A, Irina Senņikova, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at RISEBA University, Trudy Žagare, Chair of School Council at King's College Latvia, and Ilze Berga, Tax partner at KPMG Latvia.

The new Board re-elected Simon Boddy as the Chairman. Boddy expressed satisfaction with the successful election and congratulated the new Board members, stating that "each of the newly elected Board members will make a valuable contribution to BritCham's work and the development of its future strategy in line with today's business realities."

We were delighted to hold this year's AGM at a different venue than usual - at the KPMG Latvia office in business center Verde.

Photos from the meeting are available here.

Congratulations to:

Ms Justīne Ignatavičute

Current role:
- Senior Associate at Eversheds Sutherland Bitāns law office
Qualifications:
- Assistant attorney at law (Latvian Bar Association)
Education:
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from University of Kent
- Master of Laws (LLM) in International Banking and Finance Law from University College London (UCL)

Which parts of your experience would best benefit BritCham and in which way?

I have developed a close link to the UK with my educational background as well as my experience while working as a tennis coach and charity / sports events organizer both in the UK and Riga. I would be happy to participate in BritCham charity initiatives and provide my support in event organization to facilitate networking opportunities and attract new members to the Chamber. I would also like to offer my experience gained in professional work with international and UK clients and bring new ideas, enthusiasm and energy to BritCham.

Special message to BritCham members:

BritCham is an amazing platform with great traditions and community. Myself and Eversheds Sutherland Bitāns team would be glad to engage in BritCham activities not only as a member but also as part of the board team.

Mr Gordon Latimir

I am a 64 year old British national who has lived in Latvia since 1995. I was a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers Central and Eastern Europe for 25 years and worked full-time in Latvia (8 years) Slovakia (2 years ) and Russia (14 years ). For the last 4 years I have been semi-retired but continue to do some consulting work (2-3 days per week) for PwC CEE ( based full-time now in Latvia).

Dates when you were on the BritCham Board:
2021 - 2023 and previously I was on the original BritCham Board back in the late1990’s.

What was your role (roles) on the BritCham Board and what you have achieved?

Over the last 2 years on the Board I have represented BritCham on the Foreign Investors Council in Latvia at both High council annual meetings and the “Shadow Economy Combatting” working group.

I helped with others to organise and support before and on the night our flagship event Burns’ Supper (the first time post pandemic). I have also taken the lead for assisting with finance matters between our executive team and our external accountant to ensure we have clear reporting to our Board each month. I also represent BritCham on the International British Chambers monthly meetings ( calls). I have attended all BritCham Board Meetings over the last 2 years except one and attended practically all our events for our Members over the last 2 years.

Special message to BritCham members:

Whilst I worked for PwC who have been a Platinum member of BritCham for very many years, I stand as and have an individual membership of BritCham.

Mr Robin Poynder

I am a Brit with over 40 years involved in the OTC financial markets, as a trader, business manager, head of regulation and latterly as a consultant. I have previously taken a number of voluntary roles with the aim of supporting associations or charities in the past and feel my focus on strategy, process and change may be of use to the Chamber.

Which parts of your experience would best benefit BritCham and in which way?

Having recently transitioned to a lower consultancy commitment I have some time to devote to ‘giving back’ and am motivated to help local businesses in Latvija develop their potential, with the support of British experience. Following a career managing both parts of large-scale business (e.g. HSBC, Thomson Reuters) and small scale start-ups in which I have been involved, I feel my focus on strategy, process and change may be of use.

Special message to BritCham members:

I am a full time resident in Latvija now and I would look forward to representing your interests if elected.

Mr Kalbinder Singh Srai

Born May 9, 1965 in Birmingham, UK
1977- 1982 Smethwick Hall boy's School
1982- 1983 West park College
1983-1991 Quality control apprenticeship at Concentric Plc
1991 Started own retailing business
1996 Sold retailing business and bought BMW dealership
2001 Sold BMW dealership and got into telecoms
2004 Sold telecom business
2004 Invested as a major shareholder in first private call centre in Latvia
2004 Bought Logistics business in Stafford, UK (now distributing 500 000 units of big ticket electrical appliances to the consumer on behalf of major manufacturers)
2013 Setting up the brand "Singh's" in the restaurant trade, aiming to have 25 restaurants in Eastern Europe in the next 5 years

Dates when you were on the BritCham Board:
2019 - 2023

What was your role (roles) on the BritCham Board and what you have achieved?

I was involved in promoting British business and playing an active role in connecting businesses.
I was keen in increasing the awareness of the chamber, developing a strategy to increase its exposure to different communities and sharing my passion for cross border working.

Special message to BritCham members:

To attract new Membership, promote British business and to be active in the charity work taken by the chamber.
I will at all times act with integrity, bring my passion for business and network to the chamber and look to always put members interests first.