Fresh from leading a delegation alongside TheCityUK to present to ASEAN Deputy Finance Ministers and Bank Governors in Manila, the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) held its inaugural meeting with the ASEAN London Committee (ALC) - the body comprising the Ambassadors and High Commissioners of all eleven ASEAN member states based in London.

The UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) is pleased to announce the successful delivery of the 5th UK-ASEAN Business Forum 2026, held at HSBC’s global headquarters in Canary Wharf, London.

UK-ASEAN Business Council CEO, Ian Gibbons OBE, is delighted to announce that Siderise has joined the UK‑ASEAN Business Council as a new member.

UKABC was delighted to welcome Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, back to the UK for a business dialogue and networking reception marking the 5th anniversary of the UK’s Dialogue Partnership with ASEAN.

ASEAN must be inclusive - not only working with big business, but especially for MSMEs and micro enterprises. This was the key message from Joey Concepcion III, ASEAN BAC Chair 2026, at the first Joint Business Council meeting for the year.

UKABC Chief Executive, Ian Gibbons OBE, and Chief Operating Officer, Ben Raby, visited the Royal Cambodia Embassy to meet the Cambodian Ambassador to the UK, H.E. Tuot Panha.

2025 has been a landmark year for the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), marked by strengthened trade relationships, deeper policy engagement, and a sustained programme of high-impact activity across the UK and Southeast Asia.

As a member of the Joint Business Councils (JBC), UKABC is delighted to extend an invitation by the ASEAN Business and Advisory Council (BAC) to participate in the ASEAN Business Barometer Survey.

UKABC is pleased to publish this thought leadership article from Pearson on ‘AI and the Future of Work in Southeast Asia: Fixing the Skills Gap’. Read on for the thoughts of Craig McFarlane, Vice President APAC, Pearson Enterprise Learning & Skills, on the impact of AI on the future of work in ASEAN. Craig also introduces the work that Pearson is leading to demonstrate how AI-driven growth can be inclusive, sustainable, and transformative.

As featured in the newly released Investing in ASEAN 2025|2026 publication, UKABC Chair, The Rt Hon. the Lord Vaizey of Didcot, shares his perspective on the UK’s growing strategic partnership with ASEAN. In his op-ed, Lord Vaizey outlines the economic opportunities for UK businesses across the region and highlights the significance of deepening digital, trade, and sustainability cooperation.

The UK-ASEAN Business Council was delighted to host Matt Western MP, UK Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, on 4 June for an exclusive UKABC partner briefing. This was the second in our series of dialogues with UK Trade Envoys following our initial session with Naz Shah MP.

Allen Lai, UKABC’s Director of ASEAN and Corporate Affairs, participated in the 12th ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (AFMGM), held in Malaysia.

Lord Vaizey, Ian Gibbons, and Ben Raby attended a lunch discussion hosted by Cheong Boon Png, Chair of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), in London this week. We were delighted that UKABC partners, including Arup, AstraZeneca, KPMG, Mott MacDonald, Prudential plc and Standard Chartered were able to join us for the opportunity to engage in discussions and explore broader regional ASEAN collaboration amidst current economic trends and challenges. BAE Systems, Element Materials Technology, and Plexal were also present.

Over 120 senior industry and government figures from across ASEAN and the UK gathered in person for the UK-ASEAN Business Forum 2025 – UKABC’s annual flagship event in support of UK-ASEAN bilateral trade, investment, and government engagement.

Lord Vaizey, as Chair of the UK-ASEAN Business Council, spoke during last week’s House of Lords debate on the importance of continuing to grow the UK’s trade and investment partnership with Southeast Asia.

Ian Gibbons OBE, the Chief Executive of UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), recently met with His Excellency, Mr. Do Minh Hung, Vietnam Ambassador to the United Kingdom to discuss further deepening Vietnam’s bilateral ties with the UK.

Allen Lai, Director-ASEAN of the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), recently participated in the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) meeting with the Joint Business Councils (JBCs) in Penang, where Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN-BAC 2025 was officially launched.

UKABC Chief Executive Ian Gibbons OBE was delighted to host the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) roundtable for The Honourable Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of Malaysia on Friday in London. This roundtable, delivered in partnership with Standard Chartered Malaysia and the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (BMCC), followed hard on the heels of the highly productive roundtable with captains of industry hosted by Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim and the first UK-Malaysia Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting on Thursday 16 January.

UKABC Chair Lord Vaizey and Chief Executive Ian Gibbons OBE joined senior UK business leaders for a ‘Captains of Industry’ roundtable hosted during the visit of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia to the UK.

Many congratulations to UKABC's Chief Executive, Ian Gibbons, who was awarded an OBE in HM The King's New Year Honours List 2025.