Atlanta’s top organization for promoting British business in the city is celebrating an eventful 2025 and looking forward to a fruitful new year, holding out hope that England’s soccer team will end up here for a World Cup match.
Atlanta missed out on both England and Scotland in the draw, narrowly missing a chance for the latter’s appearance here in the group round.
But there is still a path forward for England to appear in the round of 32.
“We will expect to definitely see England come first or third in their group and therefore be in the knockout stage in Atlanta,” Consul General Rachel Galloway said in what will be her last holiday luncheon speech with the British-American Business Council Georgia under a tent at Canoe, the Atlanta fine-dining staple.
Consul General Rachel Galloway addresses BABC-Georgia members and directors. Credit: BABC Georgia
The consul general’s final year in Atlanta — the football-loving diplomat is set to depart sometime this summer after the World Cup — will coincide with the 250th anniversary of American independence, which Ms. Galloway says, yes, the U.K. does celebrate.
“What we’re celebrating, in fact, is the greatest story of reconciliation and partnership. The things that 250 years ago tore us apart — freedom, liberty — these are the things that 250 years later bring us so closely together.”
These ties could supercharge an already-strong events calendar for the Atlanta chapter of the British-American Business Council, part of a network of 22 such chapters around the country and in the U.K., which together boast 2,000 member companies.
This year’s schedule includes annual mainstays like a garden party at the consul general’s residence (in May for 2026) and a February wine-tasting, with the most imminent opportunity being an event with the London Stock Exchange in January. See all events here
Ed Haines, CTO for Jabian Consulting, whose term as the organization’s president is set to end this March, said the council hosted 14 events with 765 guests in 2025. Plans are to keep that momentum going, as membership was up 30 percent during the year.
That’s important, Mr. Haines said, as it’s vital to build one’s business network in advance of the challenges that will inevitably come in the working world, he said.
“What we believe is you don’t know when you’re going to need it, and you don’t know how strong it is until you really need it,” he said, praising Executive Director Jennifer Langley for “relentlessly and tirelessly” managing the council’s day-to-day operations.
Ed Haines shares the importance of growing membership and hosting events to drive business networking. Credit: BABC Georgia
He also praised the U.K. Department for Business and Trade, whose Atlanta representatives are vital nodes in the cross-border connections for both American firms in the city targeting the U.K. for investment and British firms coming into Atlanta.
Ms. Galloway, for her part, says the consulate endeavors to promote the Southeast U.S. not because it’s her job, but because it falls within the government’s mandate to help British firms find sources of growth that will lead to healthier enterprises back home.
The U.K. was the fourth largest source of foreign direct investment into Georgia between 2014-24, she said, with 33,400 people working for British companies within the state. Recent retail successes have given a high-profile sheen to bilateral ties, with Chick-Fil-A choosing the U.K. for its first European restaurants and British clothing brand Boden opening its first U.S. store in Alpharetta.
Executive Director Jennifer Langley, right, was praised for her role leading the organization.
“We really appreciate working with you, and what you do helps us explain to the U.K., whether it’s the government or businesses or the regional authorities we work with, what the opportunities are here,” Ms. Galloway told BABC members. “My job isn’t to sell Georgia to the U.K. because I like Georgia. My job is to sell this region to the U.K. because there’s an opportunity for the UK here, and I don’t want us to miss it.”
With that in view, she recapped some of the achievements in the vaunted “special relationship” between the U.K. and U.S., including a technology prosperity deal lauded by President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer focused on future-facing industries like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, fintech and energy.
She also recounted opportunities within the U.K.’s new Modern Industrial Strategy, which she laid out on LinkedIn here and will be discussing in an upcoming Consular Conversations event with Global Atlanta at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. Learn more and sign up:
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