The original organization was incorporated in 1954 as the British American Trade Centre, with the aim of promoting and assisting trade between the UK and the US.

The first President was C E C (Euan) Rabagliati, and the Consul-General in San Francisco at the time was KJM White.

Membership fees in 1954 were as follows:

• Sponsor Membership $250.00 US per annum
• Individual Membership $100.00 US per annum

(Worth noting when you look at the cost of membership 50 years later!)

Original Board Members included representatives of BOAC, Bechtel, Barclays, Wells Fargo and Orient & Pacific Lines.

In November 1957, the organization changed its name to the British American Chamber of Commerce and Trade Centre. Chalmers Graham, a founding partner of Graham and James (now Squire, Sanders and Dempsey LLP), spearheaded the Chamber's growth for several years.

For a period in the 1980s, the organization was known as the British American Chamber of Commerce San Francisco. It was changed yet again in the 1990s to the British American Chamber of Commerce Northern California, to reflect the growth of the organization within the Bay Area, specifically in Silicon Valley. Mostyn Lloyd, OBE, served as Executive Director from 1990 to 1996 and is responsible for bringing our Annual Christmas Lunch attendance from a mere 200-300 to the 1000 that it is today.

The BACC elected its first woman President, Kathleen Kimura, MBE, in 2001. The Chairman Emeritus, Peter Gardiner, OBE, served as President for 10 years and was elected the first President of the British American Business Council (BABC) when it was formed in 1994. The BABC is the largest transatlantic business network and comprises over 24 independent chapters based in major regions throughout North America, Canada and the UK.

In 2004, the organization's name was re-branded to the British American Business Council Northern California in order to be aligned more closely with the BABC US/UK bilateral network.

Page Last Updated: Friday, May 23, 2008 4:02 PM