Secretary General

International Chamber of Commerce UK

About the Organisation

ICC UK is the UK arm of the world’s largest business organisation, representing global business interests across international trade policy, arbitration and dispute resolution, and multilateral cooperation. At a time of significant geopolitical and economic change, ICC UK plays a critical role in supporting UK businesses operating internationally and in connecting them to the global ICC network. This is a rare opportunity to lead a small but highly influential membership organisation with genuine international reach and impact.

About the role

The Secretary General is the executive leader of ICC UK, responsible for setting direction, delivering strategy, and ensuring the organisation operates as an effective, commercially sustainable membership body within the ICC federation. While policy understanding and credibility are essential, this is not exclusively a policy specialist role. The Board is seeking a leader who has already made the transition to full chief executive leadership, someone who can balance strategy, operations, revenue, relationships, and governance, while empowering a capable internal team to deliver across the policy portfolio.

The Secretary General will work in close partnership with the Chair, maintaining a clear and effective division of responsibilities and ensuring ICC UK speaks with authority, discipline, and consistency within the UK and globally.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership:

• Set and deliver a clear, focused strategy for ICC UK, aligned with ICC global priorities and the expectations of UK members.
• Translate strategy into executable priorities, ensuring clarity of purpose across a small organisation with broad ambitions.
• Ensure ICC UK makes full use of its position as Regional Coordinator for Europe (for the remainder of its term) and its enhanced international role.

Membership Growth and Value Proposition:

• Articulate and strengthen ICC UK’s member value proposition across different member segments.
• Drive sustainable growth in membership, retention and engagement.
• Ensure ICC UK is demonstrably relevant to senior decision-makers within member organisations.

Commercial and Financial Leadership:

• Strengthen revenue generation, particularly through membership and arbitration activity.
• Oversee the financial health of ICC UK, ensuring prudent management and long-term sustainability.
• Balance ambition with realism in a small organisation with limited resources.

Global Connectivity and Arbitration:

• Maintain strong working relationships with ICC headquarters in Paris, particularly with the senior leadership.
• Represent ICC UK credibly and collaboratively within the global ICC network, multilateral institutions and international forums.
• Ensure ICC UK fully leverages the strength and reputation of ICC arbitration as a core asset.

External Representation and Stakeholder Management:

• Act as a senior representative of ICC UK with government, regulators, international bodies and members.
• Provide thoughtful, credible external leadership whilst building trust.
• Ensure media engagement is purposeful, disciplined and aligned with organisational priorities.

Leadership, Delegation, and Team Effectiveness:

• Lead and empower a capable senior team, delegating policy delivery and operational execution effectively.
• Foster a culture of trust, professionalism, and accountability.

Governance and Board Relationship:

• Work closely with the Chair and Board to ensure strong governance, transparency, and accountability
• Provide clear reporting, insight, and advice to support the effective Board decision-making
• Respect the distinction between executive leadership and non-executive oversight

International Trade, Global Commerce and Cross-Border Relationships:

• Provide authoritative leadership on international trade issues, ensuring ICC UK is a credible and influential voice on global trade, multilateral cooperation, and cross-border commercial activity on behalf of its members.
• Promote a clear understanding of how international trade, investment flows, arbitration, and commercial relationships operate in practice across different jurisdictions.
• Represent ICC UK and its members within international, multilateral, and cross-border forums, building productive relationships with counterpart organisations, governments, institutions, and business leaders.
• Ensure ICC UK’s work reflects the reality (as articulated by ICC UK members) of
• global commerce, including the needs of internationally active UK businesses across multiple markets and regulatory environments.
• Strengthen ICC UK’s engagement with the global ICC network, ensuring alignment with international priorities while championing UK business interests.
• Translate complex international trade and commercial dynamics into clear strategic priorities for ICC UK members and stakeholders.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Essential Experience & Leadership:

• Demonstrable experience of leading teams and an organisation or significant function, with responsibility for setting direction and delivering strategic, operational, commercial, and ambassadorial outcomes; this may not have been gained in a formal Chief Executive role, but candidates must be able to evidence capability and impact across these dimensions.
• Demonstrable senior-level experience working with international trade, global business, or cross-border commercial activity, gained within a membership organisation, international institution, trade body, professional services firm, corporate or public sector environment.
• Proven experience in building and sustaining international or cross-border relationships, including with businesses, governments, regulators, and multilateral institutions.
• Evidence of operating effectively in international or federated organisational structures, balancing national priorities with global alignment.
• Track record of engaging credibly with senior decision-makers on issues affecting international trade, investment, arbitration, and global commerce.

Skills & Capabilities:

• Deep understanding of how international trade and commercial relationships function in practice, including the regulatory, legal and geopolitical contexts in which businesses operate.
• Ability to operate confidently as a senior media spokesperson when required, exercising sound judgement to ensure external visibility is purposeful, proportionate and aligned with the interests of ICC UK.
• Ability to navigate complex cross-border environments with cultural awareness, diplomacy and sound judgement.
• Credibility to represent ICC UK nationally and internationally, combining commercial realism with policy and institutional awareness.
• Capacity to connect international trade issues with tangible value for members, rather than treating them as abstract policy concerns.

Personal Attributes:

• Globally minded, with a genuine interest in international commerce, trade and multilateral cooperation.
• Comfortable operating across borders, time zones and institutional cultures.
• Commercially grounded, pragmatic and outcomes-focused.

Why Join ICC UK

• ICC UK has strong foundations, a respected and engaged Board, and an increasingly prominent role within the global ICC family, including recent responsibilities as Regional Coordinator for Europe. The next Secretary General will have the opportunity to sharpen ICC UK’s proposition, strengthen its impact and lead the organisation into its next chapter at a time when international trade and cooperation matter more than ever.

Working locations

• London, United Kingdom

How to apply

• The preferred method of application is online. If you are unable to apply online, please email your application to [email protected]
• All applications will receive an automated response.
• All candidates are also requested to complete an online Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form. Which will be found at the end of the application process.
• For an informal discussion, contact Thomas Ewen or Lisa Henry at [email protected] and [email protected]

Policies

For detailed information on how we process your personal data, please review our privacy policy. In line with GDPR, we ask that you do NOT send us any information that can identify children or any of your Sensitive Personal Data (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning health or sex life and sexual orientation, genetic and/or biometric data) in your CV and application documentation.

Following this notice, any inclusion of your Sensitive Personal Data in your CV/application documentation will be understood by us as your express consent to process this information going forward. Please also remember not to mention anyone’s information or details (referees) who have not previously agreed to their inclusion.

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