With economic growth at the forefront of the UK Government’s agenda, strengthening trade and investment ties with China, the world’s second-largest economy, has never been more important. For many British businesses, access to the Chinese market is key to driving growth and profitability.
Over the past few years, we have seen China's growing role in the global economy, and Chinese companies continue to have an interest in investing abroad – not least in the UK.
The 2025 UK-China Business Forum is a full day conference focused on the theme of UK-China partnership and the opportunities for growth in both markets, through export and investment.
During the morning session, the Forum will explore how to develop these opportunities, analysing both the benefits and challenges from a practical point of view.
From 14:30 to 15:30, David Haigh, Chairman of Brand Finance, will participate in a panel discussion on Building Brand Loyalty and Cultural Relevance in the Chinese Consumer Market. The session will explore the strong interest in UK brands among Chinese consumers, emphasizing the importance of cultural relevance and emotional connection in driving engagement.
The event will be followed by CBBC’s Spring Reception.
David is the Chairman of Brand Finance Plc – the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. He has worked in the area of branded business, brand, and intangible asset valuation since 1991. He specialised entirely in the field after becoming the Director of Brand Valuation for Interbrand in 1995. He subsequently left Interbrand in 1996 to launch Brand Finance which is celebrating 25 years in business this year.
David represented the British Standards Institution in the working parties responsible for crafting international industry standards: ISO 10668 on Brand Valuation in 2010 and ISO 20671 on Brand Evaluation in 2019.
David is a passionate writer and has authored many articles on brand valuation, published in numerous marketing and finance newspapers and magazines, such as: Financial Times, Accountancy Age, and Marketing Week. He has also lectured on the topic of brand valuation for Harvard, Chicago, and London Business Schools.
David graduated from Bristol University with an English degree, qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London, and obtained a postgraduate diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). He is a Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and has a practising certificate with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).