Connect, Champion, and Support London businesses is at the heart of what we do, and we practice this through our values – Trust, Collaboration, Integrity, Sharing sustainable prosperity, and Inclusion.
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) serves as London’s key hub for the business community. Our mission is to support our members’ businesses through an array of services, products, and events aimed at helping them achieve their goals.
For instance, we organise more than 200 events for different sectors and business groups annually. Our robust trade advisory service assists our community in strengthening their businesses and navigating challenges. We are also the largest issuer of trade documentation in the UK, providing Customs Declarations, ATA Carnets, Certificates of Origin, and EUR1s.
In essence, we are committed to creating connections and opportunities for our members and advocate on behalf of London’s business community. We are in the “helping you achieve your company goals” business.
Tell us about the team
The ChamberCustoms team is a small and relatively new team here at the London Chamber of Commerce, compared with the rest of the Trade Documentation Team, which consists of other 20 team members.
Ana and Regina both joined the London Chamber as Customs Declarations Officers in January 2021, as the UK was going through Brexit and Covid. Very challenging times indeed, but nevertheless fruitful for the team, as they built up, strengthened, and kept the department thriving with their friendly approach and the vast amount of knowledge and expertise they have in Customs Declarations and general procedures. They don’t limit themselves to processing declarations only but always go the extra mile to ensure our customers’ businesses thrive too!
The team is dedicated to supporting our customers with their customs procedures needs, might that be through processing their declarations or providing guidance on particular areas where they might be struggling. They also assist companies who are at their starting point in their international journey.
The team is on hand to support you with Import/Export Declarations, T1’s and other customs-related documentation. Please feel free to get in touch to enquire about our services.
Though the team consists of Ana, Regina, and Nickie, our head of Trade Documentation and Services, we collaborate closely with other departments, including the trade services, the trade documents, events, and membership teams - we are a big family here!
What’s your favourite part of your job?
Hands down, the diversity of companies we get to work with. Being in London allows us to work with a variety of customers from different sectors which range from a 1-2 size business to multi-national corporations. This brings us a very interesting and enjoyable work mix every day, from spending a morning clearing trailers, carrying rodents and live animals, to an afternoon clearing boat parts!
Through the years, we have become not only work colleagues but also friends. We get along very well and that has helped us continue building the team through constant and open communication and collaboration, which has become the core of our everyday work.
We also get to meet and work with a lot of interesting people, we communicate with all types of stakeholders within the Customs process, ranging from our customers themselves to HMRC representatives, and other Official Authorities, all the way to our colleagues in the British Chambers of Commerce.
To keep it simple, every day is a new adventure that goes way beyond simply inputting data into the customs system.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about customs clearance?
That it is a matter of just filling a form, typing numbers into a spreadsheet and it’s all done.
Our skills are specialised, we have a very knowledgeable background that allows us to offer an invaluable service to our customers.
It’s not only about submitting the declarations on their behalf but being able to interpret the information, catch potential mistakes or missing information, and correct it. We are able to advise the trader and help them stay customs compliant.
Our team has a high level of expertise along with a rich, hands-on, and practical background in several sectors and types of shipment. We have the knowledge and capacity to help our customers streamline the process and move their goods both compliantly and efficiently.
What advice would you give a business that is considering exporting overseas?
Firstly, and foremost, do extensive market research. Due diligence is absolutely essential when trading internationally, and is very important for any trader to be familiarised with the target market before jumping into it. Learn the market specifics, potential gaps, and niche products needed.
All that is just as important as making yourself familiar with the country’s customs requirements. Do you know what you will need to comply with to get your goods from point A to point B? If not, seek support and guidance, as it is better to be safe than sorry.
At the Chamber, we have some fantastic training courses that can help first-time traders gain a better understanding of the basics of the exporting journey, for more specific and in-depth queries, we always recommend booking a consultancy session with a Trade Specialist, a service we can also provide. Please look for more details on the London Chamber’s website, and remember, when in doubt, do always ask!
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
We are fortunate to live in the capital of the UK, a truly global city and luckily we get to embrace all of its fantastic offerings.
Personally, we love to explore the city and merge in all its cultural diversity, food, art, folk, music, theatre, etc., and most importantly, lots of coffee! London is a great business hub but is also a great city to live in, we really enjoy living here!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Regina – “Strong women never give up. We might need a coffee, cry, or even have a whole day in bed. But we always come back stronger.”
Ana – “Yesterday is gone and tomorrow doesn’t exist, Today is the only thing that you have.”
Nickie – “Don’t fake it until you make it. Face it until you make it. Get up. Work hard. Fail. Stand back up. Face it again. Do a little better. Fail again. Get back up. Repeat until you get it right."
If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?
Instant Genius – open for your own interpretation!
