Mr. Gennady Chyzhykov, the president of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Member of General Assembly Eurochambers' Board of Directors, Honorary Consul of France, the first president of the LC AIESEC in Ukraine delivered a guest lecture to SE MBA students. During the lecture he discussed why businesses need chambers of commerce, and how the chambers can help companies make money and save money.

Chambers of commerce are non-governmental, not-for-profit and self-regulated organizations representing national companies. They are established to solve disputes, joining ranks to protect their members and promote trade. Furthermore, chambers are known for their expertise. Whether you need information on industry’s fairs or investment projects, patenting and licensing or independent reviews and evaluations, ATA Carnet or certification of the force majeure your chamber of commerce is here to help you.
UCCI is especially good at exports and international trade assistance which is not surprise. E.g. if a businessperson asks UCCI for help in finding a potential partner abroad, the UCCI addresses national chambers of commerce. When such businessperson goes abroad, he or she finds the list of potential partners meeting their requirements together with morning coffee. Such approach is especially important in the Asian and Middle East markets where membership in national chambers of commerce is an ultimate condition for finding local partners.

Networking is another priority of a good chamber of commerce. “An entrepreneur should only care about the new product or service. All the rest is our task,” was the way in which Mr. Chyzhykov described the best business environment. “UCCI is here to facilitate your networking, bring all the contacts you need to your doorstep and thus cut costs of doing your business.”

It is safe to say that the meeting with Mr. Chyzhykov ended up in better understanding of the UCCI nature and activities and hopefully, new members.