About us

The British Irish Trading Alliance is a non-profit making organisation that encourages its members to build relationships to generate business through exciting networking, educational and social events held in both countries.

Find out about our membership

BITA President, Paul Whitnell meets the Queen at the Palace

Our belief is that we can help more people and influence further; as a collective.

We are 'the people who know people that help people', a motto that encapsulates our ethos, and one that makes our organisation truly unique. BITA promotes and grows our member businesses; successfully increasing trade, creating opportunities for business, and improving the relationship between the UK and Ireland. We want to help our members achieve their goals and work to create pipelines and opportunities for SMEs to work with our supporters and patrons who often head large multi-nationals, offering the right providers of labour, contractors and supplies.   

Our values

Our mission and ethos are supported by values that have evolved over time with a commitment to providing quality and assistance to our membership and supporters.

Integrity

Our intentions are clear, transactions are transparent and trust is paramount

Passion

We celebrate and encourage, generosity of spirit, giving of time and expertise, sharing of knowledge and contacts

Delivery

We do what we say
We never give up
We communicate respectfully

The foundations

BITA was founded in 2012 by our President Paul Whitnell, with a view to creating a not-for-profit organisation that would work with businesses and business leaders closely, to offer advice, introductions and a platform for growth.

Getting Started with BITA

It can be difficult for people to know how to network effectively, and Paul has a few tips for those looking to get started;

"People often want to burst into a room and spray their cards everywhere. I’ve had people tell me they’ve handed out 30 cards in 30 minutes; I tell them they won’t get a single person looking to connect with them."

People can worry about making first meetings count, especially as they may only have a few minutes with that person, but it can be a mistake to jump into business.

"I think the best way to network is to do two things; listen and understand. You don’t need to show everyone your business cards, you need to show them your personality. We all have shared interests, so find that thing that you’re both passionate about, whether it’s rugby or flower-arranging. Whatever happens you need to make sure that there is a relationship first, and a solid grounding, before you even think about talking business. If a person demonstrates integrity, passion, and generosity of spirit to our members and to BITA, then they’re going to do well in business as people will want to work with them."

If you are nervous about attending an event, please get in touch with your Chapter Chairperson who will be happy to arrange someone to meet with you and make initial introductions. Find out about our membership

Community commitment

As an organisation BITA also supports a number of charities on a collaborative basis, running national fundraising events, generating introductions, and assisting with promotion. These charities are selected on a criterion based on our membership and sponsor CSR requirements. Our own 3-year charitable giving strategy sees us supporting The London Irish Centre and The Lighthouse Club Construction Charity. Click on the links below to learn about their excellent initiatives.

Each year, our chapters vote on which community-based charity they want to support for the coming year. Details of the currently supported charities can be found in the chapter details.