OKEClub’s Autumn Event with An Exclusive Speech from Sir Vince Cable​

The OKEClub are delighted to announce their upcoming Autumn Dinner event, held on October 27th. Hosted at the National Liberal Club in Whitehall, it seems perfectly fitting that we are joined by former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Vince Cable. OKE guests will enjoy the rare opportunity of meeting the great former Secretary of State for Business and MP for Twickenham over an exclusive book signing, followed by an evening of festivity, food and good wine.

Keynote Speaker: Former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Former Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Vince Cable, on his new book Chinese Conundrum.

Guests of Honour

Sir Vince Cable - former UK Secretary of State for Business

Sir Vince Cable is the former UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and former President of the UK Board of Trade. He is an Honorary Professor of Economics at Nottingham University and a former Chief Economist at Shell. Besides his reputation as a political powerhouse, Cable is the bestselling author of ‘The Storm: The World Economic Crisis and What It Means’. It was a Sunday Times bestseller with over 100,000 copies sold. He will sign his new book ‘Chinese Conundrum’ in the evening.

Sir Vince Cable with the Queen and Prince Philip 

Raphael Chow - Forbes 30 under 30 Entrepreneur 

Raphael Chow had raised GBP 3.5 million to disrupt the paper-based and opaque system of refunds for tourists' GBP 2.5 billion of tax-free shopping called Wevat. He is CEO and cofounder of Wevat and has been named one of the Forbes 30 under 30. Wevat is a tech startup based in London that helps tourists visiting the UK to claim a tax refund on shopping.

Wevat was founded in London in 2016 as the first digital VAT refund provider for international travellers. They aim to make the tax-free shopping experience convenient, efficient and trustworthy for travellers with its revolutionary digital solution and customer-focused service. Wevat is launching its service in Europe to let travellers shop tax-free on the go in France.

Raphael Chow had raised GBP 3.5 million to disrupt the paper-based and opaque system of refunds for tourists' GBP 2.5 billion of tax-free shopping.

Raphael Forbes 30 Under 30 Feature Image

Ralph Goodale - Ambassador of Canada to the UK (former Canadian Minister of Finance)  

Ralph Goodale assumed his responsibilities as High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in April 2021. Raised on a family farm near Wilcox, Saskatchewan, Mr. Goodale received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Regina in 1971, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1972. He has practical experience in business, law, agriculture and broadcasting, as well as federal and provincial politics. Ralph Goodale was first elected to the Parliament of Canada in 1974 at the age of 24, representing Saskatchewan’s sprawling rural riding of Assiniboia. In the 1980s, he served as leader of the provincial Liberal Party, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in 1986.

Mr. Goodale returned to the House of Commons in 1993 as the Member of Parliament for Wascana, and was subsequently re-elected seven consecutive times, becoming Regina’s longest-serving MP. A member of the federal Cabinet under three Prime Ministers, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (1993-1997), Minister of Natural Resources (1997-2002), Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (2002), Minister of Public Works and Government Services (2002-2003), Minister of Finance (2003-2006), and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (2015-2019).

Ralph Goodale with Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

Simon Alexander Ong - Author, Visionary and Keynote speaker

Simon Alexander Ong is a personal development entrepreneur, coach and public speaker. His work has seen him invited onto Sky News, BBC Radio London and LBC Radio to be interviewed, while in 2018, Barclays UK featured him in a nationwide campaign asking him questions on how families could embrace better lifestyle habits. His insights has seen him featured in HuffPost, Forbes, Virgin and the Guardian. Simon regularly speaks at organisations and keynotes public events and conferences. Some of these have included The Peter Jones Foundation, The World Business & Executive Coach Summit 2020 and the LSE. Simon is of Chinese origin and is based in London.

Simon Alexander Ong after a keynote talk at Canon.

Dr Catherine Xiang - UK Director of Confucius Insitute for Business at LSE  

Dr Catherine Hua Xiang (MEd, PhD) works as the East Asian Language Coordinator in Language Centre at the London School of Economics. Her main research interest lies in the field of applied linguistics, cross-cultural communication and pragmatics. Her PhD research looks into speech acts; particularly, it explores the linguistic and cultural differences in apology strategies used in the UK and China.

She has worked as a consultant for global companies such as Chanel, GE and Jaguar on effective communication with Chinese clients. She is also interested in teaching material development in teaching Mandarin as a foreign language and is the author of “Mastering Chinese – the Complete Course for Beginners” (published by Palgrave McMillan, UK).

She is currently researching the implications of e-learning in foreign language teaching and learning. Her latest publication (release in Aug 2017 by IGI Global, USA) is on “Audio-visual Media in Language Education”, an edited book sharing best practices in higher education across the world in this specific field.

Dr Catherine Xiang being interviewed by LSE  

Mark Logan - Member of Parliament and previously a Diplomat in China

Mark Logan was elected as the Member of Parliament for Bolton North East in 2019. The constituency includes the wards of Astley Bridge, Bradshaw, Breightmet, Bromley Cross, Crompton, Halliwell, and Tonge with the Haulgh. Mark has past experience of working as a diplomat in China and can speak Mandarin Chinese. Immediately prior to the election he worked in the private sector where he is involved in international business - an important skill as we leave the European Union and export ‘Global Britain’ to the rest of the world. Mark Logan is also the Deputy Head of the Interparty Group on China in the House of Commons

Mark Logan speaking at the Houses of Parliament 

Laura Windsor - Founder of the Laura Windsor Etiquette Academy and previous TV Presenter and Fashion Model

Laura Windsor, ex fashion-model and Lifestyle TV presenter trained in London under a former member of The Royal Household of Her Majesty the Queen and was educated at Downe House, the same private school as Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge.

Laura, a purveyor of Polite Society, offers a series of training tutorials that develop confidence in clients as they approach a range of professional and social settings. She helps individuals cultivate an international mindset in an ever-increasing global environment and brings contemporary relevance to a world of traditional values.

Laura also prepares the next generation to, not only, be culturally-savvy, but master emotional self-control and accountability through self-awareness. Learning the true value of The Golden Rule will help create sanctuaries of kindness, empathy, consideration and respect.
Her work sees her teach not only in the UK but overseas, particularly active in Asia, U.S. and Italy.

Laura Windsor photographed at Etiquette Event

National Liberal Club

The National Liberal Club (NLC) is a London private members' club, open to both men and women. It was established by William Ewart Gladstone in 1882 to provide club facilities for Liberal Party campaigners among the newly enlarged electorate following the Third Reform Act in 1884, and was envisioned as a more accessible version of a traditional London club.

The club's Italianate building on the Embankment of the river Thames is the second-largest club-house built in London. (It was the largest ever at the time, but was superseded by the later Royal Automobile Club building completed in 1911.) Designed by Alfred Waterhouse, it was completed in 1887. Its facilities include a dining room, a bar, function rooms, a billiards room, a smoking room, a library and an outdoor riverside terrace. It is located at Whitehall Place, close to the Houses of Parliament, the Thames Embankment and Trafalgar Square.

National Liberal Club Smoking room 

National Liberal Club Dining Room

National Liberal Club Staircase

3-Course Fine Dining Experience with wine 

Starter: Crisp Tart of Wild Mushrooms, Leaks, Truffle Emulsion (v)

Main: Slow Cooked Rump of Welsh Lamb, Roasted Root Vegetables, Rosemary and Sherry Vinegar Jus

Dessert: Kent Caramel Apple and Blackberry Crumble, Vanilla Ice Cream

(Note: If you have a particular dietary preference you can add them at the checkout page)

3-Course Fine Dining Experience

Enjoy carefully selected wine by the National Liberal Club Wine Society

Live Classical Music Performance by World-Renowned Performers 

Beibei Wang

Acclaimed Chinese-born Operatic Soprano Beibei Wang, has made her name by excellent interpretation at the title role of Madama Butterfly and the title role of Suor Angelica in London. She also received numerous awards, more recently , 2017 Big Ben Global 10 Outstanding Young Chinese Award, The First British Chinese Culture and Arts Award，Leap award for arts at 20th Anniversary of Phoenix TV and 10th Anniversary of Phoenix Life, Roy Pleasance Singing Competition and Mario Lanza international singing competition. Having already developed a strong presence, Beibei has appeared venues, including major debuts at the Cadogan Hall, the Southbank Centre, the St John’s Smith Square, the Fishmongers Hall, and the Birmingham Symphony Hall in repertoire spanning the Bel Canto, Romantic and Verismo styles, and having interviewed and broadcasted by CCTV, China Daily, Nouvelles d’Europe, The BBC and BBC Radio 4.

Studied at the Xinghai Conservatory of Music and on graduating sang as a soloist with the Shenzen Music Association, appearing in cities in South China as well as in Hong Kong and Macau. She then went to Italy to study on a training scheme attached to La Scala, Milan, for two years under the tutelage of Maria Luisa Cioni and Nicoletta Zanini. After she won a scholarship in the UK, She then moved to the Royal Northern College of Music, in Manchester, where she gained her MA and Postgraduate Diploma in solo performance with distinction, prior to this She obtained her Master of music from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, In London she was a recipient of Trinity College London Scholar and studied Artist Diploma with Peter Knapp at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Dina Duisen 

Kazakh – British pianist Dina Duisen was born into a family of musicians in Almaty, Kazakhstan. At the age of five, Dina started studying piano at Kulyash Bayseitova State Special School for Gifted Children together with her two brothers Ordabek and Ilyas, who are both violinists. By the age of thirteen she had made her debut with the Symphony Orchestra. In September 2008, Dina started studying for the new Master of Arts Degree in Performance at the Royal Academy of Music, under the tutelage of Christopher Elton, Hamish Milne and Kathryn Stott, and graduated with distinction in 2011. 

Dina has performed is at Jacqueline du Pré Music Building in Oxford, Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St James’s Piccadilly, King’s Place, Milton Court, Cadogan Hall, The Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall. In April, 2011 Dina had a concert as a guest artist at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, USA, and in 2012 Dina performed Prokofiev’s 1st Piano Concerto at the Season Opening Concert of Astana Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2014, she gave the Asian premiere of ‘Mazurkas’ by British composer Thomas Adès. She has been the resident class pianist at the IMS Prussia Cove and Casalmaggiore International Music Festival, currently working at the Royal College of Music. In October, 2016 Dina performed with two principal clarinetists of Cleveland and London Symphony Orchestras – Franklin Cohen and Chris Richards. In 2017 Dina joined Sinfonia Cymru for Twisted Rhythms: Mark-Anthony Turnage Birthday Concert at the Vibrate Festival. Dina was invited to make her debut at George Enescu Festival in Bucharest with the Mercury Quartet. She regularly plays with the BBC Young Musician of the Year – Martin James Bartlett. In October, 2018 she made her debut at Cadogan Hall in a dramatised concert ‘Byron: Angel & Outcast’ with actors Simon Russell Beale and Rob Heaps, the same concert was given in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Schedule of the event:

Event Information:
The event will be hosted on October 27th, National Liberal Club, Whitehall
Attire: Business Attire

Ticket Price:

Limited Early Bird ticket: 75 pounds - SOLD OUT

Standard ticket: 80 pounds

VIP: 200 pounds

Agenda:

18:00 Doors Open

19:00 - 21:00 Three-course meal, Keynote Speech, with two classical Music performances 

21:00 - 22:45 Drinks and networking

23:00 - End of Event

THE CHINESE CONUNDRUM

Engagement or Conflict by Vince Cable

ISBN: 9781846884689

300 PAGES

Hardback: £20

SPECIAL EVENT PRICE: £13 (Use Coupon VCCC1 at check-out)

According to many experts, China is already the largest economy on the planet – yet its relations with the rest of the world have deteriorated in recent years, and are now at an all-time low. Is this a passing phase caused by the shockwaves of the Covid pandemic and the personalities of leaders in China and in the USA, or are the current divergencies going to become wider and more entrenched, as China grows economically and develops techno- logical leadership? Can the West learn from its past mistakes and engage successfully with China on many common interests, or are we on the verge of a new Cold War?

In The Chinese Conundrum, Vince Cable – author of the Sunday Times number-one bestseller The Storm: The World Economic Crisis and What it Means – provides an answer to these and many other topical questions of global politics and economy, examining the long history of relationships between China and the West, as well as the change in attitudes on both sides of the divide, with a particular focus on the possible repercussions of the recent election of Joe Biden as president of the United States. The result is a gripping, insightful and accessible investigation into the intricacies of today’s economic and geopolitical situation.

 
                           You can order via Alma Books’ website or by sending us the form below.

            Alma Books, Thornton House, Thornton Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 4NG; www.almabooks.com