Privacy is important to us, so you have the option of disabling certain types of storage that may not be necessary for the basic functioning of the website. Blocking categories may impact your experience on the website.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Essential
These items are required to enable basic website functionality.
Personalization
These items allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language, or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features.
Marketing
These items are used to deliver advertising that is more relevant to you and your interests.
Analytics
These items help the website operator understand how its website performs, how visitors interact with the site, and whether there may be technical issues.
We use cookies and similar technologies to help personalise content, tailor and measure ads, and provide a better experience. By clicking OK or turning an option on in Cookie Preferences, you agree to this, as outlined in our cookie Policy.
On Friday 6th February, we were honoured to welcome 500 guests to The Dorchester for the 48 Group Icebreakers Chinese New Year Dinner 2026, celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Horse and the enduring friendship and engagement between the United Kingdom and China.
The evening brought together leaders from business, government, culture and education in the spirit that has defined The 48 Group for more than seventy years – open dialogue, mutual respect and long-term partnership.
From the moment guests arrived in the Ballroom, the atmosphere reflected both tradition and optimism for the future. We celebrated not only Chinese New Year, but also the remarkable progress in UK–China relations over the past year, following the visit by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with President Xi Jinping, alongside renewed high-level engagement and expanding collaboration across trade, investment, green transition and technological innovation. The legacy of the original Icebreakers – the brave British entrepreneurs led by Jack Perry Senior who first travelled to China in the 1950s – was felt throughout the room.
We were privileged to hear from an exceptional line-up of keynote speakers (in order of appearance): • Jack Perry, Chair, The 48 Group, CEO, London Export Corporation and Executive Chairman of LEC Robotics – on carrying the Icebreakers spirit forward
• H.E. Ambassador Zheng Zeguang, Chinese Ambassador to the UK
• Fang Wenjian, Chair, China Chamber of Commerce in the UK
• Sebastian Wood, Chair, China–Britain Business Council
We also had the opportunity to present the prestigious Icebreakers Awards and hear from the leaders who had outstanding contribution to UK-China collaboration at every front (in order of appearance):
• The ‘Icebreakers’ Lifetime Achievement Award
Presented by Dominic Barton, Chairman of Rio Tinto and H.E. Ambassador Zheng Zeguang to Stephen Perry, Honorary President of The 48 Group Chair, London Export Corporation.
• The ‘Icebreakers’ Outstanding Investment Award Received by Shaun Grady, Chair of AstraZeneca UK, where he emphasised on the power of life-sciences collaboration between the two countries • The ‘Icebreakers’ Outstanding Innovation Award
Received by Martin Ma, Head of UK of Agibot, as he committed to bridging the power of innovation via a constructive engagement and exchanges between China and the UK.
• The ‘Icebreakers’ Global Partnership Award Received jointly by Greg Jackson, Founder & CEO of Octopus Energy and Bono Ge, Country Manager of BYD UK & Ireland, where they both stressed the key of driving growth and innovation through joint partnership and healthy business collaborations.
Their reflections highlighted a shared belief that business-to-business trust and people-to-people exchange remain the foundation of a confident new chapter in our relationship.
A congratulatory letter from Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, conveyed by His Excellency Ambassador Zheng Zeguang, reinforced the significance of the occasion and the opportunities ahead under China’s new Five-Year Plan. Around every table, conversations centred on investment, technology, sustainability and practical cooperation.
This evening would not have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors and partners. Our sincere thanks to:
Platinium Sponsors:
Bank of China
HSBC
Rio Tinto
Octopus Energy,
ATFX
Gold Sponsors:
ICBC
PetroChina
China Mobile
BYD / Denza
Shanghai Pudong Development Bank
Silver Sponsors:
China Construction Bank
Union Pay International
China Minsheng Bank
Tsingtao
Special Support:
LEC Robotics
Most importantly, thank you to our guests, long-standing Icebreakers and new friends alike. Who travelled from across the UK and China to be with us. Relationships are built through conversation and shared experience. Friday was a powerful reminder of that truth.
As we move into the Year of the Horse, The 48 Group will continue to champion constructive engagement between our two countries. We look forward to many more moments of dialogue and friendship in the year ahead.
Jack Perry
Chairman, 48 Group
Below are a selection of images from the event, you can also find more images in our Gallery pages
We also have a full list of images from the event that you can download here
We also had some excellent media coverage of the evening from the following prestigious outlets:
