Captains of industry on a crest of a wave

The latest meeting of South Wales Branch took place on a balmy evening in late June, when 30 intrepid travellers set sail from Mermaid Quay to take to the 'high seas'

Guests who attended included Simon Baker and Jeff Evans of AON Trade Credit, who kindly sponsored the trip. Kate Awmack (Euler Hermes), Pamela James (Atradius), Kirsty Williams AM and Sara Care (Welsh Assembly), Adam Smith and Owen Roberts (Tracesmart), Lee O'Connell (Eversheds) and Chris Chugg and Lisa Hyland of Hays Accountancy & Finance.

On the outward trip Jeff Evans gave an interesting and informative talk on credit insurance, not an easy task aboard a moving vessel, but he managed admirably. The presentation included a brief history of credit insurance, the benefits to the seller or financier, and the current market concerns. These included the credit crunch, the slowdown in the retail sector and commodity price volatility. AON believes that in the present business climate the winners will be the organisations that can understand risk more quickly and act on what they see.

Our captain then took centre stage to host the return journey, pointing out the many landmarks and places of interest along the River Taff as we headed back towards Cardiff Bay. The return trip started from the spectacular Millennium Stadium, which was opened in 1999. With a capacity of 74,500 it boasts the first retractable roof of any stadium in the UK. We then passed the brewery of SA Brain and Company and the adjoining factory where Shirley Bassey once worked, before returning back into the Bay.

Cardiff Bay has been transformed from a dilapidated port into a modern stylish leisure complex, housing a variety of restaurants and tourist attractions, not to mention some important buildings, including the Wales Millennium Centre, the Welsh Assembly Building, the Butetown History and Arts Centre and, of course, the home of Atradius! The eight-mile waterside development is Europe's largest and the barrage built to eliminate the tidal effects of the dock has created five hundred acres of freshwater lake and allowed massive regeneration to the area. It also offered a stunning view of the ever-changing city skyline as we returned to Mermaid Quay.

Our next event is the popular breakfast meeting hosted by Eversheds, on Thursday 25 September at 8.30am. Details are available on the branch website or contact tedbrown@waitrose.com