GibLink Marbella draws 160 as Manchester speaker line-up announced

More than 160 people attended the inaugural GibLink event in Marbella on Thursday, bringing together business communities from Gibraltar and the Costa del Sol ahead of the series’ first UK event in Manchester later this month.

The Gibraltar Government said attendance at the event, held at The Pool on September 17, was evenly split between Gibraltar’s government and sponsor network and Marbella-based entrepreneurs, intermediaries and operators connected to the venue.

The event included two on-stage discussions focused on business links, technology and investment opportunities.

Gibraltar entrepreneur Sam Buxton, who is behind stablecoin infrastructure and financial services firm Damex, joined The Pool CEO Christian Rasmusson in a discussion with Cecilia Bravo.

Mr Buxton spoke about his experience building an internationally-focused technology business from Gibraltar, while Mr Rasmusson discussed the Marbella 2.0 project and the technology corridor linking Málaga Tech Park with the Marbella 2.0 community.

The discussion also looked at opportunities for Gibraltar to connect with the growing technology cluster in the area.

In a second conversation, the Minister for Health, Care and Business, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, spoke with Ed Allison-Wright of World Trade Center Gibraltar and Ocean Village Group.

Ms Arias-Vasquez discussed her background and her view that the Treaty represents a positive step for business by boosting investor confidence and bringing the Gibraltar and Spanish business communities closer together.

Mr Allison-Wright spoke about the development of Ocean Village over more than 20 years and the business community that has grown around it.

Attention will now turn to GibLink Manchester, the first event in the series to be held in the UK.

It will take place at The Dome, ABC Building Rooftop, in Manchester, from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday, September 30.

The opening panel will include Joanne Whittaker, CEO of Betfred; Ian Lees, co-founder of digital and media agency Vega Comms; Alex Turner, joint managing director of regional business news company TheBusinessDesk.com; and Grahame Jackson, tax partner at Hassans and chair of the Gibraltar Association of Tax Advisors.

Mr Jackson moved to Gibraltar from the north-west of England almost 25 years ago and now co-hosts an international tax podcast.

The evening will close with remarks from Ms Arias-Vasquez on the Treaty between the UK and Gibraltar, followed by networking, drinks and canapés.

The Government said places were limited and invited people in Gibraltar with contacts in Manchester who may be interested in attending to register through LinkedIn or by emailing business.support@gibraltar.gov.gi.

Ms Arias-Vasquez said: “GibLink Marbella exceeded our expectations, both in the numbers who joined us and in the quality of conversation on the night. It set exactly the right tone for this series and a clear sense of the opportunity now in front of us following the Treaty.”

“I am very much looking forward to Manchester on 30th September and to our flagship event in London on Tuesday 20th October. Each event in this series is designed to put Gibraltar's business community directly in front of the people who can invest here, partner with us, or base operations here.”

“Manchester gives us a strong platform in a part of the United Kingdom where the commercial links with Gibraltar are already well established and London will allow us to build on that across the wider UK market.”