After more than two years of preparations within the national organisations and intensive discussions on global level also at the Out for Business conference held in Montreal in the summer of 2006, the International Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce IGLCC has been founded in Hamburg on 16 Oct 2006. As the global roof organisation for starting members, the national associations of Denmark, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Austria, Switzerland, and the USA, it shall ease the co-ordination among the national organisations fostering the representation of those organisations at international level.

As the location for the foundation, Hamburg stands as a symbol for openness and internationality; the organisation is headquartered in Montreal being an ideal place as an open and welcoming city for gays and lesbians as well as being the bilingual centre of North America. At this melting point of the European and American culture, the activities of the national associations will be aligned strengthening the idea of equality and support of gay and lesbian managers in the countries represented as well as supporting the establishment of similar organisations in the other countries.

NETWORK is fully aware of the differences in goals of the American/Anglo-Saxon associations versus the other European associations. NETWORK is an association of gay managers strongly focussing on social and society-related aspects; the American and Anglo-Saxon associations focus on the support of their members in commercial aspects to build business among them and outside of the organisations. To be able to cover those later aspects as well, NETWORK decided to become a member of the IGLCC. In the framework of the European Gay & Lesbian Manager Association EGMA, the other aspects are covered and aligned on an international level.

The IGLCC will establish operations throughout 2007. As a local association, NETWORK will participate through its International Commission and support the establishment within Switzerland. More information on those proceedings will be published on this web site as well as within the Intranet of NETWORK.