The British American Business Council Los Angeles confirms that the 2026 Transatlantic Business Award, honouring Simon Cowell, will now be held later this year rather than on 17 September. A new date will be announced shortly.
In agreement with Simon Cowell and his team, the British American Business Council Los Angeles has taken the decision to move the 2026 Transatlantic Business Award to a new date later this year.
The award is, by design, an intimate and invitation-only occasion rather than a large public ceremony. An afternoon of that character depends on the right room and the right moment, and we would rather hold it when every guest we hope to welcome is able to be there. The honour itself stands exactly as announced. Only the date changes.
Recognising a career built across two markets
The Transatlantic Business Award is presented by His Majesty's Consul General Paul J G Rennie OBE, together with Andrew Lewis MBE, President of the British American Business Council Los Angeles. It celebrates a business career built across the UK and US creative economies, recognising the value, opportunity and employment those ventures have generated on both sides of the Atlantic.
That framing matters to us. The transatlantic relationship is most often discussed in terms of established sectors, yet some of the most durable UK-US commercial value of the past three decades has been created in the creative industries: formats, catalogues, intellectual property and talent pipelines that move continuously between London and Los Angeles. Companies founded in Britain employ people in California; American audiences and American capital sustain British creative businesses. It is genuine two-way trade, and it deserves the same attention as any other part of the transatlantic economy.
Honouring Simon Cowell allows us to make that argument in the clearest possible terms, and it is one of the reasons the occasion is worth waiting for.
With thanks to our partners
We are grateful to the British Consulate-General Los Angeles for its partnership on this award, and to Virgin Atlantic and The Maybourne Beverly Hills, whose support has been unwavering through the change of plan. We are also grateful to the guests and representatives who had already accepted, and who have responded with characteristic generosity.
What happens next
A new date will be confirmed and communicated in the coming weeks. The formal invitation, with the full programme and RSVP details, will follow at that point. Guests who have already been invited will retain their invitation, and no further action is required from them for now.
Organisations interested in supporting the Transatlantic Business Award, or in learning more about how the British American Business Council Los Angeles connects British and American business, are welcome to contact us at info@babcla.org.
About the British American Business Council Los Angeles
The British American Business Council Los Angeles strengthens UK-US commercial ties through curated business relationships, executive programming, a trusted membership community and corporate partnerships. Our members are executives, founders, investors and professional services firms seeking cross-border access, credibility and opportunity between the United Kingdom and the United States. Learn more at babcla.org.
Media enquiries: info@babcla.org