Firstly, Ms. Marja-Liisa Peltola from FinnCham introduced the operations of the Chambers of Commerce in Finland. Then the floor was given to the delegation representatives who introduced themselves and stated which industries each delegation member was from. Also Mr. Atso Vainio from Invest in Finland talked about the investment opportunities in Finland and Mr. Marko Vänskä from Golden Bridge explained what kind of cooperation was beneficial for both parties and how this could be done.

After the presentations, B2B discussions commenced. During the discussions both Finnish and Chinese business representatives found interesting people to talk to and many business cards were exchanged.

The Jilin province in the People’s Republic of China is located in the northeastern part of the country. It is a flourishing province whose GDP has risen in double-digits since the early 2000s. Jilin province is one of the most important industrial and grain production bases in China. The biggest industries are auto industry, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, agricultural processing products, electronics, and metallurgy and building materials. In addition, the province in known for its beautiful nature, that attracts tourists to the area. To find out more about Jilin province, please watch this video provided by the delegation.

Euro-China Business Meeting in Jilin 8.-10.9.2012

The delegation introduced a business meeting called the Euro-China Business Meeting in Jilin that the Macro Euro-China Entrepreneurs Club will organize 8.-10.9.2012. The purpose of the event is to stimulate mutual investment and trade cooperation between Europe and China. The topics covered will especially include Railroad industry, Auto manufacturing, the Environment, Machinery, Agrifood and Service and others.

The meeting will mostly be paid by the organizer.

For more information, contact Mr. Lu Dong, Executive Director of MECEC, mecec2005@163.com .

Here you can find the invitation and registration form.

FinnCham helps your company internationalize

FinnCham helps your business to take the first steps in internationalization by the vast network of bilateral Chambers of Commerce around the world. If you are interested in a certain area of the world, contact the Chamber of Commerce in that region for more assistance. You may find them here. In China, the Finnish Business Councils in Beijing, Guangdong, and Shanghai and the Finnish Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong all provide useful information about the trade and industry in their regions as well as a forum for networking. Through networking events we give business representatives a chance to meet each other and exchange ideas and thoughts on doing business together.

Saksan tavaroiden ja palveluiden vienti ylitti Saksan tilastokeskuksen mukaan ensimmäisen kerran 1000 miljardia euroa vuonna 2011. Tuonnin arvo oli 902 miljardia euroa eli suurempi kuin koskaan aikaisemmin. Vuonna 2011 Saksan vienti Suomeen kasvoi 10,8 prosenttia ja Saksan tuonti Suomesta 9,8 prosenttia. Suomen tuonti Saksasta kasvoi 16 prosenttia viennin kasvun jäädessä 8 prosenttiin. Saksa oli Suomen toiseksi tärkein kauppakumppani.

Maaliskuun 2012 teollisuuden tuotannon kasvuluvut ja viennin myönteinen kehitys ennustavat Saksan talouden elpymistä.  Kansainvälinen valuuttarahasto IMF kehottaa Saksaa etsimään lisää kotimaiseen kysyntään perustuvaa kasvua. Saksan kasvua on vuosikymmenien ajan rakennettu viennin menestyksen varaan.

Täsmällisyys on valttia Saksan markkinoilla

Saksa on poliittisesti ja taloudellisesti vakaa. Saksassa vaaditaan laatua ja luotetaan numeroihin ja tilastoihin. Kilpailu on erittäin kovaa eri toimijoiden välillä. Kauppaa käydään edelleen paljon saksan kielellä, vaikka monet liikemiehet puhuvatkin jo englantia. Osavaltioiden välillä on merkittäviä eroja, joihin on syytä tutustua ajoissa.

Saksalaisilla on korkea työmoraali. He ovat avoimia uusille toimintatavoille. Saksalaiset ovat täsmällisiä ja tarkkoja. Myöhästyminen on epäkohteliasta. Kerran sovittua tapaamisajankohtaa ei helposti muuteta.  Saksalaiset valittavat herkemmin kuin suomalaiset, kun tuote tai palvelu ei vastaa odotuksia. Henkilökohtaisen kontaktien luominen vie Saksassa paljon aikaa. Saksalaisilla on luontainen kyky muistaa nimet. He ottavat myös nimen selville ennen tapaamista.

Saksassa kaikki tulee vahvistaa kirjallisesti. Liikekirjeetkin ovat usein kahden henkilön allekirjoittamia. Yrityksissä hierarkia on jyrkempi kuin Suomessa. Liike-elämässä kaikkia teititellään. Neuvotteluissa kaikki puhuvat usein samanaikaisesti, joten oma puheenvuoro on otettava määrätietoisesti takaisin. Neuvotteluissa on myös osoitettava, että on ymmärtänyt asian, jotta väärinkäsitykset voidaan oikaista pikaisesti.  On muistettava, että saksalaisilla on selkeät tavoitteet, ja he eivät pelkää olla eri mieltä asioista neuvotteluissa. Etuna suomalaisilla on hyvä maine Saksassa.

Tiedevuoden 2012 teemana kestävä kehitys – suomalaisilla paljon tarjottavaa uusituvan energian alalla

Vuonna 2012 Saksan tiedevuoden teeman on kestävä kehitys. Sen aiheina ovat ilmastonmuutos, luonnon monimuotoisuus, energiatehokkuus, maailman ravintotilanne ja väestökasvu. Tiedevuotta vietetään nyt 13. kerran. Vuoden teemana on ”Tulevaisuuden projekti – maapallo”. Vuoden tarkoituksena on kiinnittää huomiota kestävää kehitystä edistävään tutkimukseen ja tehdä tunnetuksi kehitystä tukevia innovaatioita.

Edistyneen ympäristöpolitiikan ja -lainsäädännön perinteet ovat nostaneet ympäristöteknologian yhdeksi maan keskeisimmistä kasvualoista. Tavoitteena on, että ympäristöteknologian ja uusiutuvan energian ala edustaisi 14 prosenttia koko teollisuudesta vuonna 2020. Saksa tarjoaa myös suomalaisille yrityksille useita liiketoimintamahdollisuuksia uusiutuvan energian alalla.

Saksa houkuttelee investointeja

Ernst & Youngin julkaiseman ”European attractiveness survey 2011” – tutkimuksen mukaan Saksa on yksi suosituimpia kohteita, kun ulkomaiset yritykset tekevät suoria investointeja Euroopan maihin. On arvioitu, että 560 suoran investoinnin ansiosta Saksaan on saatu 12 000 uutta työpaikkaa. Germany Trade and Invest on yhdessä muiden organisaatioiden kanssa tehnyt määrätietoista työtä investointien houkuttelemiseksi (www.gtai.com).

Helsingin seudun kauppakamari, Saksalais-Suomalainen Kauppakamari ja Enterprise Europe Network järjestivät yhteistyössä seminaarin Saksan tarjoamista mahdollisuuksista yrityksille.
Tilaisuuden materiaaliin voi tutustua täältä.

There are 4 billion people living on less than 5 € / day. These people are referred to as the Base of the Pyramid (BOP), and they make up two thirds of the world population. We had the pleasure of attending a seminar organized by Finpro, Aalto University and Tekes together with the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Confederation of Finnish Industries. This seminar tackled the challenges of going into the BOP markets and the opportunities for Finnish businesses in commercialization and scaling up inclusive businesses in emerging markets.

The seminar emphasized the benefits of scaling up inclusive businesses, as it has a greater impact on the people living in those markets. This method is not considered charity, as people raise their living conditions through entrepreneurial ways, empowering themselves and gaining dignity.

The emerging markets are not the only benefiting party. The developed markets can benefit from the innovations developed in the BOP markets where the scarcity of resources and the lack of infrastructure force innovations to occur. Minna Halme from Aalto University stated that the types of innovations needed in BOP business models are product innovation, delivery innovation, adaptation to infrastructure, relationship and labor innovation and partnership and network innovation. The companies coming into emerging markets also need to realize that the business will not develop quite like in the developed markets. Instead, the companies need to consult local NGOs and work hard to meet demands.

How can FinnCham help your company?
If your company is considering entering the emerging markets, FinnCham can help you in various ways. FinnCham is present all over the world with bilateral Finnish Chambers of Commerce. If you are interested in a certain country or area of the world, browse through the network list on our website to find the right chamber to help you get started. FinnCham works for the benefit of your company.

Success stories
Finnish businesses can find inspiration in the four following success stories covered in the seminar.

Nokia-Life tools
Nokia-Life tools is a text message service for consumers interested in information on agriculture, education, entertainment and health care. Nokia’s role here is in information distribution, not creation. Knowledge partners provide the information (e.g. BBC, Pearson Education). Consumers can also directly contact experts in various fields.

This service has benefited the poor and the rich in different ways. For instance, a farmer in India can now receive actual market price information on his crops and will not get scammed into selling his goods at a lower price. Also, people living in rural conditions, with little access to health care, can now receive information they need straight to their phones. Consumers can also learn languages and listen to music and other entertainment by using this service.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Speaker: Antti Pirjetä

Danone Poland
Danone launched a partnership project in Poland to fight malnutrition of children together with Lubella (product know-how), Instytut Matki I Dziecka (Mother Child Institute) and Biedronka (distribution and sales). The partnership dealt with the problem of poverty and the resulting lack of breakfast amongst Polish children. Danone, together with its partners first came up with a portion packet of nutritional semolina. They also focused on having the lowest price possible for their product to ensure the target market could afford it. After making the semolina a success they came up with a breakfast cereal sandwich, which children can enjoy at school. This is a good example of scaling up and sustainable business in the emerging markets.                                                                                                                                                         

Speaker: Przemek Pohrybieniuk

Mxit Reach, Head and RLabs
Reconstructed Living Lab (Rlabs) believes that charity does not bring dignity and therefore the organization encourages poor people on three continents into entrepreneurial ways and thus provides hope. RLabs runs free courses for people who want a better future, and by today approximately 6000 people have graduated. The idea is to create an environment in which people feel empowered to make a difference in their lives. Their offices always have up-to-date equipment and freshly brewed coffee to raise the students’ confidence in order to enable empowerment. Today, the organization also provides a counseling service through text messages.

The activity was founded by Marlon Parker who grew up in the Cape Town ghettos in South Africa. He noticed how people lost hope of a better future and wanted to change this. So far the organization has created 400 jobs by the people, for the people.                                                          
Speaker: Marlon Parker

World Vision Lanka
World Vision Lanka works with companies entering the Sri Lankan market. It stays with a specific project for 15 years straight to make sure everything is in order.

BOP consumers can go largely unnoticed by corporations and most companies have the wrong approach to entering the emerging markets, says Mr. Suresh Bartlett from World Vision Lanka. He guides Finnish businesses in bringing forth their expertise. This includes solar and wind power, cleantech, virtual learning and high-tech solutions.

By helping people out of poverty, Finnish corporations can gain loyal future customers.  Mr. Bartlett also advised Finnish companies into making their products and services more affordable especially in the emerging markets. NGOs like World Vision Lanka can help in this process. The key is to work together to create solutions.                                                                                                                      
Speaker: Suresh Bartlett

Maailmanlaajuisten kriisien aikana Puolan talous on kasvanut nopeammin kuin monen muun OECD-maan. Puolan bkt on kaksinkertaistunut kymmenessä vuodessa. Vuonna 2009 Puola oli ainoa EU-maa, jossa bkt kasvoi (1,7 %). Puola on pyrkinyt  eri  toimenpitein vähentämään tuloeroja Puolan ja EU-maiden välillä.

EU:n kasvuennuste vuodelle 2012 on 2,5 %, kun EU:n keskiarvo on 0,6 %. OECD:n mukaan Puolan bkt:n kasvun odotetaan hieman hidastuvan ja jäävän alle 3 prosentin vuosina 2012 – 2013. Maaliskuussa 2012 inflaatio oli 3,9 % ja työttömyysaste 13,5 % helmikuussa 2012.

Puola on hyötynyt zlotyn valuuttakurssin vaihtelusta melko tarkasti ennakoitavissa rajoissa ja zlotyn suhteellisesta vahvuudesta verrattuna moneen muuhun euron ulkopuoliseen valuuttaan verrattuna. Puola siirtynee euroon heti, kun se nähdään tarkoituksenmukaiseksi. Alkuperäisen suunnitelman mukaan siirtymisen piti tapahtua vuosina 2011 – 2012, mutta nyt siirtymisen uskotaan toteutuvan vuosina 2015–2016.

Puola edelleen houkutteleva markkina

Monet tekijät puoltavat Puolan asemaa houkuttelevana markkinana. Puola, EU:n kuudenneksi suurin talous, sijaitsee logistisesti keskellä Eurooppaa lännen (Saksa) ja idän (Venäjä, Ukraina )välissä Saksan ollessa Puolan suurin kauppakumppani.  Puola on 38 miljoonan asukkaan valtio, jossa kotimainen kysyntä on keskeinen kasvutekijä. Vuonna 2011 yksityinen kulutus kasvoi 3,1 %, ja vuonna 2012 Deutsche Bank ennustaa kotimaisen kysynnän kasvavan 2,2 %.  Puolan poliittinen ympäristö on vakaa. Työvoima­kustannukset ovat suhteellisen matalat ja työvoima koulutettua.  Monien alihankintayritysten asiakkaat ovat jo sijoittuneet Puolaan.

Unctad World Investment Report 2011 mukaan Puola on maailman kuudenneksi houkuttelevin inves­tointikohde. Palvelukeskuksiin ja tuotteiden kehittämiseen (R&D) panostetaan. EU-rahat lisäävät merkittävästi investointimahdollisuuksia. Puola on saanut EU:n rakenne- ja koheesiorahastoista 67 miljardia euroa vuosina 2007–2013. Kun tähän lisätään kansallinen rahoitus ja yksityisten yritysten osuus, kohoaa kokonaissumma yli 85 miljardiin euroon. Valtion ja kuntien budjetteja koskevat menosäännökset saattavat  kuitenkin johtaa julkisten investointien rajoituksiin ja sitä kautta vähentää investoin­teihin suunnattujen EU-tukien käyttöä. Yksityisen sektorin investointien uskotaan jatkuvan. Niin ikään yksi­tyistä­minen jatkuu Puolassa. Hallituksen tavoitteena on yksityistää noin 300 yritystä vuosina 2012–2013 markkinaolosuhteista riippuen.

Puolalla on monta haastetta ratkaistavana

Puolan haasteina ovat julkisen velan suuri osuus bkt:stä, korkea työttömyys sekä maatalouden suuri osuus työvoimasta. Säästämisaste on laskenut viime vuosina, ja kotitalouksien mahdollisuudet saada lainaa ovat rajalliset säännösmuutosten vuoksi.  Verojärjestelmä on monimutkainen. Julkiset sanktiot vaihtelevat.  Infrastruktuuri on yhä heikko. Raskas byrokratia hidastaa yritysten toimintaa. Oikeuslaitosta pidetään tehottomana.

Euroopan talouden hidastuessa puolalaisten on vähennettävä julkisen talouden alijäämää, toteutettava keskeisiä uudistuksia ja luotava perusta kestävälle pitkän aikavälin taloudelliselle kasvulle. OECD:n mukaan Puolan viranomaisten on nyt edistettävä innovatiivisia ja vihreitä talouden kasvulähteitä sekä toteutettava rakenteellisia ja sosiaalisia uudistuksia, jotka auttavat Puolaa edelleen vähentämään tuloeroja Puolan ja muiden EU-maiden välillä sekä lisäämään luottamusta Puolan rahoitusmarkkinoihin tulevaisuudessa.

Puolassa läsnäolo ja verkostojen luominen menestyksellisen liiketoiminnan edellytys

Puolassa kulttuuri perustuu suhteisiin. Epävirallisia verkostoja on kehitettävä jatkuvasti. Henkilökohtaista yhteisymmärrystä on pyrittävä lisäämään osapuolten kesken. Kaikesta on sovittava kirjallisesti, varsinkin johtajasopimuksista. Yritystä johdetaan olemalla läsnä Puolassa. Sähköpostit eivät riitä. Iltalypsyt ennen sopimusten allekirjoitusta ovat tyypillisiä ja usein odotettavia.

Helsingin seudun kauppakamari, Keskuskauppakamari ja Enterprise Europe Network järjestivät yhteistyössä seminaarin Puolan markkinoiden mahdollisuuksista suomalaisille toimijoille. Seminaari oli osa Euroopan yrittäjyysalue 2012 – vuotta. Seminaarin esitysmateriaaliin voi tutustua osoitteessa:

http://www.helsinki.chamber.fi/index.phtml?s=540

Jilin province in the People’s Republic of China is located in the northeastern part of the country. It is a flourishing province whose GDP has risen in double-digits since the early 2000s. The main industries are automobile, train carriage and iron alloy production. Please see profiles of participating companies here.

Fee: The event is free of charge.

When? May 10th 2012 at 14:00-18:00

Where? WTC Helsinki, Marski Hall,  Aleksanterinkatu 17, 2nd floor 

Language: English

Contact:  Registration by May 3, 2012:  Ms Hanna Hyvärinen, hanna.hyvarinen@chamber.fi, tel. +358503670126. 

Program   Finnish-Chinese seminar (pdf)

14:00 Welcoming words, FinnCham Team Leader Ms Marja-Liisa Peltola

14:10 Remarks, Vice Director of Jilin Foreign Affairs Office Mr. Wang Zhiwei

14:20 Introduction of the delegation, Executive Director of the Macro Euro-China Entrepreneurs Club Mr. Lu Dong

14:30 Remarks, Invest in Finland, Mr Atso Vainio, Vice President, Partner Network, Invest in Finland (IIF)

14:45 Trade and investment opportunities in Jilin, Jilin Foreign Affairs Office

15:00 Golden Bridge and its activities in assisting  Chinese high-tech companies and investors to find innovation resources in Finland, CEO Marko Vänskä, Golden Bridge

15:15 Euro-China Business Meeting Jilin 2012, Executive Director of the Macro Euro-China Entrepreneurs Club Mr. Lu Dong

15:30 B2B discussions

18:00 Program ends

The Jilin Delegation – more information on the FinnCham website: http://finncham.fi/2011/chinese-enterprises-in-finland/

Wang Zhiwei, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of People’s Government of Jilin Province
                            
Yang Junliang, Party Secretary, Changchun National High-tech Industrial Development Zone

Zhang Yi, Deputy Director-Gener
al of the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Jilin Province

Wang Lidong, Deputy Director-General of the Jilin Local Taxation Bureau

Zhang Fusheng, Director of the Investment Promotion Bureau of Changchun National High-tech Industrial Development Zone

Sun Jie, Head of Office at the China FAW Group Corporation

Shao Xiaoming, Assistant General Manager at the Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd.  

Yu Zhiliang, General Manager at the Eurasia Shopping Mall

Luo Baocheng, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at HOROC Group       

Tai Ge, Vice-President at the Bank of Jilin

Wei Zhongliang, General Manager at China FAW Liaoyuan Automobile Electrical Appliances Co., Ltd.

Liu Zhijian, Division Chief at the Foreign Affairs Office of People’s Government of Jilin Province

You may find the invitation letter from the President of the Chamber here.

Here, you can read the program of the event.

Should you be willing to participate, please register, using the registration form.

Elematic history in the region

Long term presence is a benefit while operating and doing business in the Middle East. In 1974 the Metal Industry Division of a Finnish company Paraisten Kalkki received the first construction element factory order to Kuwait and later in the 1970′s a company called MABCO (partly owned by Paraisten Kalkki) established their operations in Riad, Saudi Arabia in concrete element business. The predecessor of Elematic (LPE) started the sales of element factories toBahrainin the end of 1980′s. In 1993 LPE and Elematic merged and based on the MABCO (today known as ARA AlRashid – A-Betong) connections the sales efforts expanded to UAE and Qatar after the second half of the 1990′s.

The local Elematic unit was established in 1996 to Dubai in order to achieve further credibility in the Region. The reason for selecting Dubai instead of e.g.Abu Dhabiwas that the former had freezones that offered trading licences for foreign companies. Currently a wide area from Islamabad (Pakistan) toCairo (Egypt) is covered from the sales office and service center in Dubai, UAE.

The Gulf Region and beyond is very attractive due to the continuous construction activity. Therefore also all the competitors of Elematic operate there. The long history, best references and presence in the area however are what are needed in the hard competition. As a result Elematic has been able to achieve a market share of over 50% in the Gulf Region.

Operation in the Freezone in Dubai

According to the local legislation a company that is operating in UAE must have a local emirati partner with 51% ownership whereas the foreign partner is left with 49% ownership. This means that in the decision making the local partner has the power to make the decisions. It is possible that with a local partner there appear elements in the operation that are not always favourable for the business.

On the other hand, a company that is operating in a freezone can be fully owned by a foreign party. According to the industry the companies may choose form several different freezones in UAE e.g. TECOM Freezones are targeting for knowledge and life-improving industries, whereas for example  Jebel Ali Freezone (Jafza) is popular with transportation and logistics and trading companies – Elematic is located in the latter area.

All the activities in a freezone are managed with a licence that is issued by the freezone authority. According to the licence the operations are allowed only in the freezone area and depending on the type of the licence also the type of the activities may be limited. For example with a Trading Licence all the spare parts operations must be within the area. Similarly should e.g. production or service operations be located in the area of another applicable freezone. The type of the licence also defines the number of employee visas (in other words permit of residence) to be issued to the company personnel. A sponsor is required for the visas and the freezone authority acts as a sponsor for the company employees.

The process of acquiring a freezone licence and for the annual renewal is simple and efficient and the charges are reasonable. Establishing of the operations starts to build up the expenses as rents of offices, warehouse etc. are relatively high. Also the freezone charges of its services, but as exchange for example in the Jebel Ali Freezone the internet portal is very handy for many transactions. Also the physical activities are very well organized and functioning thus ensuring smooth operation in the area.

Elements for Elematic Success

The technological capability, production efficiency and quality are naturally important in terms of general competitiveness. Over the years, Elematic has made several acquisitions of technology and manufacturing companies. The company provides precasters in more than 100 countries on 5 continents with products and services. The Elematic of today is owned by British Pamplona Capital Management and the management of Elematic and is the only one-stop-supplier in the industry.

In addition to the tangible assets and capabilities, the business in Arabic countries requires continuous contacts with the customers and long time physical presence – therefore an office in the Region is a must. This ensures that the local players trust that the company is in the markets to stay and there is commitment to the area in a long run. The long history in the Region is an asset, however also the right timing of the moves is elementary. Elematic has been lucky of being in the right place in the right time.

Another element of the Elematic success in the Region is derived from hard work of the highly skilled personnel. The right type of flexible people that are able to adapt to the local conditions has proved to be important. They should be social and should easily come to terms with the local people but also bear the climatic conditions that especially in the summer time may be challenging to one coming from the Northern parts of the world.

In the sales role a minimum three years work contract of an expatriate is a prerequisite for a successful creation of the necessary contacts and results in the business. The clients get nervous if the contact person changes frequently. Again, a long term relationship and some common history is the basis for trust. The technical personnel however may be able to efficiently operate within shorter periods of time.

Realization of a project and the proven results

The transportation of concrete elements is demanding due to their sensitivity to cracks. The roads for land transport should we relatively even and also sea transport would require special arrangements. Therefore the concrete element production is typically located close to the final building site and an element factory is of a reasonable size. A typical factory project is worth3 to 5 million euros.

The duration of the sales process of a factory project may vary from half a year to one year depending on the size of the project. The delivery phase of the project may take an equal amount of time; therefore an entire project may last one to two years from the beginning to the functioning production line or a factory. During the delivery phase the project is carried out with and in the responsibility of the project manager together with the local office. As the home base of the Project Managers is in Finland (although they travel), the local office/service center in Dubai with its six people has an important role throughout the project. Coordinating the project locally and the daily communication with customers – in the same time zone with the same office hours – are the most elementary tasks. 

The high market share and the number of completed and ongoing projects best demonstrate the Elematic efforts in the area. Elematic has delivered more than ten factories to Saudi Arabia alone. To the United Arab Emirates,Qatar, and Bahrain, Elematic has delivered over thirty complete factories and the total number delivered to the Gulf Region exceeds fifty production lines.

Sources

• Interview of Area Sales Director, Gulf-Area, Raimo Juhantalo,16th January, 2012
• Elematic company profile, January 2012
• Yki Hytönen and Veijo Åberg, Elematic 50 years – 1959-2009, Published by Elematic Ltd, Esa Print Oy, 2009
• Smart Evolution for Lifetime Results – ELEMATIC Smart Evolution, a publication by Elematic Oy Ab, 2012.

For more detailed information and application for the training, see UnderstandingChina.eu

The event will focus on “Design Thinking” with both Finnish and Dutch guest speakers.

The Guild will update their Anniversary webpages regularly during the year and it can be found here.

Watch Jorma Ollila’s interview he gave as a guest speaker at the Anniversary’s kick off event at a Business Luncheon in January.

The European Chamber of Commerce Singapore is also searching for a new Executive Director and the position will be filled as soon as possible. For more information, read: Executive Director

Contact person:  Marja-Liisa Peltola, Finland Chamber of Commerce - FinnCham marja-liisa.peltola@chamber.fi, +358 9 42426200