February 2, 2023
15:00-18:00
Venue: Head Office Sweco
Holle Bilt 22, de Bilt
Thank you for your participation of the Green Transition presentations by Sweco and Husqvarna at Sweco’s Headquarters in de Bilt on February 2, 2023, where experts from Sweco and Husqvarna shared insights of their sustainable strategies, Greening the City and how the society can be transformed to become greener together.
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce would like to extend a warm thank you to Eugene Grüter, CEO Sweco, as well as Patron Member Sweco for hosting this well-organized event at their beautiful office and for offering excellent networking opportunities at the networking after the presentations. We also would like to thank the speakers, Richard Koops, Bussines Director Circularity Sweco., Joeri Meliefste, Head Analyst GSC., Jonas Willaredt, Sustainability Manager Husqvarna and Lodewijk Hoekstra, Founder NL Greenlabel, TV-Gardener and Sustainability Inspirator for their inspiring contributions.
Click here to find out how green your city is.
See Event Video and Event Pictures below.
This event is made possible by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with:
January 19, 2022
18:00 – 20:00
Venue: The Swedish Ambassadors Residence
Lange Voorhout 28
The Hague
The Swedish Chamber was very pleased to kick off the new year together with H.E. Ambassador of Sweden Johannes Oljelund, Honorary Members, Members and Guests and to toast to a successful and prosperous year both personally and professionally and to many successful meetings and business networking events with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in the coming year.
The Chamber of Commerce would like to extend a warm thank you to H.E. Ambassador of Sweden Mr. Johannes Oljelund for hosting the Chamber’s New Year Reception and for sharing his interesting insights about the Swedish EU Presidency.
The Chamber has a new year ahead filled with challenges and opportunities and we look forward to inspire and promote the exchange of business ideas and business opportunities, and to support and connect you to our wide Business network. We have an packed agenda with exciting events, useful networking opportunities, businesses and experience exchange meetings the coming year and we welcome you all to join and to invite your colleagues and business relations.
On November 16th, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce organised its most exclusive event, the annual Patron Dinner, at the Swedish Residence in The Hague. The Patron Dinner was hosted by H.E. Ambassador of Sweden, Mr. Johannes Oljelund and brought together the Swedish Chambers esteemed Patron Members for an exquisite five-course dinner. The evening served not only as a culinary experience but also as a platform to delve into societal trends, fostering the creation of new connections and synergies.
Johan Uhlin, Chairperson of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and CEO of Scania Production Zwolle in the Netherlands, warmly greeted all Patron Dinner guests and thanked the Ambassador for hosting the Annual Patron Dinner. Later during dinner, the Ambassador held a personal and entertaining speech where he shared take-aways from his time in the Netherlands. For this Patron Dinner the journalist and author Charlotte Boström was invited to give a keynote speech, drawing from her recent publication, ‘Waarom Zweedse vrouwen niet gratis werken’ (‘Why Swedish Women Don’t Work for Free’), to provide valuable insights into gender equality and the labor market, comparing the Netherlands and Sweden.
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce would like to thank all the Patrons for their attendance and for contributing to the open discussions around their tables. A special thanks to Ambassador Oljelund for graciously hosting the Patron Dinner and to Charlotte Broström for her stimulating and thought-provoking keynote speech.
Patron Dinner
The Patron Dinner is one of the Chamber’s most exclusive annual events. Hosted by the Swedish Ambassador at the Swedish Residence in the Hague. The Patron Dinner brings together Patron Members and outstanding senior business leaders, entrepreneurs, and politicians from both Sweden and the Netherlands addressing the greater trends facing us with the purpose of creating new bonds and synergies. Over the last few years, it has attracted some of the most prestigious keynote speakers in the Swedish-Dutch community.
Photo Credits: Hanne Hansen
On April 20, 2023, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce held its 63rd Annual General Meeting & Chamber Luncheon, at Hilton Amsterdam.
Click here to read the Press Release from the Annual General Meeting.
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce was very proud and pleased to welcome Marloes Borsboom-Turabaz as our Honorary Guest and Keynote Speaker to this Chamber Luncheon. Marloes gave a very personal presentation about her Biography of Ehsan Turabaz, former Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, international relations leader at Inter-IKEA, honorary consul general, and founder of the Friends of Afghanistan foundation. In this book which was launched last month at Inter IKEA Systems in Delf . Marloes shared stories from her book portraying Ehsan’s journey and passions as well as his great commitment to Afghanistan.
We would like to extend a warm thank you to Marloes Borsboom-Turabaz for sharing her story with us and also wishing her lots of success to continue to support Ehsan’s work at the Friends of Afghanistan foundation. We would also like to thank Hilton Amsterdam for excellent hosting of the Chamber Luncheon and a warm thank you to all participants who made the Chamber Luncheon a great success.
The Biography Ehsan Turabaz can be ordered via www.stvva.nl or be bought at the bookstores Bruna (Herenstraat, Rijswijk) or Paagman (Frederik Hendriklaan, Den Haag). The entire proceeds of the book benefit the Friends of Afghanistan foundation.
Photo credit: Hanne Hansen Photography
Please credit Hanne Hansen Photography when using any of the event pictures.
MARCH 28, 2023
16:00-18:00
Venue: Swedish Chamber of Commerce
On March 28, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce hosted Tech Talent – New strategies to attract and maintain tech talent, which was the first event in the Tech Tables series this year.
In this very interesting and inspiring session, we gathered tech specialists from Sweden and the Netherlands to discuss which lessons the recent development in the tech sector can be learned, how companies must rethink to reskill and upskill their teams, and strategies to find the right people and to build stronger, more innovative and inspiring teams.
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce would like to extend a warm thank you to our fantastic speakers, Jan Sundelin, CEO TieKientix and Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce Tech Committee., Armanda Willems, Country Manager at Lime Technologies, Fieke Weber, Lawyer at TeekensKarstens advocaten notarissen, Jeffrey Kenens, Partner Employment Law, TeekensKarstens advocaten notarissen, Yoss Perl, Regional Sales Director at HR-software company Hibob, Paula Bruneheim, Head of Enterprise Sales, Proxify , Andreea Morga, AI Tech & Ed Trendsetter/ Technology Consultant, Tech Labs Rotterdam & Growth Mentor Academy. Also, a warm thanks to our Moderator Lex Keukens, Attorney at law/Partner TK Tech.
We would also like to thank our partners TK Tech and The Swedish Embassy in the Netherlands and everyone who joined the Swedish Chamber Tech Talent and made the event to a success.
Find more event pictures below.
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce Tach Tables are organized in Partnership with:
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce Tech Table – Tech Talent is powered by:
Tech Tables is a platform for Swedish-Dutch tech leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors to meet, learn, and discuss the latest trends in technology. The Swedish Chamber of Commerce’s Tech Tables invite Swedish Chamber Members and leading experts, exciting entrepreneurs, and challengers alongside passionate changemakers from Sweden and the Netherlands to participate in the exciting discussions on how technology will shape the future and what can we learn from each other.
April 25, 2023
16.00 – 18.00
Venue: NORNORM
Edge Olympic
“The future of office furniture is flexible and circular”
On April 25, 2023, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce together with Member company NORNORM welcomed our members and guests to an inspiring company presentation “The future of office furniture is flexible and circular” at the show room office of NORNORM at Edge Olympic in Amsterdam. We would like to thank Douwe Dirks for his inspiring presentation about the principles of NORNORM and how the circular business plans work for them. A lot of food for thoughts which was proven at the mingle and talks at NORNORMs show room/office after the presentation. We would like to thank Douwe Dirks and Patrick Nijssen, NORNORM for hosting this company visit and for sharing the essential idea behind the future office build on circularity, where every piece of furniture is kept in a loop from one workspace to the next, and every product carefully maintained and refurbished to extend its lifespan. Good for business, people and the planet.
Click here for more information about NORNORM.
In collaboration with:
In collaboration with SKF, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce was proud to host the third Tech Table event, titled ‘Diversity in Tech,’ on September 14, 2023, at SKF Netherlands in Houten. This event represented a unique fusion of our popular Swedish Chamber Tech Table series and our Diversity & Inclusion Breakfast series. The overarching goal of the Diversity & Inclusion Breakfast series is to inspire and empower business leaders to foster inclusive and diverse work environments.
During the event, it was recognized that diverse and inclusive teams are not only instrumental in innovative problem-solving but also in attracting top talent and ensuring long-term profitability for tech companies. Hence, delving into these critical topics was imperative for the success, growth, and well-being of tech enterprises.
A special highlight of the event was the presence of the esteemed keynote speakers, Annika Ölme and Dr. Cara Antoine, who offered their invaluable perspectives on diversity, drawing from their personal experiences as two CTOs in leading international companies. They also highlighted interesting research about the positive impacts that proactive diversity initiatives bring to tech companies:
“You have 20 percent more innovation and 30 percent less risk in a diverse company.”
– Annika Ölme“The need for role models, allyship, and visibility are key features in incorporating diversity in tech. Think about how you can shine a spotlight on the perhaps hidden figures in your organizations. Invite them, network with them, select them, mix.”
– Dr. Cara Antoine
SPEAKERS AND MODERATOR:
Photo credits event photos: Kwok-Keung Cheng / SKF Group
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce Diversity in Tech is organized in collaboration with:
ABOUT THE SWEDISH CHAMBER THE TABLES SERIES
Tech Tables is a platform for Swedish-Dutch tech leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors to meet, learn, and discuss the latest trends in technology. The Swedish Chamber of Commerce’s Tech Tables invite Swedish Chamber Members and leading experts, exciting entrepreneurs, and challengers alongside passionate changemakers from Sweden and the Netherlands to participate in the exciting discussions on how technology will shape the future and what can we learn from each other.
ABOUT THE SWEDISH CHAMBER DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BREAKFASTS
Our aim is to provide a series to discuss strategies with a focus on new perspectives, share real cases and research, and to support you with concrete tools to increase and develop D&I within your organization. We will discuss how to get started, which topics to prioritize, and the business case for diversity and inclusion. This will be an interactive event on one of the top priority topics, that we all know we ”should” address, but don´t know ”how”.
”Businesses play a key role in the green transitions, and they need to be included in the conversations” – H.R.H. Prince Jamie de Bourbon de Parme, Climate Envoy of the Netherlands
On December 15, 2023, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce hosted its highly anticipated annual flagship event, the Sustainability & Innovation Summit, themed “Driving the Green Transition Together”.
The event commenced with H.E. Ambassador of Sweden in the Netherlands, Mr. Johannes Oljelund, sharing valuable insights from the recent Swedish Presidency of the European Council, with a specific focus on advancing the European sustainability agenda. Following this was a captivating fireside talk featured H.E. Climate Ambassador of Sweden, Mattias Frumerie, and H.R.H. Prince Jamie de Bourbon de Parme, Climate Envoy of the Netherlands. Together, they shared key takeaways and reflections from COP28, emphasizing its historic significance as the first inclusion of the private sector. ”Businesses play a key role in the green transitions, and they need to be included in the conversations” said H.R.H. Prince Jamie de Bourbon de Parme.
Just like COP28, this year’s Summit uniquely incorporated the business perspective on the green transition, emphasizing the need for a systemic and collaborative approach. Pär Stenmark, Chief Sustainability Officer at Inter IKEA Systems, delivered an insightful presentation on IKEA’s innovative sustainability strategy. Subsequently, a panel discussion featuring business leaders offered valuable insights into how Swedish and Dutch companies are adapting their business models for green transitions, the collaborations propelling their efforts, and their navigation of the policies and regulations under the European Green Deal. The distinguished panellists included Anne Korthals Atles, Sustainability Manager at Vattenfall, Jan Terlouw, Director of Saab Netherlands, and Douwe Dirks, Chief Commercial Officer of the circular furniture company NORNORM.
From the academic field, René Kleijn, Professor of Resilient Resource Supply at Leiden University, delivered a compelling talk on the interrelation of resources, resilience, materials, and geopolitics in the context of green transitions. The discussions were skillfully guided by Andrea Orsag, a proficient moderator, Sustainability Strategy Expert, and the founder of Mission C
In conclusion, the Swedish Chamber’s Sustainability & Innovation Summit 2023 provided expert insights, showcased cutting-edge innovations, and stories of change-makers actively turning the green transition into reality. The Swedish Chamber would like to thank the speakers, attendees, and sponsors for their active engagement and commitment to fostering cooperation and discussion within the Swedish-Dutch business community on the crucial topic of the green transition.
Sponsors
Exclusive Sponsor:
Corporate Sponsors:
In-Kind Sponsors:
Earlier this week, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Ericsson, organized an inspiring and interactive Tech Table event, Tech for Good by Ericsson at the 5G Hub, at High Tech Campus Eindhoven.
The participants were all very warmly welcomed by Everth Flores, Managing Director of Ericsson NL, followed by a short word by H.E Ambassador of Sweden Mr. Johannes Oljelund. The event delved into the important role of 5G in digital transformation, showcasing how technical solutions can help improve sustainability and promote the green transition. Other highlights included insights into Ericsson’s award-winning 5G smart factories by Iris Hertsenberg, Program Board Manager at the 5G Hub, and Dassault Systèmes’ groundbreaking work on virtual twins by Robert Sjölund, Sales Representative at DELMIA. Last but not least, we explored Social XR through an exciting presentation by Hans Stokking, Senior Science Integrator at TNO, which also showed how it provides new possibilities to bring people closer together.
Following the insightful presentations, participants had the opportunity to engage in hands-on demos at the 5G hub with support from Iris Hertsenberg and Edwin Dijkstra, Solution Architect at the 5G Hub, including driving a remote-controlled surveillance car and trying out full-scale XR communication.
We would like to thank all the speakers who provided valuable insights into this important and topical field and Ericsson for hosting such an engaging and eventful event. Special thanks to Patrick Blankers, Policy Director Sustainability at Ericsson, for organizing the event and to all participants for their contribution to making a very successful event.
The 5G Hub
The digital transformation is an important enabler for companies to become more sustainable: when business processes become more efficient, companies will be able to save energy and/or reduce CO2 emissions. 5G plays a key role in the digital transformation. This is demonstrated at the 5G-Hub in Eindhoven, a joint initiative of Ericsson, Vodafone-Ziggo, Brainport Eindhoven, and High Tech Campus. The 5G hub was established to promote innovation and stimulate solutions that help improve sustainability. You can read more about the 5G Hub here on its website.
“5G will bring a lot of benefits to our society; seeing is believing”
– Everth Flores, Country Manager of Ericsson NL
Speakers:
How 5G links to sustainability
In the Netherlands, 5G has been launched by the 3 mobile network operators, but the promise of high bitrates has not yet materialized. The sector is eagerly waiting for new spectrum to become available, that will provide a much higher network capacity than today. 5G is a very energy efficient technology. Ericsson has reached its target to make 5G 10x more energy efficient than 4G. Furthermore, 5G is a key enabler for the digital transition, which in its turn will be essential for the green transition.
Ericsson and Dassault Systèmes collaboration: 5G Smart Factory
Ericsson’s USA 5G Smart Factory in Lewisville, Texas, has been awarded for a second time by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for global leadership in next-generation Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) manufacturing. WEF’s Global Lighthouse Network’s (GLN) has designated the facility as a Sustainability Lighthouse in recognition of successful on-site sustainability measures.
DELMIA manufacturing and scheduling solutions of Dassault Systèmes are the “heartbeat” of the Ericsson smart factory, producing the advanced 5G systems that will unlock the potential of Industry 4.0 for other manufacturers.
Social XR: Bringing people closer together
Social eXtended Reality, or Social XR, and the metaverse are about to break through in the market. It makes the distances between people disappear forever and opens the floodgates for a flood of unprecedented new possibilities in, for example, IT, media, healthcare and mobility. The pandemic has also given Social XR development a huge boost.
We increase the inclusiveness of our society: everyone can participate more easily, even if you have a disability. We also reduce our carbon footprint because there is less need for travelling. The 5G Hub, MeanderGroep, Connec2 and TNO Media teamed up together to test XR technology in an elderly home during and after the pandemic and were happy to share the results with the participants of this event.
Demo’s:
- Connected ambulance / city model
- Remote controlled surveillance car
- Virtual Twin Experience (Dassault)
- Wheed Whacko (Odd.Bot)
- Social XR (TNO)
- Latest 5G radios and test infrastructure
ERICSSON, WINNER OF THE SWEDISH CHAMBER TECH FOR GOOD BUSINESS AWARD 2022
In 2022, Ericsson received the prestigious Swedish Chamber of Commerce Tech for Good Award for their remarkable efforts in enhancing the quality of life through innovative and eco-friendly technological solutions. “In our collective journey towards a sustainable and interconnected future, collaboration between industries and society is imperative, and Ericsson is at the forefront of these endeavors,” emphasized the award presentation.
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce Tech for Good was organized in collaboration with:
ABOUT THE SWEDISH CHAMBER TECH TABLES
Tech Tables is a platform for Swedish-Dutch tech leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors to meet, learn, and discuss the latest trends in technology. The Swedish Chamber of Commerce’s Tech Tables invite Swedish Chamber Members and leading experts, exciting entrepreneurs, and challengers alongside passionate changemakers from Sweden and the Netherlands to participate in the exciting discussions on how technology will shape the future and what can we learn from each other.
Digital Global Economic Outlook by Handelsbanken
March 7, 2023
10:00-11:15
Thank you for attending the digital Global Economic Outlook – event by Swedish Chamber Patron Member Handelsbanken on March 7, 2023.
This was a For Member-by-Member event and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce would cordially like to thank Christina Nyman, Head of Economic Research and Chief Economist at Handelsbanken for a very interesting economic outlook. The Swedish Chamber would also like to thank Roland van Pooij, CEO Handelsbanken Netherlands and Etienne te Brake, Head of communication at Handelsbanken Netherlands, for hosting this event.
In collaboration with:
