October 28, 2025, Discover the Power of Brand Sweden

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Date: October 28, 2025

Time: 16.00 – 19.00

Venue: Inter IKEA Systems

Olof Palmestraat 1,

2616 LN Delft

Scroll all the way down to see pictures from the event!

Thank You for Joining our SOLD OUT event “The Strength of Brand Sweden” held on October 28, 2025.

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce extends its warmest thanks to all members, guests, and partners who joined The Strength of Brand Sweden, proudly hosted by Inter IKEA Systems.

We were delighted to welcome so many distinguished participants to this flagship event, held in the presence of H.E. Mr. Liljeström, Ambassador of Sweden to the Netherlands, and dedicated to exploring Sweden’s new Nation Brand Strategy—an initiative developed by the Swedish Institute in close collaboration with major Swedish companies.

Throughout the afternoon, we heard valuable insights from Christian Biller of the Swedish Institute, alongside inspiring presentations from IKEA, Husqvarna, Sweco, and Electrolux. Together, they provided a comprehensive look at how the collective strength of Brand Sweden—grounded in innovation, sustainability, trust, and collaboration—continues to enhance Swedish businesses’ global visibility and competitiveness.

According to our recent Business Climate Survey, 83% of Swedish companies in the Netherlands believe that Brand Sweden has a positive impact on their success. This event was a timely opportunity to delve deeper into that sentiment, to exchange experiences, and to explore actionable strategies for strengthening corporate brands under the unifying values that define Sweden’s international reputation.

Your active participation and thoughtful questions greatly enriched the discussion, reinforcing the importance of shared values and partnerships in shaping the future of Brand Sweden abroad.

A sincere thank you to our distinguished speakers, to Inter IKEA Systems for their generous hospitality, and to our partners at the Swedish Institute and the Swedish Chamber Branding Committee for their invaluable collaboration in making this event a success.

We look forward to welcoming you to future Swedish Chamber events as we continue to highlight the innovation, creativity, and purpose-driven leadership that make Swedish businesses thrive on the global stage.

Speakers List:

Moderator & Speaker:

Event photo credit: Hanne Hansen Photography

Venue

Inter IKEA Systems

Olof Palmestraat 1,

2616 LN Delft

Participation Fee

This event is offered free of charge, registration however is compulsory.

Registration details

Welcome to sign up by using the registration buttons below. Upon registration you will receive a confirmation.

Lawrence Masle CEO UP THERE, EVERYWHERE, Moderator & Speaker

Lawrence is a brand, marketing, and business strategist assisting companies ranging from large established multi-nationals to small younger start-ups / scale-ups to expand their businesses on a global basis. He is currently CEO of UP THERE, EVERYWHERE, a global full service next generation agency, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. He also serves on the Board of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands, and is Chair of the Branding & Marketing Committee for the Chamber. He holds a Master of International Management (MBA) degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management (USA) and a Bachelor of Science degree from Rochester Institute of Technology (USA). He is also a certified Board Member by the Swedish Academy of Board Directors.

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Christian Biller, Brand Strategist, Swedish Institute

Christian Biller is a brand strategist at the Swedish Institute in Stockholm, where he has worked on Sweden’s international marketing and communications since 2007. He was part of the team behind Sweden’s recently launched nation brand strategy and focuses on nation branding and its implications for Sweden’s business sector.

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Nina Bogstedt, Brand & Marketing Manager Inter IKEA Systems BV

Developing the identity and positioning of the IKEA Brand worldwide. A background in fashion design and retail, extensive experience in brand building, conceptualization, range building and communication. Before joining IKEA in the Netherlands, I worked in Stockholm for Swedish brand Filippa K for many years and later at H&M. I have a passion for Scandinavian design and bringing value for money to consumers. I am excited to join the Branding & Marketing committee and hope to engage in many fruitful discussions on brand building, in a world where brands have an increasingly important role for the business outcome.

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Bart van Hal, Country Marketing Manager Benelux Husqvarna Nederland

Bart van Hal is Marketing Manager Benelux at the Forest & Garden division of Husqvarna Group. Husqvarna is one of Sweden's oldest manufacturers, founded in 1689; today's Husqvarna is best known with the general public for Automower® as the global market leader in robotic mowers. Bart has more than 30 years of experience in marketing, with roles in account management at TBWA\Ara Rotterdam, in media at Sky Radio and Ziggo Sport, and on the client side at multiple brands and, currently, Husqvarna Group. During “Discover the Power of Brand Sweden”, Bart talks about his introduction, now more than seven years ago, to a centuries-old Swedish brand and how Brand Sweden is reflected in Husqvarna's latest brand strategy.

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Maartje Meijer, Head of Communications at Sweco Netherlands

Maartje Meijer is Head of Communications at Sweco Netherlands – Europe’s leading architecture and engineering consultancy with Swedish roots. In her role, Maartje brings the Sweco brand to life by aligning strategy, culture, and communication. With over ten years of experience in strategic communications, she demonstrates how Swedish values – such as trust, collaboration, and sustainability – are deeply embedded in Sweco’s mission, way of working, and organisational culture. During ‘Discover the Power of Brand Sweden’, she shares how storytelling and Swedish craftsmanship come together in a distinctive brand positioning that supports sustainable growth and lasting relationships – helping shape the societies of tomorrow.

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Rose Vanhecke

Rose Vanhecke is a sustainability Director at Electrolux group, a leading global appliance company that has shaped living for the better for more than 100 years. Combining experience in different fields from marketing and product development to category management, in her current role, she operationalizes and embeds sustainability cross-functionally for Europe and APMEA to ensure a seamless integration with the group's business priorities. Rose is passionate about accelerating real and measurable impact by transforming business models to empower people to make more effortless choices that will help them live more sustainably.

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Patrons