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Swedish Chamber of Commerce is happy to welcome the new Management trainee Benjamin Selvani

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce is really pleased to welcome Benjamin Selvani as International Trade Scholarship recipient offered by the Scholarship Fund for Swedish Youth Abroad

Benjamin Selvani recently obtained his Master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Accounting and Management, at Linköpings University. During his studies Benjamin successfully started his own company with the ambition to help smaller research companies with their accounting as well as being very active with other extra-curricular activities, such as Responsible for Corporate Relations at the university’s career fair, giving him relevant experience for the position as the Management Trainee at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce or the upcoming year. Benjamin will be working as a Management trainee as well as leading the Young Professionals organization. Benjamin is very much looking forward to developing his management skills, creating new types of events, and gain a better understanding of the Dutch-Swedish trade relation.
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Meet Richard Andemark from Swe-Cham Member salt

“We have seen how the lack of developers is hampering the growth of companies that want to expand. </salt> is our way of doing something about the problem," says Richard Andemark, CEO and Co-founder  of </salt>, School of Applied Technology.

On February 13, 2020 </salt>, School of Applied Technology Amsterdam was launched at Epicenter Amsterdam with a mission to create 24 future IT developers. During the inspiring launch event we met Richard Andemark, CEO and Co-founder, and Marcus Hammarberg, Head of Quality and Curriculum, to learn about the methods </salt> use to succeed in training developers in only 3 months, and about diversity in tech and how </salt> can strengthen the domestic workforce.

  “We who founded </salt> are ourselves a part of the tech industry” says Richard Andemark, CEO and Co-founder. “We have seen how the lack of developers is hampering the growth of companies that want to expand. </salt> is our way of doing something about the problem.” According to </salt> Europe needs 500 000 new technology professionals by 2020 and the number is growing. JavaScript is the most sought-after coding language over the next 3-5 years. At Salt they teach the learners how to code and how to work in a real-life, agile dev team providing an accelerated training and career program, also building real products and prototypes for real tech companies during the training. </salt> is striving for a richer diversity in the European tech industry and believes that professional organizations should mirror the population's diversity. With the accelerated career program it is their ambition to increase the number of women and new Europeans in tech. What can </salt> do for companies? “We help companies with training and provisioning of software developers by developing a predictable and stable recruitment pipeline of software developers to a company. In that way you enable your team to grow with new hires that have the technical and interpersonal skills they need to succeed. We help decrease new hires' time to productivity by providing practical, job-specific training, simulating real world agile dev teams for 3 months prior to joining your company. We make it possible for companies to bring in diverse and technical talent directly from </salt>. We find, test and recruit the most driven and tech savvy talents to our Career Program where we train future talents with our industry leading instructors. We will train your new employees, so they are ready to become productive in your dev teams. Another possibility we offer is upskill & re-skill. With this training we transform your team members through rigorous, intensive and customized training programs in order to keep up with new technologies and business challenges.” The first </salt> class will graduate May 1, 2020 and the next will be ready to start two weeks later. Stay tuned with </salt> and contact Robert Brighton, General manager </salt> Amsterdam, for more information. By Linn Hodell for the Swedish Chamber of Commerce Annual Review 2019   Welcome to read more interesting Member interviews in Swedish Chamber Annual Review 2019
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Bert Heikens, New Treasurer Swedish Chamber of Commerce

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce is very pleased to inform that Mr. Bert Heikens, AKD has been appointed  Treasurer and Member of the Executive Committee per July 1, 2020.

Mr. Heikens is a member of the Board of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce since 2016. He is succeeding Mr. Roland van Pooij, CEO Handelsbanken Nederland. Mr. van Pooij will continue as a Member of the Board. "We are very pleased to welcome Bert Heikens as Treasurer and member of the Executive  Committee of the Swedish Chamber and at the same time we are thanking Roland van Pooij for serving the Chamber as Treasurer and Member of the Executive Committee for the past 3 years. We are very pleased that Mr. van Pooij stays on as Member of the Board, says Ehsan Turabaz, Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and International Relation Leader at Inter IKEA Group.
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Swe-Cham 5G Webinar on June 25, 2020

On June 25, 2020 the Swedish Chamber of Commerce hosted a 5G: the Gamechanger for Society and Industry in collaboration with the The Swedish Embassy the Hague and Ericsson.

We started off with a welcome and introduction by Everth Flores, Country Manager Ericsson the Netherlands. During the past year, 5G has become an even hotter topic than before. It now has become a reality. Various mobile operators have already launched 5G services, and 5G-enabled smartphones are for sale in the shops. Still, the mass adoption is yet to come. It is expected that 5G technology will be the basis for many innovative services, both in industries as well as in society empowering an intelligent, sustainable and connected world.
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The Swedish Chamber welcomes new Board members at the 60th Annual General Meeting June 30, 2020
On June 30, 2020, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the Netherlands welcomed members to its 60th Annual General Meeting (AGM), hosted for the first time in a virtual setting in light of the ongoing pandemic. At the meeting, Herrik van der Gaag, CEO at Volvo Car Netherlands, Ruth de Jager, Country Manager for Storytel in The Netherlands and Rik Zuidmeer, Partner and member of the International Leadership Team of Mercuri Urval and Executive Director for Mercuri Urval NL were elected to the Board of Directors. “The Swedish Chamber for Commerce brings together some of the best Swedish companies represented in the Netherlands, bridging  cultural differences and providing platforms for interpersonal relations, essential for today’s international business environment”, says Herrik van der Gaag in his motivation to serve as a Member of the Board of Directors at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce. Ruth de Jager:“I am honoured to be considered as a member of the board of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, It is impressive to see the reach and inspiration Kerstin and her network set in motion. I very much support the Swedish core values, like sustainability and especially the much admired equality between men and women." “The Swedish Chamber of Commerce is very pleased to welcome the new appointments. The elected members are all respected  and engaged business leaders from their respective sectors, and will serve alongside an already impressive list of Swedish-Dutch business profiles. We are very much looking forward to working with the three of them,”  says Ehsan Turabaz, Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the Netherlands. At the AGM the following Board Members were retiring: Ruud Joosten Akzo Nobel, Peter Smink and Wilma Buis, Mercuri Urval.  “The Swedish Chamber of Commerce would like to thank Ruud, Peter and Wilma for the great collaboration during their years and for their commitment and contribution to the development of the Swedish Chamber. A special thank to Wilma Buis as head of the Nominating Committee and also for very successfully  leading the Swedish Chamber of Commerce Mentorship Program for the past 5 years,” says Ehsan Turabaz, Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce. “We wish Ruud, Peter and Wilma lots of success for the future and looking forward to keep you in our network” Ehsan Turabaz continues.   Welcome to read more about the new Board Members Welcome to read “Thank you and goodbye” by Wilma Buis   New Board Members:     
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Thank you and goodbye!

Time to say goodbye and look back. After five years I am leaving the Board of the Swedish Chamber, because I have stepped down from my role as managing Director of Mercuri Urval after 20 years.

  So no Swedish link anymore in my formal role. Alas! Mercuri Urval, executive search and talent services,  established in Stockholm more than 50 years ago, has been a member and patron of the Swedish Chamber as long as I can remember.  We have always been enthusiastic about the Swedish Chamber as a platform where you can meet a lot of interesting people from interesting companies with all one thing in common: Swedish/Dutch business. So for me it was an honour when I got the request to join the Board five years ago. I am looking back at enjoyable years in which I have learned a lot and exchanged a lot of ideas with my fellow Board members and SCC members.  And I am pleased I can present Rik Zuidmeer as my successor representing Mercuri Urval in the Board. In my opinion we can be very proud of such an active Chamber of Commerce. The Board has had two chairmen during ‘my’ five years, Nils van Dijkman from Heussen Advocaten and Ehsan Turabaz from Inter IKEA Group,  both equally enthusiastic and committed to the Chamber. With Kerstin Gerlagh as the admirable driving force in the Chamber, many, many events were organised. People from a variety of Dutch and Swedish companies have met there, visited plants and other company locations, had presentations and interesting discussions with business people and representatives of government and politics. The master class lunches in Amsterdam with the excellent international speakers are events worthy to remember as well. Next to all the business events there were the enjoyable social events such as the yearly Lucia Dinner with original Swedish food and choir. There the Chamber handed out the Swedish Chamber Business Awards to remarkable performing Swedish companies in The Netherlands. During the years I have also experienced the smooth and very supportive co-operation with the Swedish Embassy and the respective Ambassadors. A special thank you to the current Honorary Chairwoman of the SCC H.E. Ambassador of Sweden Mrs. Annika Markovic. The Young Professionals is an active part of the Chamber as well. I was happy to be invited at their very entertaining 10th anniversary event!  I have met a lot of young Swedish and Dutch people, working for mostly Swedish companies in The Netherlands, during the 5 years I was involved in and leading the Mentor Group. We have amongst each other exchanged a lot of learnings on careers, business and culture. I would like to thank as well all the enthusiastic mentors from our member companies, that have volunteered to be a mentor, despite their very busy jobs.  Thank you all, both mentors and mentees, for the interesting meetings we have had! Moving from De Ruijterkade in Amsterdam to the new dynamic Epicenter has marked the start of a new episode in the Chamber’s activities. New opportunities and more contacts with businesses 2.0 or even 3.0.  The challenges all companies face today in securing their continuity and sustainable growth in a digitized and demanding environment are on the agenda every day. Both Sweden and The Netherlands are countries where companies are working hard to find solutions for our common future. Everyone who has visited an event of the Chamber at the Epicenter will have sensed the positive business atmosphere. I wish all members and the Board of the Swedish Chamber many more years of fruitful business networking and prosperous business. Wilma Buis
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Words of the Honorary Chairwoman
On June 30, 2020 the Swedish Chamber of Commerce conducted their Annual General Meeting 2019. Welcome to read the Words of the Honorary Chairwoman. More Annual Reviews and interviews with Member companies in the Annual Review 2019. Words of the Honorary Chairwoman H.E. Annika Markovic, Ambassador of Sweden   2019 was an intense year for the Swedish-Dutch relations and the already strong and dynamic relationship between our countries was reinforced in several aspects. On a political level, the commitment to work closer together was clearly signaled from the eight Swedish Ministers that visited the Netherlands last year, including Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist and Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson to mention a few. As the most likeminded countries in Europe, building even stronger ties between us is a priority for both our governments. The bilateral collaboration was also reinforced through several newly initiated partnerships and projects, mainly in the innovation and tech sector and in the fields of environment and climate. The bilateral long-term cooperation in the tech sector that was launched in 2018 resulted in two visits to Sweden in 2019 by State secretary Mona Keijzer and Prince Constantijn. The purpose of those visits was to explore the startup ecosystem in Stockholm, to discuss access to venture capital and the possibility to strengthen women participation in the startup sector. As a follow-up to these visits, The Swedish embassy together with the Swedish Chamber of commerce and Epicenter organized the first edition of TechBridge Sweden-The Netherlands focusing on “Women in tech” in the end of last year. It was a highly interesting talk that you can listen to through our new podcast “Swedish Brains” at Spotify! “Women in Tech” is also a theme for an ongoing dialogue between the Swedish Embassy and the Ministry of Economy and Climate, with the aim to come up with concrete common political actions points together. There is a clear interest from the Dutch government to collaborate further with Sweden on issues related to gender equality in the labor market and in the economy. In the field of environment, energy transition and green innovations, the collaboration between the Nordic embassies and the Nordic Chambers in the Netherlands continues. We delivered an ambitious program of activities during 2019 focusing on the transition towards a circular economy, using the development of Artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool for more sustainable solutions and energy solutions for green growth. This collaboration has broadened our respective networks, given concrete business opportunities for Swedish companies in the Netherlands and increased our footprint. The support for this collaboration from the Nordic Council of Ministers and the EU-commission has strengthened our message even further. The Netherlands is just like Sweden a digital and innovative world leader. The Dutch digital and innovation strategy with its top sectors, very much goes in line with Swedish top tech priorities such as energy, food, life science, health and high tech. These are all sectors with great potential for further bilateral cooperation. The embassy will therefore continue to focus on our main priorities, innovation, sustainability and gender equality in the economy for the promotion activities the coming year. These main priorities go well hand in hand with the interests of many of the members of the Swedish Chamber in the Netherlands, which paves the ground for further successful collaboration between the Embassy and the Chamber for the future. Gender equality is core to the Swedish feminist government, but also means smart business for many Swedish companies. It’s often very inspiring to listen and learn how Swedish companies work with improving gender balance and diversity in their markets abroad.   2020 marks a special year for the Swedish Chamber of commerce in the Netherlands as it celebrates its 60-year anniversary in the country. With its current 150  members, the Chamber today plays an important role – not at least for the visibility of Sweden and Swedish companies in the Netherlands. This will be highlighted even more through an ambitious jubilee program by the end of the year. The Swedish Embassy will support this and puts great importance to the collaboration between the Swedish Embassy and the Chamber. We should be proud of the ambitious work that “Team Sweden” did in the Netherlands in 2019 and let’s continue this great collaboration to make 2020 equally successful!   H.E. Annika Markovic, Ambassador of Sweden Honorary Chairwoman Swedish Chamber of Commerce  
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Words of the Chairman
AT THE MOMENT of writing my Words we acknowledge that this is a stressful and concerning time for many due to the prevailing situation around the infectious virus Corona, covid-19/2019-nCoV. Although it is hard to measure the impact of this pandemic, the experts agree that it is safe to say that the hit to the global health situation and global economy is already severe. We would like to do our very best to support all our members and your business in the best way we can. Unfortunately, this means that we had to decide to cancel some of our events, however, as soon as the situation has stabilized and things are under control again, we hope to have them back on our agenda very soon.   Ranked no. 4 in the world by Forbes’ “Best Countries for Business”, the Netherlands is truly a world-class business destination. The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands are excited to operate in this international environment and to help Swedish companies with an interest to expand their business on the Dutch market by connecting them to our existing business networks to help them grow their business. We are also pleased to offer an excellent Mentorship Program for Young Professionals in the NL and a Women Business Leadership Program allowing female leaders to thrive. For 2019, The Swedish Chamber of Commerce is looking back on a very successful year with many highlights, new useful business networks and business opportunities for our members. Moving office to Epicenter Amsterdam and starting a serious collaboration with the Epicenter founders and team has made it possible for the Chamber to realize inspiring and innovative events together. This also made it possible to connect the Epicenter tech community to the Swedish Chamber members for mutual benefits and new collaborations. Our contemporary office space represents the new trend of an open and transparent Chamber where everyone is welcome, and we are happy to connect and help companies in any way we can to grow. I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Honorary Chairwoman, H.E. Ambassador Annika Markovic and her team for the great collaborations which have made it possible to organize Summits together with an impact on topics such as Circular Economy, Gender balance, and Tech Bridge Sweden – Netherlands – Women in Tech, enabling us to highlight Swedish values and creating new collaborations on different levels from governments to entrepreneurs. Another important and inspiring partnership is the #NordicTalks together with our Nordic Chamber colleagues. This year the #NordicTalks presented a very inspiring AI Summit featuring speakers from Ericsson, Microsoft, Rockstar and many more tech companies on the edge of innovation. The very good collaboration between Sweden and the Netherlands was this year again visible by an invitation from Prince Daniel of Sweden to Prince Constantijn, TechLeap, to visit Stockholm to find out more about the Swedish Startup and Tech ecosystem and a visit by State Secretary Mona Keizer for the same reason a few months later. The Swedish Chamber is proud that our Startup Summit in May 2018 has continued to inspire and encourage collaborations and knowledge exchange and created new business possibilities for the Startup eco systems in our two countries.  Last but not least I would like to thank all our members for the fruitful collaborations, fantastic sponsoring and support which has made it possible for the Swedish Chamber to once again present a fantastic business program with nearly 1400 participants at the different events throughout the year. This year the Swedish Chamber of Commerce is celebrating 60 years anniversary in the Netherlands. Founded in 1960 – by business and for business – we have represented, inspired and promoted our members, extended commercial relations between our countries, and delivered first-class services and events for 60 years! It is through our collective effort that we make the Chamber dynamic and diverse and what makes it possible to connecting Swedish and Dutch companies and to form the ultimate business platform. Sweden and the Netherlands celebrate centuries of friendship and trade, and our business and political spheres are tightly interlinked as a result of it. On November 19, 2020* we are therefore celebrating the Swedish-Dutch 60 year’s Anniversary Summit and Gala Dinner about 21st century innovation and leadership, bringing together business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians and academics from both Sweden and the Netherlands to address the greater trends facing us, from tech to climate change, the future workforce and global trade.The Anniversary year will be highlighted on November 19, 2020 but throughout the whole year we are underlining the anniversary and the good relations between Sweden and the Netherlands. We cordially thank the exclusive 60th Year Anniversary sponsors for making our Anniversary year possible and we welcome all our members and relations to take part in the celebrations and inspiring programs during the year and to take the opportunity to highlight your company, products and services. Finally, I would like to share the strong values of IKEA which, in my opinion, resonates very well with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce. The IKEA values are: Togetherness, cost consciousness, renew and improve, give and take responsibility, caring for people and planet, simplicity, different with a meaning.“Most things remain to be done. Glorious future!” — Ingvar KampradYours sincerely, Ehsan Turabaz Chairman *Due to the Corona Pandemic the Swedish Chamber of Commerce 60th Anniversary Celebration will be postponed until Q1 2021.
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