The Swedish Chamber’s Young Professionals would like to thank everyone who joined or donated clothes to the Clothes Swap focusing on April 25! The evening included an insightful presentation from Andrea Orsag on circular fashion, a successful Clothes Swap, mingling with snacks and drinks, and professional and ethical styling from the inspiring Ashna Chhatta.
We had a great time meeting so many members interested in sustainability, wanting to learn more about the fashion industry, and seeing the guests walking home with newly swapped items. We were also very happy to organise this interactive and fun evening with our collaboration partner Edge Workspaces!
Key takeaways and recommendations on circular fashion from Andrea Orsag
- Fashion has many problems, the biggest one being overconsumption
- We already have enough clothes to dress the next six generations. Therefore, we need circularity to get the best out of what is available
- Circular fashion starts with design – what are the materials used, how are they combined, good quality, ethical – only that way will we be willing to see the value of our clothes
- Only once we see clothes as valuable are we willing to take care of them and pay for repairs and alternations to extend their life
Secondhand and resell platforms are a great idea and source of clothes items as long as we do not use them to ease our guild of buying fast fashion (Shein, Fashion Nova, Primark, Bohoo etc.) to place it there a moment later simply - If we feel good about ourselves (both mentally and physically) we feel better in our clothes and are less likely to use “shopping therapy” as a solution to our problems. Rather than shopping, let’s invest in ourselves (find your style and explore what makes you happy, invest in mentoring, coaching, books, gym, yoga, building relationships, and enjoying small and big adventures) to enjoy life more
- Quality over quantity
- All the data and information is out there, we can’t pretend we didn’t know anymore. Spread the word and grow your “bubble”
- Let’s avoid the next Rana Plaza incident, protect our environment and focus on what really matters
- Overall, let’s get the best out of the clothes we already have, rent, swap, borrow, repair, and repurpose!
Want to learn more find circular fashion brands?
Check out Vestiaire Collective and Nudie Jeans!
Andrea Orsag, Circular Economy & Sustainability Evangelist and Ashna Chhatta, Ethical Fashion Stylist
All unswapped clothing items were donated to the organization Dress for Success.
Dress for Success gives people who need it a set of appropriate and representative clothing free of charge. Dress for Success is a global organization, founded and run by volunteers, that helps low-income men and women get a free job application outfit. The mission of Dress for Success is to empower people to achieve economic independence, with a support network, professional attire, and the development of skills to function better in their work and personal lives. Click here to learn more about their work.
“Mastering Leadership for the Future – Sustainable Leadership”
On April 18, 2024, the Swedish Chamber and Young Professionals hosted an enriching session on Sustainable Leadership as part of the Mentorship Program 2024, featuring leadership coach Niels Thijssen. With engaging insights drawn from his personal journey, including his experiences coaching Belgium’s elite hockey team, Niels Thijssen delivered a captivating presentation emphasizing the importance of connecting with oneself, the team, and the broader world to cultivate sustainable leadership.
Inspirational and thought-provoking, Thijssen challenged attendees to confront doubts and embrace failure as a pathway to growth and success. Central to his message was the notion of remaining authentic amidst the pressures of leadership.
“People try to limits the risks before trying. Instead, we need to be comfortable with failing forward”
– Niels Thijssen, Professional Leadership Coach, Facilitator and Author
The event fostered lively interaction among participants, sparking meaningful dialogues on self-awareness, transitioning from proving to improving, and nurturing a curious mindset. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Niels for generously sharing his expertise and personal anecdotes, to all attendees for their active participation, and to AIMS International for their valued collaborations. The Swedish Chamber takes is proud to facilitate these pivotal discussions on sustainable leadership.
Speaker: Niels Thijssen, Professional Leadership Coach, Facilitator and Author
“A successful failure. That’s how I like to see myself.”
With a background in organizational sciences, Niels quickly chose the life of an entrepreneur and coach in elite sports. He has won national and European titles in both the Netherlands and Belgium, but he has also experienced failures and losses in finals. Status and fear prevailed over Niels for many years, while intuition and wisdom were lost. Now, he is where he wants to be and helps others harness their full potential with his unique conviction. Read more about Niels here.
About the Swedish Chamber Mentorship Programme
The Mentorship Program was launched in October 2012. Since then, more than 100 Young Professionals of the Swedish Chamber have followed the program and benefited from their future personal and professional growth. The many Mentors have benefited from meeting the new generation leaders of the future and learning more about their insights and values. The Mentorship Program is made possible by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with AIMS International Netherlands B.V., a member of AIMS International. Read more here.
On April 11, 2024, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Member Cinode, extended a warm welcome to Swedish Chamber Members and esteemed business relations for an enlightening afternoon presentation titled “What is happening in the consulting industry?”
The consulting sector plays a pivotal role in shaping businesses and industries, with its influence continually expanding. This event delved into the multifaceted landscape of consulting and Cinode took the audience on a journey through the intricacies of the Swedish and Dutch consulting realms, highlighting both similarities and distinctive features. Attendees had the opportunity to explore prevailing trends and gain valuable market insights.
The event fostered engaging discussions and facilitated the exchange of knowledge, providing a platform for attendees to forge meaningful connections. Participants also enjoyed excellent networking opportunities.
We were delighted to witness such a diverse gathering of Swedish Chamber Members and representatives from the consulting sector, each contributing unique perspectives and enriching the collective dialogue.
Key takeaways from the event
- From competition to collaboration: the necessity of partnering with freelancers and other firms to meet increasingly demanding client requirements. There is also a need to build a strategic ecosystem of partners and subcontractors.
- The Skills Gap and the importance of embracing constant learning. This includes tracking the demand and supply of skills within your company and developing a plan for upskilling. It’s essential to match the right consultant with the right project to facilitate learning, and to determine when to recruit internally versus when to leverage external skills such as Subcontractors
- AI is affecting the consulting industry in multiple ways. There is a huge opportunity to help clients maximize the benefits of AI. However, consulting services must also leverage AI to become more efficient and deliver higher-quality results to increasingly demanding clients. The birth of the “hybrid consultant”.
Would you like to access the presentation from this event? Kindly send an email to Mattias Loxi, CMO. If you’re interested in Cinode or would like to follow its journey in entering the Dutch market, please contact Anders Hagberg, CEO. See contact details below.
Speakers
- Anders Hagberg, CEO and Head of CRO. Email: anders.hagberg@cinode.com. Phone: +46 70 184 40 44.
- Lisa Larsson, Marketing Growth Specialist. Email: lisa.larsson@cinode.com.
- Mattias Loxi, Co-Founder and CMO. Email: mattias.loxi@cinode.com. Phone: +46 73 514 2170.
- Kimmo Kärkäinen, Sales. Email: kimmo.karkkainen@cinode.com. Phone: +35 84 51 66 42 24.
About Cinode
Cinode connects you to an expansive network of over 6000 consultancies. This network drives collaboration and dealmaking. Now, Cinode is excited to extend its services to Dutch consulting companies, aiming to accelerate their growth and success.
With nearly 300 customers Cinode is the leading platform for consultancies in the Nordics. The platform’s capabilities include quick client response times, optimized utilization, and transparent information for informed decision-making.
Who knows what, who’s available, what can I sell? Cinode is the all-in-one Saas platform that supercharges consultancies by giving crucial insights into sales, delivery, and skills.
The event was offered free of charge thanks to the generous sponsoring by:
A warm thank you to everyone who participated in the Swedish Chamber’s enlightening Diversity & Inclusion Breakfast, hosted by Sweco at their stunning headquarters in De Bilt and featuring Refugee Talent Hub.
“Diversity is not only inviting people to the party; you need to dance with them too” said Eugene Grüter, CEO at Sweco Nederland, as he shared his personal experiences of working with and mentoring refugee talent. Sweco actively collaborates with Refugee Talent Hub, an outstanding employer initiative that connects refugees with employers to secure paid jobs.
One of the event highlights was hearing from Refugee Talent Hub’s Partnership Manager Houda Zait about the organization’s workings, as well as from Naiem Zayeri on his journey as a refugee adapting to the Dutch business climate and culture.
It was also truly inspiring to hear Sweco’s HR Business Partner Suzan Peters present the close partnership between Sweco and Refugee Talent Hub, emphasizing the importance of recruiting refugee talent inclusively and championing social responsibility. We also thank Mark Wybenga from Sweco for excellent moderating!
With approximately 100,000 refugees currently seeking employment in the Netherlands, the Swedish Chamber and its members are proud to highlight the utilization of this often-overlooked talent pool, and to welcome new exceptional employees into forward-thinking and diverse teams! A huge thank you to Sweco for this fantastic breakfast, beautiful surroundings and impactful presentations!
Photo Credits: Salar Ashari, Refugee Talent Hub
The event was in collaboration with:
ABOUT THE REFUGEE TALENT HUB
Refugee Talent Hub brings refugees and employers closer together to secure paid jobs. Our dream is a country in which employers see and acknowledge the talents of refugees and where refugees therefore have the right opportunities in the labour market.
During small-scale, tailor-made meetings and activities, personal encounters between employers and refugees are central. Together with employers, we strive for a refugee-friendly workplace, where employees with a refugee background are able to fit in – as easily as anyone else – and feel at home.
The idea of the Refugee Talent Hub descends from consultancy firm Accenture. The company presented the idea at the annual World Economic Forum in 2016, after which the Refugee Talent Hub was launched the same year.
ABOUT THE SWEDISH CHAMBER DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BREAKFASTS
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce together with its Diversity & Inclusion Committee aim to provide a series of Diversity & Inclusion Breakfasts to discuss strategies with a focus on new perspectives of D&I, share real cases and research, and support you with concrete tools to increase and develop D&I within your organization. For more information about the Swedish Chamber of Commerce D&I Program and the D&I Committee click here or send an email to events@swedishchamber.nl
“Mastering Leadership for the Future – Program kick-off”
We were thrilled to kick off the Swedish Chamber and Young Professionals Mentorship Program 2024 last week, together with the nine skilled Mentorship Program pairs joining the journey! The event started with an introduction by Mentorship Coach Hendrik Jan Guitink, leading the way with insightful guidelines. Mentees and Mentors were then divided into breakout sessions to map out personal goals and expectations, guided by former Mentee and YP Committee Member Malin Petrocchi, as well as Hendrik Jan. This was followed by the big reveal of Mentor-Mentee matches, after which the pairs had their first one-on-one chats to kickstart their mentoring journey.
Looking ahead, we are extending an open invitation to the Mentorship keynote lectures to all YP members, and welcome you to join these inspirational presentations and discussions. Seating is limited, so secure your spot today! Here’s a glimpse of what’s to come:
📅 April 18: Leadership with Niels Thijssen, Professional Leadership Coach and Facilitator
📅 May 14: Mindfulness and Work-Life Balance with Kristina Zumpolle, Founder, Executive Coach, Facilitator, Keynote Speaker, and Jasmijn de Smit, Executive Coach, Facilitator
📅 September 19: Business Culture with Candida Snow, Director of Snow Culture & Communication
Speakers
- Hendrik-Jan Guitink, Mentorship Program Coach and Managing Partner of AIMS International Netherlands B.V and Mentorship Program Coach
- Malin K. Petrocchi, Head of Speak Up & Investigations at Prosus group.
About the Swedish Chamber Mentorship Programme
The Mentorship Program was launched in October 2012. Since then, more than 100 Young Professionals of the Swedish Chamber have followed the program and benefited from their future personal and professional growth. The many Mentors have benefited from meeting the new generation leaders of the future and learning more about their insights and values. The Mentorship Program is made possible by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with AIMS International Netherlands B.V., a member of AIMS International. Read more here.
Young Professionals want to thank everyone who joined our Boules evening in Amsterdam last night! The event brought together entrepreneurs, young professionals, committee members, international trainees, students, newcomers to the Netherlands, and a few of the Mentees for this year’s Mentorship Program. Together we shared a fun evening of networking, meeting new people and fun games. We are very proud of Young Professionals being such an open, engaged and dynamic community!
Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn to keep an eye out for the next Young Professionals event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Photo credits: Mooie Boules
The event is powered by
A sincere thank you to everyone who joined The Young Professionals New Year’s Mingle! Special thanks to The Swedish Chamber of Commerce Patron member Heussen, with a special mention to Swedish Desk Manager Rebecca van Dorrestein, for graciously hosting the event. We are genuinely grateful to kick off 2024 with such enthusiasm and energy alongside all of you! It was fantastic to bring together The Young Professionals and Heussen colleagues in a New Year’s quiz celebration, creating new connections and enjoying delicious Ollibollen. YP looks forward to collaboratively creating a fun year filled with new connections and development together with the network.
Watch our video from the event here!
The event is generously hosted by:
The Young Professionals of the Swedish Chamber would like to say thank you to everyone who attended yesterday’s Lucia Celebration at PR Lab. A special thanks to our collaborative partners, PRLab and Inter IKEA Systems. We also extend our appreciation to the Young Professionals committee, who shared some reflections about the past year and thank you for your valuable work within our community. We were delighted to enjoy Lucia songs performed by Svenska Högtidskören, and a Christmas poem by Alexander Ljungstrom. The festive atmosphere was further enhanced with Swedish “glögg” and Christmas snacks, including gingerbread cookies sponsored by Inter IKEA Systems. The Young Professionals team and the committee wish you all a very Merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you again in 2024!
Click here to learn more about the traditional Swedish Lucia celebrations.
This event was generously sponsorship and hosted by the Swedish Chambers members PRLab and Inter IKEA Systems:
