Dear Subscriber,
On Sunday 28 November we are celebrating the 1st of Advent - the start of the Christmas season.
Advent is a special time in Sweden - that's when we are heading into the darkest part of the year in our Nordic climate, but at the same time, it is a time of light. All buildings, residential as well as commercial, are lit up by electric candle sticks and paper stars in every window. Trees and bushes are decorated by a million little lights. Despite the darkness, it is a time of light.
At SwedCham, we will continue to have a busy program as we head into Christmas. Our APAC event on how to work Brand Sweden will be a highlight, together with our M&A event hosted by our Gold Sponsor Rajah & Tann. We are also hosting two closed door, by-invitation-only events for our Partner Members as well as a series of SwedCham Connects @ 1880 for those keen on expanding their SwedCham network.
Last but not least - what has kept us most busy over the past months is our Gender Equality initiative. But for that one, we will keep you in suspense until December. Stay tuned.
Your dedicated SwedCham team,
Lisa, Anna & Caroline
Photo: SimonPaulin/imagebank.se |
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| How do you work Brand Sweden? |
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Sweden is one of the first nations in the world to have implemented an official nation branding strategy and, as a result, the country is positioned among the leading nations in various global indexes of economic performance, social commitments, capacity for innovation, governance, sustainable commitments, etc.
But how do you work Brand Sweden when you are 1000s of km away from Sweden? Is it really possible for nations and companies to join forces in co-branding? These questions, and many more, will be covered in SwedCham's next virtual APAC event Working with Brand Sweden on Thursday 9 December at 5-6:30 pm SG time.
To help us better understand what Brand Sweden really is and how nations and companies can reflect each other's assets to strengthen their positions abroad, we have invited the following guests:
- Mr Simon Anholt, independent policy advisor, author and expert in nation branding who for the past 21 years has worked with the Heads of State and Heads of Government of 63 nations to help them improve their economic, political and cultural engagements with the international community, and by raising their profiles enhance trade, tourism, diplomatic and cultural relations, major events, talent and investment attraction.
- Ms Madeleine Sjöstedt, Director-General Swedish Institute, a public agency that promotes interest and trust in Sweden worldwide. The institute works in the fields of culture, education, science and business to strengthen international relations and development.
- Ms Leonie Hoskin, IKEA, Retail Manager (Thailand, Vietnam) for Ikano Retail. IKEA is well-known globally for using Brand Sweden actively and strategically by communicating Swedish cultural concepts, symbols, and values and exporting them worldwide.
The session will be moderated by Christian Ihre, Co-Founder of the Swedish independent management consultancy Lynxeye.
Register for the event here.
Photo: OlaEricson/imagebank.sweden.se |
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| Rajah & Tann on how to succeed with M&A in APAC |
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Mergers and acquisitions are surging in APAC since last year which has put additional pressure on many companies' internal organisations. SwedCham's Gold Sponsor Rajah & Tann will visit our Zoom room on Wednesday this week to share their knowledge on how to anticipate regulatory hurdles as you move along with an M&A deal in the region.
Register for this event here. |
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| 100 perspectives on gender equality |
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Soon coming your way. Stay tuned. #candid |
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| Meet SwedCham's first rising stars mentee cohort |
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On 28 October, S wedCham's Regional HR Directors' Forum kicked off its first cross-industry Female Mentoring Program in Singapore for up-and-coming female leaders. The program is developed and led by Lotta Patrickson and Agneta Olsson from SwedCham Member CAPA Consulting and will run until May next year. The aim of the Mentoring Program is:- To create a solid cross-industry network and a professional sounding board for female rising stars in SwedCham’s business community
- To raise the bar for female leadership development in Singapore
- To promote Swedish leadership values and strengthen ties between Swedish companies in Singapore.
The kick-off was a high energy affair, setting the tone for a fun-filled and dynamic year of personal and professional growth. The mentees have been divided into groups of three and will be guided over the coming months by seven senior leaders from SwedCham's business community (presented in our October newsletter). We hope that everybody, mentees as well as mentors, will enjoy the journey and that the program will help you acquire new leadership skills and a greater focus on reaching your professional goals.
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| Young Professionals are back in action |
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Although there have been less in-person events lately due to ongoing restrictions, SwedCham's Young Professionals (YP) have been working behind the scenes on a few exciting updates: - YP has introduced their own logo, giving the network its own distinct identity
- A new YP Singapore web page is up and running (click here to access)
- The YP Committee has a new President: Simon Måtar! Simon has been based in Singapore for 2 years and works within Digital Transformation at KPMG. He is excited to continue growing the YP network to give young professionals the opportunity to connect. An area of focus for Simon will be to create a stronger connection between the YP network and Swedish companies in Singapore.
SwedCham's Young Professionals network is open to people of all nationalities below 35 years of age who have a Swedish background, have worked or studied in Sweden, or are working for a Swedish company. You can register for membership free of charge on the YP page.
The YP Committee is also looking for new people to join! Those who are interested in being part of organising and building the YP network can reach out to Simon at yp@swedcham.sg. |
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| Team Sweden Week in Indonesia |
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This week, Team Sweden is hosting the Sweden-Indonesia Sustainability Partnership (SISP) Week in collaboration with the Indonesian Government. The program, which is held digitally, aims to raise awareness of Agenda 2030, promote joint efforts to achieve the sustainability goals, and to strengthen collaboration between academia, the public sector and the business community. Register for the event here.
In addition to this, as part of SISP, the first Sweden-Indonesia Healthcare Forum will be hosted jointly by Sweden and Indonesia on 2 December. Over a series of tailored sessions, high-level representatives from the Indonesian healthcare system will meet with their counterparts from Sweden to discuss capacity building and sustainable development of the healthcare sector in Indonesia. Register for the event here. |
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| Get ready for Christmas at Gardens by the Bay |
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Together with our Nordic colleagues at the Embassy of Denmark, Embassy of Finland and Embassy of Norway, the Embassy of Sweden will add a Nordic Christmas touch to this year's Poinsettia Wishes exhibition in the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay.
This Christmas, the well-loved seasonal floral display at the Flower Dome will be inspired by traditional confectionery from the Nordic countries. There will be a Try Swedish! food display available at the Flower Dome as well.
Don’t miss the chance to visit the Nordic Christmas-inspired Flower Dome from 26 November to 3 January. |
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| Finnair VTL flights from 29 November |
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Good news: Finnair will offer quarantine-free travel to Singapore through a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) from 29 November 2021. Customers who exclusively travelled to / transited via any VTL countries in the last 14 consecutive days before departure for Singapore can make use of the Finland VTL with Finnair. Applications for VTL flights can be submitted from 22 November. Read more online here. |
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| SAVE THE DATE: Midwinter Ball changed to Spring Ball 2022 |
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January: Cross Chambers Speed Business Networking. Pharma engineering and engineering industry.
Tuesday 15 February: CEO Speakers Series - Jonas Samuelson, CEO, Electrolux (APAC event).
Saturday 7 May 2022: Spring Ball, Goodwood Park Hotel. |
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Tuesday 2 November: SwedCham Speed Networking. A fast-paced virtual networking event with the purpose to expand everybody's business network.
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