Dear Subscriber,
We are quite certain that no one who has worked for a Swedish company more than a day has been able to avoid the concept of "fika" - the delightful ritual of enjoying a coffee and a treat with friends and/or colleagues, an important custom also of a normal working day. The truth is, fika is more than just having a coffee break. It's an integral part of Swedish culture - a way to foster relationships and unwind in the middle of a busy day. For you who would like to know more, have a look at this article, where Forbes is trying to make sense of it all.
A central part of the fika experience is the "kanelbulle" - the cinnamon roll. It is the epitome of Swedish pastry and can be found in all bakeries and cafés. Did you know that Sweden loves its cinnamon buns so much, the country has proclaimed one day of the year as The Cinnamon Bun Day, "Kanelbullens Dag"? And that day is today - 4 October.
To celebrate this occasion in style, grab your roll at IKEA (special offer today!) or Fika - or why not make your own, recipe can be found here. Happy cinnamon buns, everyone!
Please find below the latest news from our business community.
Your dedicated SwedCham team,
Lisa & Anna
Photo: Lieselotte van der Meijs/imagebank.sweden.se |
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| Saab CEO to next APAC Talk |
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SwedCham's APAC CEO Series, which was launched in February 2022, continues to gain momentum. The Series was created to give a platform for Sweden's most prominent business leaders to speak to SwedCham Members in the whole of APAC. We are proud to announce that on 8 November, we will have Mr Micael Johansson, Group CEO of Saab, as our guest.
Founded in 1937 and headquartered in Stockholm, Saab is a leading defence and security company that designs, manufactures and maintains advanced systems in aeronautics, weapons, command and control, sensors and underwater systems. In 2022, the company had 19,000 employees and a turnover of SEK 42 bn. |
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During our hour together, Micael Johansson will share with us how he sees the role of the defence industry in our society today and outline his key strategic priorities for Saab Group. He will also comment on how current geopolitical uncertainties impact the company and what he considers as crucial measures in order to continue to keep our world a safe place.
Register for this event here. Exclusively for SwedCham Members. |
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To better understand what's going on in the Chinese economy, we have called upon Joakim Abeleen, Sweden's Trade Commissioner to China and Vice President East Asia & Pacific at Business Sweden, for support. On 10 Oct, Mr Abeleen will be with us for a morning session on China's outlook with regards to business climate, growth opportunities as well as geopolitical challenges. Since many of our member companies are doing business in China, we will ensure to leave ample time for Q&A.
Register for this event here. |
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| Call out to our HR seniors! |
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We would hereby like to invite our HR leaders to a discussion forum on 24 Oct at 8:15-10 am with the aim of connecting this community with each other and advancing SwedCham’s P&C agenda for the coming 12 months.
SwedCham's P&C community in Singapore has been a vibrant part of our organisation for almost 5 years. As people have moved on, and new people have arrived, we believe it is time for a re-set and a re-launch of this very important network. |
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For SwedCham's P&C committee, high-level strategic HR issues have always been in focus, including topics such as L&D, talent retention/acquisition and change management. In these turbulent post-pandemic times, we are curious to hear what your needs, successes and challenges are currently. Could we advance within our respective businesses by addressing some of these issues together as a community?
If you are an HR leader from one of SwedCham's member companies interested in joining, please contact Lisa at lisa.ferraton@swedcham.sg to register a seat at this roundtable. |
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| 2023 Business Directory now ready |
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Produced every second year, this directory contains contact details and data for over 200 Swedish businesses in Singapore. SwedCham members can download the Business Directory free of charge from our web site. Non-members can purchase a copy by emailing SwedCham at info@swedcham.sg.
Download your copy of the Business Directory here. |
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| Ball ticket sales close on 10 Oct |
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Get ready to don your most dazzling attire, put on your sparkling dancing shoes, and join us for the most anticipated event of the year:
SwedCham's Annual Midwinter Ball Silver & Gold
Since 1985, this signature event has been the talk of the town, and this year promises to be even more spectacular. At SwedCham we know how to party, and we invite you to experience the magic firsthand. This is also the night when we will reveal the winners of the 2023 Swedish Company of the Year and Swede of the Year Awards.
Whether you're a Swedish national, a friend of Sweden, or simply someone who loves a good time, this is the event for you.
Ticket sales close on 10 Oct, so don't wait to get yours here. |
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GIC community workshop on healthy eating
On 28 October, we will be hosting our fourth GIC community workshop in Bukit Batok, and this time there will be full focus on healthy eating and food waste. Electrolux will be the host of this workshop aimed at children aged 7-12. Together with their partner Treatsure, Electrolux will help the young audience better understand the relationship between our food and our planet. We will talk about fruit and vegetables, how they grow and how they help our bodies to stay healthy, but also what sustainable eating habits are all about and what you can do to avoid wasting food. The workshop will also include a collective cooking session where the group prepares a yummy dish together. |
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GIC community workshop in September: Circular fashion
On 9 September, SwedCham and H&M hosted a community workshop in Bukit Batok focusing on circular fashion. Together with the local community, we spent the morning exploring different ways of caring for garments so they last longer and upcycling textiles into new, beautiful items. The Fashion Pulpit held Bukit Batok's first ever community clothes swapping bonanza, Singapore Fashion Council taught us how to minimise waste by extending life cycles of garments and Biekaleidoscope showed participants how to transform textiles into pieces of art.
This event attracted close to 80 people - thank you to all of you who came and made the morning so special.
Photo credit: The Fashion Pulpit |
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The Green Innovation Centre in brief
Through this unique collaborative initiative, sponsored by 13 SwedCham companies, SwedCham has linked arms with a garden community in Bukit Batok as well as with South West CDC and the People's Association in Bukit Batok. Based on a collaborative bottom-up process, the project aims to support the local community in exploring a sustainable urban lifestyle with knowledge, solutions and services around the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle) and green living (gardening and connecting with nature). SwedCham's team is partnering with schools, sustainability-focused local SMEs and resident volunteers to create an agora at the Cosy Garden, which has been lovingly built by local volunteers over the past decade, where people of all ages can meet and learn about sustainable urban living. The initiative, which was launched on 8 June 2023, includes e.g. installations of a closed solar energy loop with a battery storage system, smart rodent traps, a therapeutic garden, smart security solutions, a rainwater harvesting system, low-carbon concrete pathways, and a net zero outdoor living room made of recycled scaffolding pipes and a PolyAl roof made out of recycled beverage cartons. SwedCham is also launching hands-on community workshops in Bukit Batok around sustainability topics such as recycling of packaging material, circular fashion and healthy eating/food waste. You can visit the Green Innovation Centre at Blk 106 Bukit Batok Central or explore it virtually through our digital explorer trail, where 10 students from Butik Batok Secondary School and Queenstown Secondary School will guide you around the different sustainability stations. Download susGain's app and use this link to access the trail.
The GIC launch video can be found here.
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| MEMBER NEWS: Polestar gearing up in SG |
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Swedish performance EV brand Polestar is SwedCham's newest Partner Member. Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, its cars are now available online in 27 markets globally across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In Singapore, SwedCham's members were cordially invited to Polestar's retail space at Leng Kee Road last Thursday for a SwedCham Connect where 10 of our guests also enjoyed a test drive.
Polestar plans to have a line-up of five performance EVs by 2026 and has set the ambitious goal of creating a truly climate-neutral production car by 2030. This research initiative, called The Polestar 0 Project, also aims to create a sense of urgency to act on the climate crisis by challenging employees, suppliers and the wider automotive industry to drive towards zero.
If you missed the SwedChamb Connect last week and would like to discover Polestar’s premium performance vehicles, head down to the Polestar Singapore Space at 45 Leng Kee Road where you can get up close with both the 100% electric Polestar 2 fastback and the Polestar 3 performance SUV. You can book your test drive with the Polestar 2 here. Leasing is available from $3,950/month. Terms apply. |
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INDO-PACIFIC BUSINESS SUMMIT 2023
Team Sweden will host an Indo-Pacific Business Summit on 5 December this year. This Summit will be a direct continuation of the Sweden-Southeast Asia Business Summit (SSEABS) that has been held in 2016, 2018 and 2021. As such, it is a high-level meeting with the purpose to secure long-term collaboration between Sweden and Singapore in the direction of driving innovation that enables the green transition. The summit has a regional outlook and participants include governmental representatives, business leaders, and the academia.
The overarching theme for Indo-Pacific Business Summit 2023 will be: Creating a Singapore-Sweden innovation platform for the Green Transition in the Indo-Pacific region. Supporting themes include: - Creating a competitive advantage to capture green growth opportunities
- Attracting and develop talent in an era a green transition
- Building a resilient society.
AMBASSADENS SVENSKLISTA
Oavsett om du bor i Singapore eller bara är på besök, lämna dina uppgifter om var du befinner dig och hur du kan kontaktas under din utlandsvistelse. Uppgifterna kan vid behov användas av UD eller ambassaden för att kontakta dig om en konsulär krissituation skulle inträffa. De sparas under den tidsperiod du själv anger, dock max ett år. Planerar du en längre vistelse än ett år, krävs en årlig förnyelse. Du kan avanmäla dig själv när du vill. Du skriver in dig på svensklistan här. |
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Thursday 5 October: Our Young Professionals network will meet up at The Exchange for an AW.
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