Dear Subscriber,
As COP27 is underway in Sharm El-Sheikh, we need to remind ourselves not to get distracted by the turmoil in the world which so easily could make us prioritise away from our sustainable development goals. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report from February this year states the following:
"The world faces unavoidable multiple climate hazards over the next two decades with global warming of 1.5°C. Even temporarily exceeding this warming level will result in additional severe impacts, some of which will be irreversible. Risks for society will increase, including to infrastructure and low-lying coastal settlements."
We need to all pull together on this one. We know that.
This month, SwedCham is launching a new local outreach initiative which we call The Green Innovation Centre. This is an opportunity for our business community to team up with a local community in Singapore to support the implementation of the SG Green Plan on grass root level. Through knowledge development, implementation of smart solutions and hands-on activities within a garden community in Bukit Batok, we aim to engage in a conversation around sustainable urban living in a Singaporean context which we can all benefit from. We hope that this program will replicate and initiate more people and companies to engage in this important work in Singapore. For more details, scroll further down this newsletter or contact SwedCham directly.
Please find below the latest news from our business community.
Your dedicated SwedCham team,
Lisa & Anna |
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SwedCham welcomes the following new member to its business community:
Data Ductus: With HQ in Skellefteå, Sweden, and 12 offices globally, Data Ductus is a global IT Consultancy firm. They combine market-leading expertise in Telecom, Enterprise IoT and Cloud Management into a tailored delivery that enables organizations to embrace changes in business and regulatory requirements through IT.
Key contact: Göran Edin, Regional Manager APAC & CTO |
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SwedCham's Annual Awards were presented at our Midwinter Ball this past Saturday at Goodwood Park Hotel. This year, the Awards were given in the shadow of the most devastating global pandemic the world has seen in over 100 years. We are happy that this year’s winners have made a remarkable impact in Singapore during a very difficult time - and it was very clear from the nomination process that our business community not only had noticed this, but also wanted to celebrate this impact. During the past months, SwedCham has received a large number of nominations for these awards which were presented to and scrutinised by SwedCham’s Board, acting as Jury.
Congratulations to the 2022 Award Winners:
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THE JURY'S MOTIVATION
Swede of the Year: Carolina Rodriguez receives the Award for her unique creative skills and strategic thinking around impact initiatives which has helped to take Brand Sweden to a whole new level in Singapore. By initiating campaigns such as the SESG Sweden-Singapore partnership, as well as last year’s ground-breaking initiative #candid: 100 Perspectives on Gender Equality in Singapore, which Carolina led and conceptualised, she has been a strong positive influence in the Swedish business community during a very difficult time. Through these innovative projects, Carolina has helped both companies and people to realise the power of collaboration and what impact businesses can have in the society when they come together for the common good.
Swedish Company of the Year: As one of the world’s biggest makers of medical ventilators, Getinge South East Asia was put in the global spotlight as the pandemic crisis took off with a roar in 2020. The pressure on the customer-side to raise output as hospitals in Singapore and the region were preparing to be overwhelmed by coronavirus patients grew exponentially, whilst the company, on the other end of the supply chain, had to deal with massive disruptions for transport and supply of crucial ventilator parts.
The company has grown with 20% over the past three years and has today a focused strategy in place to continue to invest in its business both in Singapore and in South East Asia. With a newly established regional experience centre in Singapore, the company also proves that this commitment is for the long term. For these strong efforts - both to save lives and to continue to invest in Singapore and the region - Getinge South East Asia is awarded Swedish Company of the Year for 2022. The Award was presented to Teodor Johansson, Managing Director, Getinge South East Asia. |
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Huge THANK YOU to all of you who came and made our Midwinter Ball such an amazing, glitzy gala. After three years of pandemic, it was clear that everyone needed a Gatsby party.
Long live the Roaring 2020s! |
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| Mats Rahmström to SwedCham APAC |
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SwedCham's APAC CEO Series, which was launched in February this year, 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.
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Founded in Stockholm in 1873, Atlas Copco remains one of Sweden's flagship industrial companies - a market leader within its industrial segments, consistently churning out strong financial performance. In 2021, the company had revenues of SEK111 bn and 43,000 employees.
Innovation will be in focus during our 60 min with Mr Rahmström. He will give us an insight into how Atlas Copco is collaborating with customers to drive innovation, including giving some background on how this very hands-on approach to innovation helps the Group to develop highly efficient and sustainable products that meet the needs of our customers, society and the world.
Register for this event HERE. Exclusively for SwedCham Members. |
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Sweden's Ambassador and Trade Commissioner to Malaysia, Joachim Bergström and Emma Broms, will visit Singapore on Monday 5 December for a Market Outlook on our neighbouring country. We can look forward to an ear-to-the-ground perspective of the current political and economic situation in Malaysia, and what the opportunities are as we head into 2023.
Register for this event HERE. Thank you to SEB for letting us host this event at their premises. |
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| New local outreach initiative |
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SwedCham is excited to announce that we are launching this month a new local outreach initiative, focusing on supporting Singapore in implementing the SG Green Plan 2030 on grass root level.
With The Green Innovation Centre (GIC), we have 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 is aiming to support the 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 this 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 project includes, for example, to build a therapeutic corner in the garden for elderly and physically impaired and to create an activity area for knowledge development workshops for people of all ages. For SwedCham’s Sponsors, there are opportunities to get involved in 3R activity workshops (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle), staff volunteering, improving the garden concept with smart tech solutions, mentoring/engaging with local SMEs - or just sponsor a good cause.
If you are a SwedCham Member interested in finding out more about this initiative, please do not hesitate to reach out to us on info@swedcham.sg. |
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This initiative is sponsored by the following SwedCham Members: |
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Meet Cohort 2 of SwedCham's Female Mentorship Program: |
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This week SwedCham's People & Culture Committee, with Agneta Olsson and Sandra Appelqvist in the lead, kicked off the second edition of its Female Mentorship Program, first launched in 2021. This year, we have 29 mentees and 9 mentors from 14 SwedCham companies onboard, and all stars are aligned for this to be another great year of leadership development within our business community. This cross-industry program is aimed at up-and-coming female leaders in middle management positions at SwedCham member companies and has the vision to: - Create a solid cross-industry network and a professional sounding board for female rising stars in SwedCham’s business community
- Raise the bar for female leadership development in Singapore
- Promote Swedish leadership values and strengthen ties between Swedish companies in Singapore.
The 29 mentees come from the following companies: ABB, Alfa Laval, AstraZeneca, Atlas Copco, Axis, Electrolux, Hexagon, IKEA, Mentor Media (Elanders), SKF, Tetra Pak and Volvo.
Mentors: - Arun Issar, Financial Controller SEA, IKEA
- Helen Sun, Country Manager Singapore, SKF
- Horst Wasel, Vice President SEA, Atlas Copco
- Ihab El Dessouky, Regional General Manager APAC, Dynapac
- Jerrica Chooi, Country Holding Officer Singapore, ABB
- Joanna Bilewicz, Vice President HR & Comms, APAC & MEA, Electrolux
- Mats Nilsson, Managing Director, Volvo Bus
- Muralidharan Angadu, Managing Director, Volvo Construction Equipment
- Petra Schirren, CFO SEA, Oceania & India, Ericsson.
THANK YOU to ABB for letting us host the kick-off at their premises! |
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HERRARNAS JULMIDDAG
After three years of absence due to covid, it is time again for Herrarnas Julmiddag. This traditional Swedish Christmas dinner, hosted by Singapore's Bandy Klubb for gentlemen only, will be held on 9 December at Singapore Polo Club. Register for the event HERE.
NORDIC DAY @ GARDENS BY THE BAY
Saturday 10 December is Nordic Day at Gardens by the Bay! Join us there for performances brought to you by the Nordic Embassies and a special appearance of Santa Claus brought to you by Finnair, Santa Claus' official airline. More information can be found HERE.
SWEA'S LUCIA CELEBRATION
Save the date for SWEA's candle lit annual Lucia procession which will take place on Tuesday 13 December at at the Lutheran Church of our Redeemer. Tickets will be on sale at SWEA's web site shortly. |
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Thursday 2 February: SwedCham Connect @ GAC.
Thursday 16 March: SwedCham's Annual General Meeting. |
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Thursday 10 November: SwedCham's Women4Women Forum hosted a women's cross-chamber AW. 100 professional women met up for this opportunity to connect across 11 European Chambers of Commerce.
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