Dear Subscriber,
Swimming in lakes is one of the most glorious things you can do whilst holidaying in Sweden in the summer - although not for the faint-hearted, as temperatures usually stay between 16-22 degrees. Swimming isn’t merely a summertime activity though. As we can read on Visit Sweden's website, cold bathing ('kallbad') has a long tradition in Sweden, but has recently picked up as a trend also among younger Swedes. Cold bathing is a favourite outdoor pastime by many locals in autumn and winter - and here we talk water temperatures as low as 0-10 degrees. Cold bath houses – most of which are open year-round – are havens of relaxation that serve several purposes. Not only do they allow swimmers to prepare for their invigorating open-air dip, they typically house one or more saunas. Here are some tips, from the same web site, how to best enjoy your cold bath, should you head for the Nordics this coming winter: - Spend a little time in the sauna before – and especially after – your dip to prevent you from being cold for too long
- Make sure to keep moving to maintain your blood circulation. The outdoor temperatures can make it difficult to warm up after your dip, even if you’ve bundled up and spent some time in the sauna
- Opt for your regular swimwear. Some people like to jump into the water wearing bathing shoes. Many bath houses actually cater for nudists – when it comes to a refreshing dip in the sea, many prefer to take the plunge au naturel!
With those words of wisdom, we welcome you back to the tropics and a new, fabulous SwedCham season.
Please find below the latest news from our business community.
Your dedicated SwedCham team,
Lisa & Anna
Photo: Heléne Grynfarb/imagebank.sweden.se |
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| Female Mentorship: It's a wrap! |
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In mid June, we held our Grand Finale for the 2nd cohort of SwedCham's Cross-industry Female Mentorship Program. This time around, we have had the pleasure of hosting 28 mentees and 9 mentors from 14 SwedCham companies onboard this program, which is aimed at up-and-coming female leaders in middle management positions at SwedCham member companies. The vision is to: 1) Create a solid cross-industry network and a professional sounding board for female rising stars in SwedCham’s business community 2) Raise the bar for female leadership development in Singapore 3) Promote Swedish leadership values and strengthen ties between Swedish companies in Singapore.
A second year running, the program was launched in November 2022 with groups of four (one mentor and three mentees) meeting face-to-face once a month. The cross-industry setting has proven to provide a safe and neutral space where everyone can feel free to share and discuss openly. The program was led by Agneta Olsson and Sandra Appelqvist.
The 28 mentees came from the following companies: ABB, Alfa Laval, AstraZeneca, Atlas Copco, Axis Communications, Electrolux Group, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, IKEA, Mentor Media Supply Chain Solutions (Elanders Group), SKF Group, Tetra Pak, Volvo Group.
A huge THANK YOU to our top class mentors:
Also - thank you to ABB for letting us host the Grand Finale at their premises! |
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| GIC family event in Bukit Batok |
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By now, you have probably heard about SwedCham's local outreach initiative, the Green Innovation Centre (GIC), which was launched in Bukit Batok in June (see our June newsletter). If you are curious to find out in person what this initiative is all about, join us on Saturday 26 August, as we invite SwedCham's members with their families to explore this unique project "live".
We will have all our partners with us to explain how a solar energy loop works, how smart rodent traps can help keep your outdoors pest-free without hurting the environment, what benefits a therapeutic garden can have on mental health, what Smart City means in the heartlands of Singapore, how to harvest rainwater, how to compost, how to build a hydroponic farm, what low-carbon concrete is all about, how beverage cartons can turn into new cool things such as roofs and planter boxes, how to grow fruit and veg in a city...
Or just come and hang out, relax, and connect with nature in our very comfortable outdoor living room. Our partner Green Sproutz Singapore will keep our younger guests busy in a recycling workshop where they will learn how used beverage cartons can be turned into new, cool things.
The GIC launch video can be found here.
Register for this free event here.
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| Find out what AI can do for you |
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The rise in the use of generative AI is the talk of the town right now, and it is quite clear that the technology and the tools that are developing in its wake will revolutionise the domain of knowledge management. But what impact will it really have on you and your work over the coming years?
On 28 August, SwedCham's members will have a rare opportunity to dig into AI in a very hands-on manner as digital creative business school Hyper Island invites us to their campus for a 90 min AI 30 Under 30 Masterclass, which means a whirlwind tour of 30 AI tools that without doubt will have an impact on your work environment going forward. The Hyper Island team has promised us a highly interactive morning where you can expect serious knowledge-building around AI in a fun and engaging environment.
For more information and to register for this event, click here. |
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| Digitalisation - how to advance in a turbulent world |
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As Singapore is gearing up to advance on its Smart Nation mission, increasing pressure will be put on businesses to advance at the same pace. Not only is the economic climate turbulent around the world, keeping up competitiveness through increased digitalisation across different geographic markets is a challenging task for most companies.
For our breakfast session on Tuesday 5 September, we will hear from Kelvin Brace, Group Head, Multinational Corporates, Global Transaction Services, and Jason Zhou, Head of Digital Transformation Advisory, Global Transaction Services, at SwedCham's silver sponsor DBS how they support the digital transformation of MNCs across the region and what they see as key levers to succeed - both in business building and operations. Topics will include, among others, how digitalisation can increase efficiency and fund sustainability in procurement and supply chain management as well as how companies today embark on eCommerce as part of their digital transformation journey to grow the top line, and what this transformation roadmap looks like.
We will also have with us Joyce Antar, Director of Digitalisation & Shared Services, Asia & Oceania, Commercial Operations, and Serene Gwee, Head of Marketing Communications, at Scania Group to share their digitalisation journey in Asia & Oceania. In 2017, the company established the Scania Digital Office, to advance the digitalisation process at Scania globally. Digitalisation is also one of the focus areas in Scania’s 2025 Strategy - both to improve core processes and to create new business opportunities.
Register for this event here. |
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| Business Climate Survey launch |
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The 2023 Team Sweden Business Climate Survey (BCS) for Singapore will be launched in a few weeks time.
On Thursday 24 August, the project team will present insights from this year's BCS at a breakfast roundtable discussion for the Swedish business community at Business Sweden's offices. Jenny Egermark, Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of Sweden, will give the opening remarks at this session.
Register for this free event here. |
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| Next SwedCham Connect @ Business Sweden |
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Save the date for our next SwedCham Connect which will take place on Thursday 21 September at Business Sweden's offices on Orchard Road. An opportunity to do some serious networking in a truly relaxed format.
Exclusively for SwedCham members. Register for this event here. |
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| K2 off to Nepal on charitable mission |
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In Q4 of this year, 20 employees from across the globe from SwedCham's silver sponsor K2 Corporate Mobility will be taking part in the company’s main charitable initiative for 2023: An expedition and a volunteering programme in Nepal. The aim of the Nepal Project is to raise money for the K2 Foundation, a charity which was established at the beginning of 2023 and which supports the future of children around the world, particularly within the regions that K2 operates. The idea for the Foundation came from K2’s CEO, Nick Plummer, who believes that each and every business has a responsibility to give back to, protect and enrich their local communities. The Foundation straddles People & Culture and Sustainability, two of the six pillars of Kinetic, K2’s five-year strategic business plan (2022-2026). Charitable work is integral to K2’s culture, and taking care of the communities within which we do business plays a key role in protecting the future of the global mobility industry as a whole. Find out more about the Nepal expedition and volunteering programme: K2 and Nepal. |
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| Last chance to nominate exceptional companies and individuals! |
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Deadline 18 August for nomination of exceptional companies and individuals to the 2023 Swedish Company of the Year and Swede of the Year Awards!
Take this opportunity to recognise a Swedish company and/or a Swedish individual who has made a remarkable footprint during the past year. Who do you think deserves extra credit for their work in Singapore and the region?
The winners will be announced and celebrated during the SwedCham Midwinter Ball at the Goodwood Park Hotel on 4 November this year.
The nomination criteria for the "Swedish Company of the Year" Award: This award has a broad scope - it highlights extraordinary accomplishments that can come in many forms. The winner can be a company with a great impact, social or financial, in the region. It can also be an innovative fast mover with huge growth potential and a great advocate for the Swedish brand or a mix of many factors.
The nomination criteria for the "Swede of the Year" Award: This is an important acknowledgement of an outstanding person from the Swedish community who has created a positive impact, either in Singapore or the region, through his or her work and dedication.
The deadline for nominations is Friday 18 August 2023.
Previous winners include: 2022 Swedish Company of the Year: Getinge 2019 Swedish Company of the Year: Scania 2019 Swede of the Year: Janek Schergen, Artistic Director, Singapore Ballet 2017 Swedish Company of the Year: IKEA 2015 Swedish Company of the Year: Envac 2014 Swede of the Year: Mikael Hartman, Associate Professor, NUS, and Head of General Surgery, NUHS 2013 Swede of the Year: Gunilla Daintry |
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| Ball tickets on sale from 18 August! |
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SAVE THE DATE: 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. A formal invitation will be sent out later in May.
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.
EUROCHAM SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS
Submission for the 2023 EuroCham Sustainability Awards is now open. If you consider your company’s sustainable efforts to be impactful from an environmental, social or governance perspective, if you are able to describe how and provide examples, we welcome you to enter the Sustainability Awards 2023. The categories are: - ESG Communications
- ESG Investments
- Sustainable Maritime & Shipping
- Social Sustainability
- Sustainable Business Innovation
There will be one award recipient per category. Application Submission deadline: 18 September 2023 Questionnaire Submission deadline: 25 September 2023 EuroCham Sustainability Awards 2023: November 2023 (date TBC).
For more information, please click here.
SVENSKA SKOLAN I SINGAPORE
Do your children speak Swedish? Do you want them to keep Swedish as a living language? The Swedish School Association in Singapore runs the Swedish Supplementary School in Singapore with the purpose to provide Swedish children education in the Swedish language and to promote stimulating Swedish cultural exchange and experiences for its students. The school operates for two hours a week at the Stamford American International School campus and takes children from 6 to 15 years of age. Watch Svenska Skolan's video!
To register for the 2023-24 school year, click here. |
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Thursday 24 August
Thursday 24 August If you are below 35, join SwedCham's Young Professionals for their annual Crayfish Party!
Saturday 26 August
Monday 28 August
Tuesday 5 September: DBS on digital transformation, with Scania sharing their APAC digitalisation journey.
Tuesday 10 October Market Outlook: Vietnam with Business Sweden.
Saturday 4 November: SwedCham's Annual Midwinter Ball.
Thursday 30 November: Office neighbours Electrolux Professional and Hexagon will jointly host this SwedCham Connect. |
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Thursday 15 June The GRAND FINALE of 2022-23 SwedCham Cross-industry Female Mentorship Program.
Wednesday 21 June "The Future of Work", hosted by NBAS (Norwegian Business Association Singapore). Cross-chamber event on trends and transformations in the workplace. |
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