On 26 May we organised the online workshop Resilience in turbulent times, together with trainer Ilse Wicherts from Arbetsriktning, one of our members. As an expert on leadership development and occupational safety & well-being Ilse talked about resilience as a beautiful metaphor of sailing a boat in stormy weathers.

We have learned more about how resilience works and how we can develop our mindset and skills even with some ‘kitchentable’ tips. It was interesting and heart-warming to share our personal experiences in small discussion groups.



​All together the workshop gave us the opportunity for new insights and getting to know each other on another level. A special thanks for Ilse Wicherts’ empowerment and also all participants for the encouraging contribution to War Child with this workshop.

If you did not attend but would like to hear more, please contact Ilse Wichers at Arbetsriktning.

/Stefanie Brinkman  

It is a great pleasure to announce that the Executive Board has decided to grant Maarten Merckx an Honorary Membership of the Dutch Chamber.  Boardmembers Els Berkers and Rex Schothorst have handed over a photo book with a selection of memories of the past 10 years, made in cooperation with Chris Jonkers. Due to the Corona restrictions Maarten has sent us his reaction in an e-mail:

"Almost on the day a year ago, when I decided to step down as chairman from the Dutch Chamber, Els and Rex met up with me at the sunny shores of Lidingö Dalenum. A lot has happened since I made that decision, not in the least the last few months due to the Corona virus, the reason why we had not met before.
I was aware of why we would meet, but how immensely surprised I was with a perfect gift to remember 10 fantastic years of active duty in the Dutch Chamber. As my generation is regarded as "tourists in the digital world", I admit I feel more comfortable and at home with the very analog and tangible experience this "yearbook" offers me, now and years to come. It will give me a chance in due time, hopefully blessed with grandchildren, to tell the story of my active time at the Chamber. A time of joy. 

Thank you Els and Chris for making this effort and all the others that have contributed with so many heartwarming words. For now stay safe and hope to see many of you soon at Dutch a Chamber event."

On May 12th we organised a webinar for our members to hear and discuss the challenges businesses are facing in these turbulent times. It was a great honour that Ambassador  Ines Coppoolse took the time to tell more about the Dutch economic measures to support businesses and to hear what was on the mind of the Dutch business community in Sweden. 
 
As both the Swedish and Dutch economy are heavily depending on export, it might not be a surprise that both countries have similar approaches. The current focus is still on damage control and according to the Ambassador this will be so for some time to come. But at the same time both governments and expert organisations are building post Covid scenarios that can leverage on the green economy, taking into account climate change and sustainability goals.
 
This session also provided the possibility to meet (new) members and to share our challenges. It was a pleasure to see members from Stockholm, Malmö region, The Netherlands and even Spain. Besides the plenary sessions we used break up groups to discuss how we can move forward in a more responsible way once the crisis has passed.
 
Sigrid Westman and John Dekker from the Embassy would like to encourage all entrepreneurs and businesses to keep sharing signals and reflections with them after this webinar, so they can share these with policy makers in the Netherlands, Sweden and the EU. John Dekker  also remains available for those who want to learn more about Horizon Europe.
 
A big thank you to Ruben Brunsveld from Enact Sustainable Strategies for moderating this event!
 
 

Pieter van der Meijden, partner at Vator Securities, recently became an associate member. We were curious to find out more about him and asked him a few questions to introduce himself:

"I have 15 years professional experience in finance including investment banking and equity markets and I am currently a partner at Vator Securities.
Prior to Vator Securities I took a side-step from finance and worked at an internet/tech start-up in Stockholm for 3 years before returning to finance.
Prior to moving to Sweden in 2013, I lived in Brussels, Belgium and worked at ING and Degroof Petercam."
I am married, we have 2 children and live just north of Stockholm, in Danderyd. I have a bachelors degree from the University in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and a Masters degree from the University in Bristol, the United Kingdom. 

Tell us more about Vator Securities.
"Vator Securities in Sweden is a corporate finance firm that focuses on identifying and financing growth companies as they expand and develop into tomorrow’s market leaders. We advise both private and publicly listed growth companies on raising capital and strategic business decisions."

What brought you to Sweden?
"My Swedish wife,  and her promise of white christmases and free daycare for the kids. I am Dutch after all.."

What are your expectations concerning the Dutch Chamber of Commerce? 
"I became a member to be able to extend my network and exchange ideas."

/Marion Norman