On Monday 20 November the executive members of the Dutch Chamber were invited to the
annual executive lunch at Handelsbanken, where the bank presents itself to the Dutch-
Swedish business community and gives an outlook on the economy.

With inspiring speeches of Handelsbankens CEO Anders Bouvin about a. o. the
digital developments in the banking industry, Jens Wiklund, CEO Handelsbanken in the
Netherlands, about the growth of Handelsbanken in the Netherlands and Elisabeth Jamal
Bergström, chief Communcations and Sustainability Office, about the sustainability strategy
and actions of Handelsbanken, attendants got a good inside view of the way Handelsbanken aims
for a longterm and sustainable strategy.

As a last speaker Ann Öberg, Chief Economist of Handelsbanken gave an inside into the global
economy, including effect of trade barriers, development of the housing market, the
currencies and the effect of elections.

We thank our member Handelsbanken for another much-appreciated event.
​
​/Dennis Langenberg

In addition to our latest Orange Tables Event on Circular Economy on 25 October we have an interesting article regarding this topic. Read it here.

On Thursday 25 October we hosted an Orange Tables Event on Circular Economy. The main question was: Circular Economy: Fact or Fiction? The panel consisted of three panellists with different interesting stories and Jolanda van Rooijen, PhD Candidate on Circular Economy to kick off the event and introduce the topic Circular Economy.
 
The panel consisted of:

• Ton van der Giessen of Van Werven Plastics, here you can find his presentation
• Anna Höglund of Inrego, here you can find her presentation
• Flavio Santos of Signify, former Philips Lighting, here you can find his presentation

 
The event was presented by Ruben Brunsveld, Head People & Culture at Enact Sustainable Strategies
 
We can look back on another great Orange Tables Event. The evening was interactive, had excellent content and a great mingle afterwards. Both the panellist and Jolanda van Rooijen showed a different view on a topic that is concerning everyone.
 
A lively discussion with many pointed questions and stimulating ideas.
Jolanda van Rooijens presentation can be downloaded here.


/Dennis Langenberg

Kerstin Lindell is the new Consul for the Netherlands in Southern Sweden. As such she recently joined the Dutch Chamber. We asked her to introduce herself to our members.

My name is Kerstin Lindell and I have been CEO of Bona for almost 12 years now. Previously I worked as R&D Manager at Akzo Nobel Insustrial Wood Coatings. I have been living in Limhamn (Malmö) for 25 years, am married and have two children. My education is a MSC Chem Engineering, PhD Polymer Chemistry and MBA.
 
Could you tell a little bit more about your company Bona?
Bona AB is a family-owned company founded in 1919. With its headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, Bona is now present in more than 90 different countries all over the world through subsidiaries and distributors. We provide products for the installation, maintenance and renovation of wood floors throughout their lifetime and we also supply UV coatings to leading international producers of wooden floors. Through our comprehensive Bona System, we are able to offer our customers complete solutions for every wooden floor challenge. We continuously develop innovative products with a long-term sustainable perspective in mind. So we take into account not just the floor itself but the working conditions of the craftsman and the impact on the indoor and outdoor environment.
 
What is your connection with the Netherlands?
I worked for Akzo Nobel for 14 years so I have good working experience with the Netherlands.
 
What does your assignment as Consul for the Netherlands entail? Do you have any specific ambitions to achieve?
I hope to support the Embassy in Stockholm with activities and an understanding of what is happening in South Sweden.
 
What are your expectations concerning the Dutch Chamber of Commerce? And escpecially for the region South?
The Dutch Chamber of Commerce is a very important area of interaction both with activities for all Sweden and especially South Sweden.
 

/Els Berkers 

Last Thursday on 13 September we organised another Go Innovation Lab in Gothenburg. Our guest speaker Bart Geraads (VP HR Group Volvo) gave us an insight in how companies address the topics compensation and benefits.
Volvo has conducted a large survey among its employees about this topic, as they felt the need to understand what employees or candidates find important in the award area.
Awaiting the results they will face the challenge how to implement target specific needs on specific ages, for specific stages in life and the different profiles.
In general, the employee is more outspoken nowadays and more in a position to demand. A good salary and possibilities to develop yourselves are not the only the key issues anymore.

/Annemieke van Wijk

​My name is Marloes Voll. I moved to Stockholm with my family two years ago and joined the Stockholm Team earlier this year. I have almost 20 years of work experience at an international pharmaceutical company and two medical device start-ups. I am a Medical Biologist by education and my main focus has always been in clinical development.

I quit working when we moved here and adapted the real Swedish sportive attitude; outdoor jogging and excercises throughout the year. Now that I have joined the Dutch Chamber I look forward to meet new and interesting people and of course to support the Stockholm team with their events!
​
/Marloes Voll