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Member in the spotlight: Richard van As

2/7/2020

Richard van As-Jacobsson recently joined the Dutch Chamber as a new associate member. He moved to Sweden this year and works as an advisor & project manager on clean hydrogen. He would like to get in touch with other members to collaborate on hydrogen developments in Sweden. We asked him to introduce himself.

How did you end up in the Gothenburg-area?
In 2013 I met my Swedish wife Diana in Portugal. Since then we have spent our life in both Haarlem with my daughters Liza and Robin and on Styrsö with my bonus daughter Sonja. We spent a considerable amount of time on airports and planes and a bit ahead of schedule we stopped the flying and I have moved to Sweden in March of this year. As Styrsö felt like home already the transition was quite smooth, outside the fact that I still have my clients in The Netherlands and a large part of my days are spent in a Dutch online environment.

What is your professional background?
In the past 25 years I have primarily worked in consultancy and project and interim management. For 15 years I worked with Accenture, 6 years as a free lancer and 4 years with the Dutch grid company Alliander. At Alliander I got introduced to hydrogen and its potential role in the transition to a green energy system. I have been fortunate to meet the right people under the right circumstances in both The Netherlands and Sweden. I have started as a free lancer again in a role as project manager for a project on urban heating with hydrogen in the town of Stad aan ’t Haringvliet on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee. Next to this I am writing a book on hydrogen for urban heating with the Technical University of Delft and supporting the European ambitions for the hydrogen program my project is a part of.

Could you tell a bit more about your ambitions in Sweden?
First and foremost it is time to learn the language. As we have lived in Sweden and The Netherlands and are spending a significant of time in Portugal, English has been the main language in our mixed family. Now is the time to start with my Swedish lessons at home and get professional lessons after summer. While I will keep on supporting the project in The Netherlands part-time and my focus will be on starting a hydrogen project in Sweden.

In what way can the Dutch Chamber help you to achieve your ambitions?
In general I would like to get in touch with members to collaborate on hydrogen developments in Sweden. More specifically I am organising a hydrogen event together with Vätgas Sverige and the Dutch embassy in Stockholm in October. During this day, leaders in the industry will share information with the participants and networking is intertwined with a series of interactive workshops. The goals find common ground between Swedish and Dutch companies and organisations to build bilateral (trade) relations.

E.B. & M.N.

Nils van Dijkman newly appointed honorary consul

1/7/2020

Our member Nils van Dijkman has recently been appointed Honorary Consul General for Sweden in Amsterdam. We therefore asked him tell us about his new role as consul.

What can we expect from you as a consul?
My role as the Honorary Consul General for Sweden in Amsterdam is to represent Sweden in The Netherlands. I will promote Swedish business and Swedish values and I will be the link between the consular district and the Swedish Embassy. In order to do that I will keep close connections with business and governmental organisations both in Sweden and The Netherlands. In that respect the function of the Dutch Chamber is very important; you are the Dutch connection for Business in Sweden.

What is your connection with Sweden? My mother is Swedish, so I’m raised with the Swedish culture, language, values and … amazing Swedish summers. We have a house in the Southern part of Sweden (Falsterbo/Skanör area) so we enjoy life and visiting relatives. Apart from private reasons I visit Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö regularly for business purposes.

How are you going to combine your daily work with this new role?
In my daily working life I am a partner at Heussen lawyers and civil law notaries. I have been the Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands between 2007 and 2015, so I know how to combine another role next to my work as a lawyer. The fact that I am heading the Sweden Desk of my lawfirm makes it easier for me to travel to Sweden. My experience is that when you really have a passion for something, it doesn’t feel as work. And I can easily say that I have a great passion for Sweden. I am looking forward to working together with the Board and I hope to meet my fellow members of the Dutch Chamber soon after the summer!

/E.B & M.N.

The Dutch and Swedes are made for each other

11/6/2020

On June 4, 2020 The Swedish Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Annika Markovic and the Dutch Ambassador to Sweden, H.E. Ines Coppoolse participated in a webinar that we hosted together with the Swedish Chamber.
The Ambassadors shared their insights and reflections on respective country. And in interactive discussions with the participants via breakout sessions, the opportunities for continued excellent bilateral (trade) relations were discussed and the role embassies can play to support business in the 21st Century.
Below you find the reflections on the topic written by our patron Mrs. Ambassador Ines Coppoolse.
We thank the Ambassadors for their valuable contributions, Ruben Brunsveld from Enact Sustainable Strategies (member since 2011) for the professional moderation of this webinar and the Swedish Chamber in the Netherlands for the excellent collaboration.
/Els Berkers

REFLECTIONS BY DUTCH AMBASSADOR ON THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES

Dear members of the Swedish Chamber in the Netherlands and the Dutch Chamber in Sweden,
Swedes and Dutch are made for each other. That was the title for the webinar early June, organized by the Chambers of both countries. A very appropriate title, which also reflects the title of the book that was published during our 400 years of friendship. Sweden and the Netherlands decided to exchange resident ambassadors in 1614, so my Swedish counterpart Annika and I are honoured to be part of a very long list of ambassadors for our countries.
In the past 5 years, I have had the privilege and pleasure to work with Håkan Emsgård, with Per Holmström and since 2 years with Annika Markovic. Annika being the first female Swedish ambassador to the Netherlands and I was the first female Dutch ambassador to Sweden. Now that both Chambers are also chaired by 2 women, Kerstin Gerlagh in Amsterdam and Els Berkers in Stockholm, I feel that things have really changed. For the good!
My departure from Sweden is imminent, so it is the right time to share my reflections with you, members of both chambers. You have all done your bit to shape this bilateral relationship and I hope you will keep contributing. I have three words or labels to describe our relationship: like-mindedness, partnership and inspiration. These words more or less cover the past 400+ years, but I am convinced they will keep their relevance in the many years to come.
Allow me to explain those three words, to start with like-mindedness. We share the same values, whether it’s folkhemmet or poldermodel, we are both appreciative of openness, transparency. Journalists can write what they like, and we are all at ease with criticizing our governments or CEO’s. We don’t like to flaunt our wealth, but prefer a more egalitarian society. Whether you call it ‘lagom’ or ‘doe maar gewoon dat is al gek genoeg’, to me it’s the same sort of modesty as a virtue. We feel that sharing is key, which is why we are both great advocates of the Sustainable Development Goals and why we feel that helping other countries is the right thing to do. To Dutch and Swedes, a deal is a deal, and rules are there to obey. Especially international rules, as enshrined in international laws and treaties. Maybe it is a socio-cultural mentality, or maybe it is simply because our economies and societies depend on a level playing field. We don’t feel very comfortable with powerplay, although our economic situations do give us some leverage. At the same time, we would like to spend our money wisely. You don’t spend what you don’t have, and you try to keep your financial house in order. All of the above have created a strong fabric of likemindedness that will last for a long time.
Regarding partnership, there have always been successful ways of cooperating. Whether in business (Akzo-Nobel, Nuon/Vattenfall) or in military missions (mixed crew during the operation Atalanta on board of the Dutch ship Johan de Witt, helping each other in Mali), Sweden and the Netherlands find it easy to cooperate. Not because we áre the same, but because we share the same values and then take a slightly different approach in getting things done. We both believe in hard work, and cherish a market economy. Our societies are built on slightly different economic foundations (services/logistics vs industry/mining), but have the same goals: international markets, export driven companies, importance of innovation, digitization and the need for a more sustainable and green transition. Working together on those issues is a necessity, but certainly also a pleasure.
Inspiration has been the consequence of our differences. Swedes tend to be a bit more careful and mindful of the group opinion. The Dutch can be somewhat more boisterous and tend to speak out without checking or consulting. Both characteristics have their disadvantages and advantages, but mixing them together results very often in inspirational projects or partnerships. The Dutch can learn from the way Swedes take pride in preparing. The Swedes can learn from the Dutch that provocation is not always a bad thing but could trigger something useful.
So, with that as an introduction, I have looked at the various levels where Sweden and the Netherlands have cooperated in the past 5 years. Where are we on the same page, and will we keep it that way in the years to come? Where did we differ and are we going to solve those differences? Let’s take 5 levels to inventorize: within the UN, within the EU, on security, on the economy and within society.
Within the UN, we have intensified. Our shared year within the UN Security Council in 2018 laid the foundation for countless G2G contacts. We have pushed and pulled together, and this has resulted in a stronger group of the so-called Elected Ten. Hopefully with long-term results. With our common push for the SDG’s and for the climate emergency, we managed to get more international attention. Sweden has put extra emphasis on the importance of women (no sustainable peace agreements feasible if women were not included at the negotiation table), the Netherlands has put extra emphasis on justice (accountability, peaceful settlement of disputes). Combining forces helped in agenda-setting and I am convinced that both countries will keep pushing together where we can in the years ahead. We differ with our approach to development cooperation. We share the same goals, but where Sweden has an independent agency (SIDA) that has projects in many countries around the globe, the Netherlands has merged development cooperation with foreign trade and has focused on fewer countries as partner countries. However, we both are strong supporters of UN organizations and one of the few that give core-funding rather than seeking out specific programs.
On the EU, I observe a significant intensification as well. Of course, the Brexit was a (unwelcome) trigger. But Sweden and the Netherlands have grown as fierce supporters for a strong internal market, with the 4 freedoms as its pillar. Our push for an innovative and greener budget for the next 7 years, a budget that represents the fact that we have now 27 countries instead of 28, has resulted in the group of so-called ‘frugal 4’. Not something that we wanted to create, because both Sweden and the Netherlands depend on as many partnerships and coalitions as possible. But on the budget, we are on exactly the same page. Also, rule of law (or better formulated, the importance of upholding rule of law) has emerged as an issue where we stand strongly together. When I arrived in Sweden in August 2015, it was the start of the Luxemburg EU presidency. I had to take care of that, because Luxemburg does not have an embassy in Stockholm. After that, it was the Dutch who took the EU presidency and my team and I have tried to give maximum visibility to our priorities here in Sweden. Where Sweden and the Netherlands differ, is on the currency. We would be very pleased if Sweden would join the Banking Union and ultimately the Euro, but as an ambassador I have had very limited leverage on these issues :-( However, it is good to realize that – unlike Denmark – Sweden does not have an opt-out. So at some point, the SEK will have to be SEKrified. I am convinced though that we can work together to create the circumstances within the EU in such a way that joining the common currency will become an economically attractive proposition for Sweden.
On security I can be short. I already pointed out to the numerous missions we have done together, not to mention the joint exercises we have done in these past 5 years. Sweden’s political choice for non-military alignment is different from the Dutch firm commitment to NATO. However, Sweden has developed into one of the most active NATO-partners, which offers a good platform for future bilateral cooperation as well. The follow-up of the first Swedish-Dutch Defence, Security and Aeronautics Innovation Day that Annika organized last year, was meant to be hosted by me on the 14th of May this year. Much to my regret, the covid-19 came in between. I hope my successor will soon be able to go ahead with what we had prepared.
Economically, we have grown in the past 5 years. In partnership with the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland, we have created a position for a Business Development Officer in Göteborg who works closely with the economic clusters at the Dutch Embassies in the Nordic Baltic Region. This position followed after a successful evaluation of the Regional Business Developer, stationed at Copenhagen, who has consistently informed business sectors in the Netherlands on opportunities in this region. I have seen the interest for the stable Swedish market grow in the Netherlands, and I note an increased presence particularly in the construction sector, the infrastructure market and the health sector. Also, there is a growing interest in Sweden for the Dutch expertise on circular economy. My colleagues at the embassy have worked hard and I am proud of the results that were achieved. Very often, we were able to work together with the Dutch chamber in the many events and seminars we have organized. However, there is still room for growth in trade volumes. Also, it is my wish to get more Swedish companies interested in the circular model – if possible in partnerships with Dutch companies. I want to mention one exciting initiative: we are going to open a Dutch Innovation House in the embassy. It aims to facilitate innovative solutions for challenges in the area of climate change, health care, mobility, food security and energy. We want to bring people together from the business sector, students, academics and literally offer them facilities to work on common projects and seminars. To be continued!
Last but not least, our societies. I have witnessed an increase in the number of visits from the Netherlands to Sweden and vice versa. Whether they were commercial missions, NGO’s, governance sector, scientists or simply tourists; there is a growing interest and mutual curiosity. And still so much more to discover, and learn from each other!
In conclusion:
A relationship based on likemindedness, partnership and inspiration is easy and pleasant. But like in a good marriage, you cannot take its success for granted. We have to keep working together to maintain, to grow, and take it to the next level. It should be more than just an ad hoc cooperation, but how should we make this relationship more strategic without being seen as a closed club or without a formalized alliance? That is a challenge, and a few suggestions were made during the webinar that are worth exploring (promote certain business sectors, organize thematic meetings for SME’s, set up a CEO network in the respective residences, formulate common goals etc). I will challenge the members of both Chambers to work something out. But the heart of the matter is: our common values are more and more under pressure. So Sweden and the Netherlands must join forces, and must do so smartly in order to shape developments and preserve what we cherish.
I am grateful for the past 5 years, it was wonderful being a temporary Swede. I will carry a part of Sweden with me to my next destination Canada. I am proud of what both embassies have done to give more meaning and depth to the bilateral relationship: by bringing people together, by providing information, by organizing network events and where possible we have done that jointly. I have been blessed with such lovely colleagues at the Swedish embassy in The Hague, and with the board members of both Chambers. Without that fruitful cooperation, which is not a given, I would not have been able to achieve anything. And of course, an Ambassador is literally nowhere without a team. I can honestly say that I have been very very lucky with my team in Stockholm.
Let me end by wishing Annika, Els en Kerstin all the best in their endeavours and to express the hope that my successor Bengt van Loosdrecht will be welcomed in the way that I was welcomed. But of course he will, since Swedes and Dutch were made for each other and are made for each other. Together you will lay the foundation for the beginning of the next 400 years, good luck to you all!

/Ines Coppoolse

New general manager North Europe Air France/KLM

2/6/2020

A few months ago, Gijs van Popta was appointed as General Manager North Europe Air France KLM. We asked him to introduce himself to our members and tell us more about the current situation regarding flights.

"I joined the team in North Europe earlier this year, after having spent 4,5 years in Singapore as General Manager for South East Asia & Oceania, covering some historical and iconic markets for both Air France and KLM such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia. Before that I worked in the UK, Russia & CIS and Africa & Middle East and also spent some time in our Head Office in Pricing & Revenue Management, where the prices of tickets are determined."

What made you accept this challenge in a new country?
"North Europe is a strategic market for Air France and KLM. For many decades we have grown our business together with our very loyal customers that not only fly to Paris or Amsterdam, but also use our hubs to fly to the world. In our normal schedule, we operate around 90 daily flights and serve around 6 million customers a year in the 8 countries that we cover. It is exciting to work with a fantastic team on our ambition to be the number 1 choice for business travellers in North Europe. Earlier this year we have seen that recognised when we won the 2020 Nordic Business Travel Awards for Best Airline. Even though the ceremony was cancelled due to the Covid-19 measures, we were all extremely delighted to receive this recognition voted by both our customers as well as peers in the business."

What are your expectations with regard to the development of Air France KLM in this region, especially considering the current crisis?
"At this moment we are indeed in a very different situation. The current crisis has dramatically changed so much for so many people and companies around the world. The good news is that over the past weeks gradually we see demand for travel growing again, in line with the different countries gradually opening up. Our focus is obviously now on restarting our operations safe and secure and increasing travel options for our customers. Today we are only flying around 15% of our normal capacity, and both the Air France and KLM route-network will gradually get back in place in months to come, although it will take several years before we are back to 100%."

A very practical question: how is the flight connection between the Netherlands and Sweden today (Stockholm, Göteborg, Linköping etc)? What are the measures taken by KLM in these extreme circumstances?
"KLM has been flying daily from Gothenburg and Stockholm to Amsterdam during the past months. We have recently restarted our Helsinki flight and are also restarting routes in Denmark and Norway. The latest updates are naturally available on KLM.com and AirFrance.com.
We have been -and still are- very busy with many repatriation flights, bringing back Europeans from all over the world. On our flights today we have strict additional hygiene measures, for instance wearing a mask when traveling is compulsory, and on Air France we are also doing temperature checks. Every day, our aircrafts are thoroughly cleaned with approved disinfectants and during the flight, the air in our aircraft is continually renewed with fresh air drawn in from outside."

How can the Dutch Chamber support you in achieving your professional life goals?
"Air France and KLM have always been very much grounded in the communities that we serve. For KLM we are proudly Dutch and besides serving our Swedish customers, we obviously serve the Dutch community here as well. Bringing these communities together is our core business, which is exactly what the Chamber does as well.
For more than a decade we have been at the forefront leading our industry with our sustainability efforts. We aim to continue to drive – also in the current crisis- our sustainability efforts further forward. The Dutch Chamber provides various platforms, events and opportunities where KLM aims to both contribute and participate, and I’m looking forward to the moment I can meet other members in person."

/Marion Norman

June 01st, 2020

1/6/2020

Join our team as new treasurer

1/6/2020

Would you be interested in becoming our new treasurer?

As mentioned in the AGM 2020, Rex Schothorst will after 5 years of improving systems and digitalizing the treasury function, step down as treasurer. The Nomination Committee is now looking for a new treasurer to be elected in AGM, spring 2021.

The treasurer is responsible for planning and control of our finances, supporting the Dutch Chamber in both short term activities and long term goals. The treasurer is a member of the Executive Board and executes the accounting, payments, reporting and keeps an eye on compliance.
We have initiated the recruitment process and are now asking interested candidates to contact us as soon as possible. In order to facilitate a smooth transition, our aim is that the new candidate can spend time with Rex before being formally elected.

Please contact us if you are interested and would like to find out more or if you want to put someone forward that could be interested to fill this role.
The nominating committee
/Jolande Svensson-Klijn & Olle Jansson

Resilience-workshop with trainer Ilse Wicherts

28/5/2020

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

Honorary member: Maarten Merckx

13/5/2020

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."

Webinar: Entrepreneurship in turbulent times

12/5/2020

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!

In the spotlight: Pieter van der Meijden

10/5/2020

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