You recently moved to Brussels. Can you tell us why you moved from Sweden to Brussels? 
Exactly after 20 years in Sweden I moved to Brussels because of work. I got the opportunity to work for the EU, something I dreamt of when I studied International Relations in Groningen a long time ago. I am seconded by the Swedish government to work for the European External Action Service (foreign affairs of the EU) for the headquarters of the 11 civilian missions the EU has outside of its borders. I work as a leadership expert and support managers in those missions, based in countries such as Somalia, Libya, Iraq, Kosovo etc, with their leadership challenges.

You were one of the very  first board members of the Dutch Chamber. How did it all start? 
I joined the Dutch Swedish Business Association (DSBA), I think in 2003. After I attended two events I was asked to become a board member. I kind of declined as I felt what the DSBA was representing and offering at that moment was not what offered me added value for my business. However, there were more people who replied the same and the then nominating committee connected us. We soon found out that we had a vision in common for the future of the DSBA and we together accepted to become the board. I think this was in 2004.
Together with amongst others Jasper van Dorrestein, Maria Trap and Arjen Bouterse, we designed a future for the DSBA and soon after launched the Dutch Chamber. I stayed on as board member for 3 more years and then became an ordinary active member.
Active in the sense that I attend events as much as my schedule allows, and sometimes also present at DC events. And it is in this role I think many members might know me. The first 16 years of my career have been solely devoted to managing cultural differences and in that capacity I supported many multinationals inside and outside of the Dutch/Swedish context with their intercultural challenges. I think over the years I have presented around 6-7 times on the topic of Swedish-Dutch cultural value patterns.

What was your biggest learning from your time in Sweden that you would like to share with our Dutch/Swedish network?
My biggest learning has been that your own cultural background never fades. If you have lived for the first 15 years of your life in the same country (in my case the Netherlands), the way one views the world will always be with the perspective of your first culture. So even though I fell in love with Sweden and connect deeply to the Swedish way of doing things, I cannot put my Dutchness aside. I pride myself being culturally competent and know how to navigate between cultures to create synergy, it still is clear to me that for example the Swedish way to avoid confrontation is not one I find easy. 

Do you have any advice you can give to Swedes who want to do business with the Dutch and vice versa?
Many things can be answered to this question. But instead of giving a list of do's and don'ts I rather recommend to reach out to each other. Too often we talk about each other instead of with each other to try to figure out behaviours that puzzle us.  Here I believe the Dutch Chamber will always have a role to play. To be that bridge between the two cultures. I read the Orange Tables are starting up again. Why not use some of those  events, for the Dutch members to bring a Swedish colleague and have meaningful exchange about experiences we have working with each other on a daily base.

/M.N.

What is your professional background? What does a service designer do?
 
I started out my career as an industrial designer, where I predominantly worked on (physical) products and spaces for clients such as HP, Coca Cola, Nike, and Philips Lighting (now Signify) in both North America and Europe. Along the way I got more attracted to the idea of working on digital solutions as well as the way services are created and offered to people. 
 
As an independent service designer I help companies to better connect to their customers and users. This human-centered mindset aids in understanding their context (such as work environment, needs, desires, and pains) and to what extent the company’s offering fits into this context. In this way opportunity areas can be identified so that a company can improve their offering in such a way that it optimizes the value exchange between them and their customer and users. Choosing the right opportunities to pursue - and how to address them - is what sets companies apart from their competitors. This means ensuring a strategical match while taking into account aspects such as viability, feasibility, and usability.
 
Sometimes improving a company’s offering can be achieved by introducing a new - or better - way for customers and users to get access to the right (actionable) information, for example through a mobile app. Other times it is more about improving the way teams and departments within a company are organized and set up in order to improve customer support in certain steps in their journey. 
 
This variety makes my work very dynamic, challenging, and relies heavily on collaboration.

 Can you tell us how you ended up in Gothenburg?
 
My wife and I both lived in Sweden during our studies and enjoyed our time here. After having lived abroad in several countries we decided to move back to Europe and thought Sweden would be the ideal place for us. We found Gothenburg to have good opportunities for the both of us and have been living there ever since. 
 
 You’ve become an SME-member recently. What inspired you to take the step to becoming a member?
 
A few months ago I happened to come across some posts from the Dutch Chamber of Commerce on Linkedin and was a bit intrigued by some of the stories shared by new members. As I run my own consultancy company I thought it could provide an interesting opportunity to extend my professional network further as well as contributing to exchanging ideas with the other members and partners.

What are your expectations from your membership?
 
Besides extending my professional network, I think it’s always good to share experiences, ideas, and opportunities with other members. I’m sure that being a member will provide multiple events and opportunities to do so. I’m very much looking forward to getting to know the rest of the members. First up is the 'Tour de Gothenburg’! Anyone who is interested can always reach out to me.
 
 /MN

What's your background?
My name is Timen van der Horn and I am a Dutch guy living in Malmö. Since I can remember I have had an interest in everything mechanical. As a child I took apart everything I could get my hands on, just to see how things work and how they were built. I have been restoring motorcycles since my teenage years, and got interested in mechanical watches a few years back. I have recently launched a company called Chronobay AB, making luxury handmade watch stands for watch collectors and watch dealerships. 
 
How long have you lived in Sweden and why did you choose to live in the Southern part of Sweden?
Since 2017, so I am approaching 5 years now. My girlfriend and I have been living in Stockholm for 3 years, but when I found a job at a startup in Copenhagen we decided to move to Malmö with the added benefit of being closer to both our families. 

Can you tell us about your Start Up Company Chronobay?
When I damaged my watch after it fell from a shelf in my living room, I felt there had to be a better way to store my watch when I am not wearing it. This is when I decided to design and manufacture my own watch stand. 
One thing led to another and after launching my company in July of this year, I am now selling handcrafted watch stands all over the world. I only use the best materials available. I use real Carrara marble and calfskin leather, handmade in Florence Italy. The steel is hand polished 316- stainless steel, the same grade of steel used in many watches on the market today.
 All parts are designed, sourced and assembled by myself right here in Malmö. I personally ship all orders, and take care of marketing and customer service. Launching the company has been an intense period but I am loving it, the response in the market has only been positive and customers love the product. 
I am currently working on expanding the product range and offering a wider choice to customers, so keep an eye on the website to see what is coming up. 

What are your expectations regarding your membership with the Dutch Chamber?
My main reason to join is to build a network, and hopefully be able to contribute with my own network to other companies as well. It has paid off already. After being connected by a Dutch Chamber member to the owner of Glashuset, a high-end furniture store in Malmö, my products are now being retailed in that store. 
I am looking forward to the coming live events and getting to know more members in the near future. If you are interested please have a look at my website and let me know what you think. 
​
/MN

Evert Plomp is Head of Pricing & Business Development på DHL Global. He recently joined the Dutch Chamber as an associate member. He has lived in Sweden for 20 years and we asked him what's new and why he became a member.

How are you?
I am very fine and I am enjoying life in Sigtuna with my wife and 3 daughters. It has a been challenging period due to Covid-19 for the past 1-2 years, both private and businesswise. I am sure that all members recognise this. Especially businesswise as I work for DHL being one of the global transport leaders, the market changed a lot when it comes to buying behaviour, capacity, lock-downs, e-commerce etc. Other than that, I am convinced that we all see the light in the tunnel and hopefully can enjoy our well-deserved summer.
 


​Can you tell us why you decided to become a member?
I have lived in Sweden for the past 20 years and as I earlier worked for Airfrance & KLM Cargo, for myself has there always been a natural and close connection with The Netherlands and Sweden,
as well during the time when I worked for DB Schenker and now for DHL.
I look very much forward to get acquainted with all other members of the Dutch Chamber as I see this as a great opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences and as well to support others. Even though our countries and cultures seem to be similar, we do act differently which is of course very natural as we have grown up in different environments.  I wish you all a great summer and look forward to the next event(s).

/M.N.
 

When did you live and work in Sweden? And what did you do?
We came to work and live in Stockholm/Sweden in the spring of 2007 until the summer of 2011. I started as General Manager for the Nordic and Baltic countries for Philips Consumer Electronics. The company decided one year later to merge all the consumer products into one division and I became the Nordic GM for Philips Consumer Lifestyle, covering also the household, personal health and wellness products. Later I also became the CEO of Philips group in the Nordics and was appointed as country manager Sweden until we moved on to our next assignment abroad.
 
What were your expectations of Sweden with the experience you had from previous assignments in Denmark, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands?
During 5 years I worked in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was because of this experience that Sweden already felt a little more as home. We were already familiar with ‘The Scandinavian way’. My understanding of working and doing business in the Nordic countries was set there.
 
Why did you become a member of the Dutch Chamber? Was there a favourite event you joined or organised?
In a short time, I built quite a good business network, also with the Dutch Embassy and went to different gatherings and business meetings. Through these connections I was asked to join the Dutch Chamber which had just started up.
The Chamber gave me and others the opportunity to share our own experience and knowledge with others. Newcomers, people looking for business opportunities in Swedish markets or Swedes looking for some export business to the Netherlands. Together we supported quite an interesting mix of requests, ideas and business cases.
 
What was your biggest learning from your time in Sweden that you would like to share with our Dutch Swedish network?
The Dutch are known for working rather quickly, for having strong opinions and can come across as being very direct, also when it comes to positive and negative comments or feedback. It just doesn't always come across well in some other cultures, such as the Swedish.
But working in a Dutch multinational it requires adaptation from all to deal with local cultures, Dutch headquarters, and an international mix of managers.
I learned about the Swedes, how they deal with their agenda, the famous life work balance. In Sweden the approach between work and private life is different from what we are used to in Netherlands.
As an example I think it is important to also prioritize sometimes an international video conference meeting scheduled maybe just outside of the summer working hours above the private agenda. Not as a standard rule but it shows commitment and possibly also gives knowledge while missing out can give other reception internationally. But let's also face it: each country and culture is different, and a little common sense is important too. 
Another example is the 'Fika' coffee break. It was nice to have colleagues drinking coffee together and people gathering to talk informally, connect and of course also talk business.
 
What did you after Sweden and what are you doing today?
At that time, Philips wanted to divest the TV business and I was asked to join that important dis-entanglement project. I moved with my family to Madrid and became responsible for the Southern European business and joined the leadership team in the NewCo.
 
In the beginning of 2016, I decided to change my life, and set up my own company. I said goodbye to Philips after more than 27 years and moved to the South-East of Spain. There we started the House Doctor Costa Blanca. We now help foreigners, mainly Dutch and Belgians, to find a holiday home at the coast and we do all tasks related to the search, the purchase and sometimes manage the project management of the reforms and decoration/interior job too. One stop shopping!! Feel free to check out our website.
 
Are there things you have learned you apply  to your daily work now?
I think that what I have learned most from the Swedes is  to keep a good work life balance, to be committed and to be transparent. Storytelling is not always necessary and a 'no' is acceptable once in a while..the latter is still a challenge for me, I still find it hard to say no.

Have you ever visited Sweden again after you left?
We still regularly visit Sweden. We always feel very welcome when we meet up with old colleagues, friends and neighbours. We love the culture, the Scandinavian design, the way of life, the nature and we like skiing in Åre. Wintertime in Sweden is wonderful, although it is also nice to spend the winter in Spain where the sun is out almost every day. 320 days of sunshine is of course also a very nice benefit of living and working in Spain. Sweden and the Nordics are in our hearts and we will remain fan of the region and we keep coming back.
/E.B

The Dutch Chamber warmly welcomes Validata Group as new SME-member. We asked this Dutch company to introduce itself to our members: 

Can you tell us more about Validata Group?
Validata was founded in 2009, by Harm Voogt and Job van der Weijden with a vision to make recruitment and employment screening more simple for companies globally. Today, the company which is headquartered in Amsterdam has grown to be market leader in the Netherlands for background checks servicing multinational companies. Serving clients such as EY, ABN-AMRO, MichaelPage, and equensWorldline, Validata offers pre-and in-employment screenings for companies in the Financial, Healthcare, and Business Service sectors amongst others.
 
Ultimately, employment screening has become a vital part of many organisations’ onboarding and recruitment processes. It has become more important for companies to employ thorough risk management policies and ensure that they not only make better informed hiring decisions but also that their processes are compliant with local and national legislation. This increased demand is why Validata is now expanding into the Nordics.

On the picture left: Job van der Weijden, on the right: Harm Voogt.

Why do you focus on Sweden? And what is the goal/target?
In Europe, employment screening is still underdeveloped. Harm explains “Culture, level of digitisation, data registers, rules and regulations concerning risk management all play a role in determining this.” However, in Sweden Validata serves an increasing number of clients including Vattenfall, INGKA, and Tieto Evry. These are companies from various sectors that conduct an increasing number of screenings every day on entry, C-level, and board management positions.
 
Harm continues “The opportunity is there and it has come because Sweden has not only a compliant driven culture but also a progressive HR outlook when it comes to labor management.” Additionally, the employment screening story has been told in Sweden for many years as is evident from the competitiveness of the market.  
 
To continue serving clients and provide a tailored service for the Nordic region, Validata Group has not only recently opened up their second location in Stockholm, Sweden but has also partnered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce.
 
What are your expectations regarding your membership with the Dutch Chamber?
Job van der Weijden, CFO shares: “The Dutch Chamber of Commerce is supporting us grow in the Nordic region. Expanding into Sweden has been our plan for the past couple of years, and we have made several strategic international partnerships. One with the Dutch Chamber but also with global HR solution providers, for example, ADP, Appical, and Visma. We want to make it easy for businesses in Sweden to integrate screening into their existing HR process. In particular, our partnership with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce connects Validata to a specialised network, and building these relationships will be of key value to Validata going forward.”
 
”The Chamber of Commerce has the market insight and network to support leaders in various sectors collaborate, share experience, and find solutions to challenging business topics. They are a great aid for Dutch companies wishing to expand into Sweden for example, their knowledge of local licenses and legal practices has supported us greatly. Altogether, we are delighted to have the opportunity to join such a network which will undoubtedly help us advance employment screening in the Nordics.”  
 
 ​

On Tuesday 11th of May we held a webinar with the theme "How have we adapted sales and marketing strategies during the past year".

Our speakers, Wendy Heijne (Founder and CEO at Studio Heijne), Denis van Nunen (Managing Director, Cegeka Nordics)， Yvet Malmveld （Co-founder and COO at Understatement Underwear ), shared with the participants how their business is affected by the pandemic and how they have coped with this challenge. The speakers provided a great mix of perspectives since they come from both B2B and B2C markets.

Denis van Nunen and Yvet Malmveld showed the market differences between Sweden and the Netherlands and which tools they have applied for digital marketing. Wendy gave us a great insight on how her small and medium-sized enterprise has responded to the pandemic.

The webinar was organised in a very interactive way, as the audience and speakers were able to ask each other questions.
 
A follow-up event with focus on the transformation for the sales channels will be planned soon. This coming webinar is initiated by our new corporate member Optimizers. Don't want to miss our events in the future? Become a member and sign up here!

Do you want to receive the recordings from the webinar? Please mail us here.

/Norah Jingchu

What did you do during your time in Sweden?
I started as VD/Managing director for Arlanda Schiphol Development Company AB (ASDC) in March 2011. ASDC was a joint venture between Swedavia and the Schiphol Group. The focuswas to strengthen the commercial offer to passengers and visitors to the Swedish airports and I was is in charge of the development of shops, restaurants and commercial service at the airports. Swedavia Airports made the transition to insourcing by buying the shares from Royal Schiphol Group in the spring of 2014 and after the transition I resigned and moved to Norway to join the board of Airport Retail Group A/S, a large Norwegian fashion and duty free operator in the Northern European area
 
What were your expectations of Sweden and becoming an MD in a new country? 
 It was my first posting abroad and we were fortunate enough to meet a culture coach for a day, while still in NL. He was able to give us tips & tricks on doing business in Sweden. What I remember best is that although you think Sweden and the Netherlands are  very similar, the way of doing business is truly very different. And that is so true….
 
Why did you become member of the Dutch Chamber? And do you have a favorite event you joined or organised?
My predecessor, Anne Marie Zuidweg, was the chairperson of the Dutch Chamber in 2011, so when I arrived I was fortunate to be able to directly join the events and later that year the board. It is a great opportunity to quickly build a network & share experiences with peers. Obviously the yearly gala was always a great event but I was also proud of the work that was done by the regions – whether the first ever event in Goteborg, the visit to the yearly Runn Winter Week in Falun and the company presentations. I believe they laid a good foundation.
 
What was your biggest learning from your time in Sweden that you would like to share with our Dutch Swedish network?
It was not always easy to remain patient and understand how things work in Sweden but I would say,  keep the similarities of our (business)cultures in mind and try not to focus so much on the differences. We Dutch tend to focus on what we (think we)  do better and speak to our hosts about what we think should improve. Our way of constant improvement, independency and challenging the status quo is absolutely a great quality but in my view it is better to make changes you want to make without speaking to that.
 
Are there things that you apply to your daily work now?
 Living and working in different business cultures gives you a broad perspective and I always make sure I retain my curiosity how to be effective in new environments. One of the things I really liked about the Swedes is their punctuality – Arriving late is considered extremely discourteous and unprofessional. Where Dutch tend to come late to meetings (and parties for that matter) all the time, it shows respect to the time of others and I still live by that motto.
 
What are you doing right now?
 In 2018 I moved my family from the Netherlands to the New York area to become the President & CEO of JFK International Air Terminal LLC. JFKIAT is the first private operator of an airport terminal in the United States - Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. It is, one of the most active air terminals in the New York area, and serves 30 international and domestic airlines with an annual passenger volume of 22 million travelers in 2019.
 
What are the challenges in your current job you are facing?
This past year has disrupted and accelerated the pace of change in people, processes, place and technology across all aspects of the aviation industry. With my team i have prioritised the health and safety of our employees and passengers throughout the crisis and as a result, we have a strong culture of unity and placed that first and foremost during this crisis.  And I am proud to see that we have not only persevered, but also witnessed our airport community and partners go above and beyond to ensure a safe and secure environment to win back customer confidence in air travel.
 
 Have you ever visited Sweden after you left?
 YES, Sweden will always remain in our hearts. We have made so many new friends, Swedes  and from across the globe. Stockholm is simply beautiful and we look forward to visiting Sweden again soon….
 
 /E.B.

On the 30th of March we were invited to join the webinar: Global Impact of The Dutch Elections that organised by International Chambers and organisations in the Netherlands, The elections were held in March 2021. 
The Netherlands is traditionally a country with a strong focus on export.  Ingrid Thijssen, president of VNO-NCW gave her reflections on the elections, this was followed by a panel discussion of three experts. The panelists agreed the impact was limited given the size of our country. 
Read more on the website of the Swedish Chamber.

/Frank Cleeren