Word of a
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:Dear fellow members, Most of our members are either subsidiaries or branches of Swedish companies or Dutch companies with subsidiaries or branches in Sweden. When you work in such an organisation you’ll see the differences in culture and mentality on a daily basis. This time I want to reflect a little on the cultural differences between the two countries. We often hear that the Swedish and Dutch culture is very similar. But although they have many things in common and might look the same on the surface, there are differences. Some differences are obvious to anyone, and some are so small that you don’t really notice them at first. In the organisation where I work we talk a lot about these differences. We don’t try to make our Dutch colleagues Swedish or our Swedish colleagues Dutch. Instead we try to create a better understanding why colleagues with different national backgrounds behave as they do by learning about their values. The aim is to create a better co-operation within our organisation which in the end will benefit our customers. In the past we have for instance learned why our Dutch colleagues can be very sceptical and argumentative, why negotiations in the Netherlands takes time and should never be rushed, why Dutch people feel obliged to give their opinion about almost everything, why it is important to be punctual (except when the traffic is terrible in which cases it is OK to be a little late) and why the Dutch have such impressive linguistic abilities. At the same time we have understood why our Swedish colleagues never interrupt when talking to someone, why Swedes uses less body-language, why 5 minutes of small-talk before discussing business is more than enough, why silence doesn’t need to be negative and that fika is much more than coffee. To really succeed as a Swedish company in the Netherlands or as a Dutch company in Sweden a basic understanding of the local culture is essential. A good way to increase your knowledge and understanding of the cultural differences is by being an active member or patron of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, and to take part in the many excellent events hosted. The program for the next couple of months looks very interesting, and I’m sure that you will find an event that suits you. The Chamber is a great link between Sweden and the Netherlands, and is an excellent place to start your cultural journey. The spring is in the air, the trees are slowly turning green and the tulips are once again in full bloom. I hope you will all have a nice spring, and I’m looking forward to seeing you in the Swedish Chamber! Mikael Sorensen
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Dear Members, The Swedish Chamber of Commerce Magazine 2010/2011 is on its way with the post! 60 pages with photos, reports, interviews and reviews of an extra ordinary anniversary year but also with information about membership, patronship and how to become a member and the benefits of being a member of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce. Help us to reach out to more companies interesting in the Swedish-Dutch Business Network by spreading the Magazine to your business relations. You are more than welcome to contact the office to order extra free copies to give away. |
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Björn Skala
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The Swedish Chamber of Commerce is very proud to present the 
Michael Treschow
Jeroen van der Veer
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Welcome to three new Board Members!
After the AGM Drs. Ir. Mr. Jeroen van der Veer, Chairman of the Board of ING and Philips and non-executive director at Shell addressed the members of the Swedish Chamber at a 
Up-Coming Program:
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Master Class Network Dinner at Rotterdam 
Tuesday May 24, 2011 "The SAAB Challenge Trophy” 2011 
Welcome to join The Swedish Chamber of Commerce Coast to Coast Study trip June 8 – 11, 2011 Gothenburg-Jönköping-Kalmar-Öland-Kosta-Boda
For event photos click here |
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Past Events
The Coach Pub by De Baak on Wednesday March 16, 2011 at Hotel Sebastian was an inspiring and successful event where about 30 Swe-Cham and JCC members experienced an interactive coaching evening. Through several short exercises the participants explored the benefits of coaching, how it is to be coached and to coach someone yourself. David Mooijart, sales LEAP and Mart van Veen, Trainer Personal Leadership from DeBaak encouraged the participants to look into situations from different angels and to use coaching as a mirror for yourself. We would like to thank Mr. David Mooijaart and Mr. Mart van Veen for an exiting and fun seminar and also all the participants for their contribution to make this a very successful event.
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JCC welcomes four new Committee Members: 
Up-Coming JCC Events April 30, 2011 JCC QUEENS DAY PARTY BOAT - FULLY BOOKED! The interest for JCC Queens Day party boat has been enormous and therefore the boat is now fully booked and a waiting list is applied.
Save the Day May 20, 2011 Company Presentation Swedish Trade Council
Past Events It was a nice group of JCC members that enjoyed an interesting and fruitful company presentation of Benify in the beautiful atmosphere of Crowne Plaza. Benify presented their new and innovative concept which enabled the audience to gain an interesting perspective on employee benefit management. The audience received exciting knowledge about how Benify support companies in order to make them more attractive as employers. The event started with a welcome drink and snacks and after the presentation the mingle continued. Please find pictures from the event at www.swedishchamber.nl and go to JCC/Past events. The evening started with a welcome drink and mingle at Brandstof and then continued to Mazzo and De Prins. The last stopping point was Werck where a lot of JCC members and guests were seen mingling until late night. Mingle pictures from the evening can be found at our webpage www.swedishchamber.nl go to JCC/Past events. |
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AFTER WORK & COMPANY PRESENTATION BY BENIFY
AW “Tour de Jordaan” Friday March 4
April 25, 2011 at 15.00 Nordic Easter Church Service in Amsterdam The Church of Sweden in Rotterdam visits Amsterdam and |
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