Team Finland UK’s newsletter 1/2018
We have just sent out our first ever Team Finland newsletter. We are planning to send one about four times per year. We will also publish the newsletters here on our website. If you’d like us to cover certain topics or events, please feel free to get in touch. All comments and feedback are most welcome!
Introducing UK’s Team Finland coordinator, Päivi Pihlajamäki
Team Finland network promotes Finland and its interests abroad: internationalisation of Finnish enterprises, investments in Finland, and the country brand. The operating model brings together the key actors and services in these fields. Team Finland partners in the UK are the Embassy, Business Finland, Visit Finland, The Finnish Institute in London, Finnish-British Chamber of Commerce and Finnish Honorary Consulates around the UK. The network helps Finnish enterprises become more international, grow and succeed in the global market.
Counsellor Päivi Pihlajamäki has been the Team Finland coordinator in the UK for the past two years. Her most important task as a coordinator is to bring the right people and partners together. ”We are a network of several different organizations, but everyone has been very eager to work together which makes my job easier”, says Pihlajamäki.
“Team Finland’s biggest focus themes this year are healthcare, digitalization, and tourism. It has been a really active year especially with healthcare. Tourism and digitalization are also sectors that have been growing rapidly. In addition to this, we see many opportunities for Finnish companies in the UK especially in the bioeconomy and cleantech sector, where the UK will be investing in heavily during the next years. The UK is also an important source of investment in to Finland”, tells Pihlajamäki. “There are many interesting cooperation possibilities between our countries to explore – it’s actually sometimes difficult to prioritize our work”, she concludes.
In addition to Team Finland coordination, Pihlajamäki is in charge of the Embassy’s reporting on UK’s economic policy, trade and development policies as well as sectoral issues such as the new industrial policy. Needless to say, Brexit gives a special flavor to all of these at the moment.
Contact details of the Team Finland UK: Embassy of Finland in London – Team Finland in the United Kingdom(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.)
SMASH London – Scandinavian and British sport health start-ups roundup in London
SMASH London is a new Official SMASH Helsinki side-event, dedicated to sport, technology and Scandinavian start-ups meeting Londoners. SMASH London brings together sports, health and technology. This May, the first ever SMASH London event was organised and it was a huge success.
“The launch of first ever SMASH London succeeded over expectations. The cooperation between Business Finland and the organisers of SMASH was great both before and during the two-day event. On both days, Finnish start-ups showcased their expertise with the finest results. The second day was held at the residence of the Finnish Ambassador Päivi Luostarinen and it gathered a huge audience. The concept of SMASH is an excellent way for Londoners to get acquainted with Finnish start-ups", tells Meria Heikelä, Program Director at Business Finland.
Read more: Business Finland – Thank You London – We’ll be back!(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.)
Finnish Season at Brighton Fringe Festival
This year from 4th of May to 3rd of June, Finnish Season took over Brighton Fringe, the largest multi-art festival in England, offering a new perspective on originality. With Finland’s reputation of creativity and seeking more than meets the eye, Brighton Fringe teamed up with the Finnish Institute in London and the Embassy, to show how diverse the Finnish culture actually is.
The Finnish Season included performances, acts, art installations and much more, from street art and acrobats to the hobbyhorse craze from Finland. All this took place on the streets, bars and theatres in Brighton.
Read more: The Finnish Institute in London – Brighton Fringe Finnish Season(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.)Brighton Fringe – Finnish Season(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.)
Nordic Ambassadors brought plogging, the eco-friendly fitness trend to London
Nordic Ambassadors in London supported this year's theme of the World Environment Day, marine litter, by plogging. It is a running trend from Sweden, which is rapidly spreading to other countries. Ploggists combine environmental act with exercise and collecting rubbish thrown into the environment while running.
The Ambassadors of the Nordic countries put their running shoes on 5th of June and collected litter along the river Thames. Ambassadors also met with Emma Crane, Chief Program Officer of the British Marine Conservation Society, who briefed them about protecting the sea and the need of regulatory reforms in Britain. Embassies' plogging videos and tweets received thousands of views, likes and shares on social media. Finnish Embassy of London would like to see embassies around the world to go plogging with the Nordic attitude!
Watch our plogging video on the Facebook page of the Embassy: Nordic Ambassadors go plogging on World Enviroment Day(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.).
Creative Industries, Fashion Lifestyle – Finnish fashion brews from Nordic design
Business Finland organised a networking event for Finnish fashion and lifestyle brands on 7th of June, at the Finnish Institute in London. Business Finland’s Lifestyle Finland program supports the growth of Finnish lifestyle consumer goods companies in the field of fashion, design, home decor, furniture, children's products, beauty and personal care. The program is meant for Finnish lifestyle companies who have clear growth plans to get sales in the program's focus markets.
At the event, Finnish fashion and design brands met the top UK fashion and design players. Over 50 guests networked with rising Finnish talent and got a fascinating overview of what Finnish design is all about. Participating brands received lot of positive feedback that shows Finnish design truly impressed UK's fashion design community.
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