Meet Honorary Consul Kristina Mattila of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Meet our honorary consuls! Welcome to our series introducing the honorary consuls working with the Consulate General of Finland in New York. Honorary consuls are private individuals who play an important role in promoting Finland and supporting Finnish citizens and companies in their respective regions. They help strengthen Finland’s diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties locally. We are pleased to introduce Kristina Mattila, our honorary consul in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Kristina Mattila has been Finland’s Honorary Consul in Pennsylvania since 2008. Having grown up in Finland, she initially moved to the U.S. for her Master’s in Business Administration program in Kansas City. Besides her degree from the University of Missouri, she also holds a Master’s in Law from the University of Helsinki. She has centered her career on complex business and legal transactions relating to a wide variety of firms in Europe as well as the U.S, Russia, and China.
Mattila notes that many Finland-based enterprises are known for their innovativeness, high-quality products, and overall reliability. In her view, these traits ought to be complemented with a well-financed local marketing and overall business strategy, preferably with a U.S.-based partner. “There aren’t really such things as cold calls in the business world anymore,” she says, “and that’s where the Honorary Consuls come in. We can introduce Finnish companies to local stakeholders.”
Mattila recalls often hearing praise of Finnish technology from Pennsylvania locals all the way from the dentist’s office to the business districts. She continues to work very closely with business development agencies from both the city of Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania who offer free-of-charge consulting services for companies desiring to enter the market. Philadelphia is also home to world-class universities such as the University of Pennsylvania that offer not only well-respected degree programs, but constant events and resources for businesses wishing to develop and showcase their cutting-edge technology. The metropolitan area of a little over 6 million inhabitants is less than two hours away from both New York and Washington, D.C. by train, offering a unique access to both markets and a smooth starting ground for businesses to expand upon.
You can find information about all of Finland’s honorary consulates across the U.S. on our website: https://finlandabroad.fi/web/usa/honorary-consulates.