The Link, April 2020

Heroes in the SCC Community Members across all industries are stepping up to support the community amidst the Covid-19 crisis.

Ericsson and Scania working together The recently launched 5G technology entails boundless potential for improving connectivity across sectors.

LINK Dedicated to the Swedish-British business community since 1906

“The answer is not in technology. The answer is in human behaviour that these technologies have to be able to support.�

The SCC and Hyper Island launch unique partnership to support with leading teams online

No.350

Tech for good Volvo Car Mobility and Deligate on how to do good with technology and how it benefits society as a whole.

The LINK

ABOUT

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the United Kingdom is the ultimate business platform for Swedish and UK businesses. We help businesses establish, grow and develop, through our wide range of business services, matchmaking, events and programmes.

We represent some 400 businesses, from start-ups, to SMEs, unicorns and large multinational corporations, from across all sectors and industries. Founded in 1906 – by business and for business – we have connected the Swedish-British business community for over a century. Join us today, if you haven’t already.

SCC PATRONS

THE LINK ISSUE 350

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL

Editors: Jonas Eklund, Sara Apéria and Hedvig Astberg Cover photo: Nick Wright, Hyper Island

LinkedIn: /company/swedish-chamber-of-commercefor-the-uk Twitter: @SwedishChamber Instagram: @sccuk

NOT A MEMBER YET? Visit www.scc.org.uk or contact us on +44 (0)20 7224 8001 / info@scc.org.uk

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LINK

DEAR MEMBER

Proud to see Swedish businesses providing so much support to the community In the last issue of The Link I opened with the words “A new year is upon us, and perhaps more so than usual it feels like an opportunity for a fresh start, the dawning of a new time”.

Little did I know that only a couple of months later we would be in quarantine or self-isolation, forced to remote working, and perhaps mostly so worried about the general health of family, friends, colleagues and countrymen.

The development of the COVID-19 virus has been, and will continue to be, a challenging time for businesses as it carries with it uncertainty and economic impact. This time on a global scale.

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce was founded in London way back in 1906, and has seen businesses through two world wars, a Cold War and numerous financial crises. Now is a time for community, true core values and that ‘can do’ spirit that all job advertisements talk about.

For us at the Chamber it was a completely natural step to immediately start thinking of how we could help and how the Swedish-British business community could support in this time of uncertainty. We reached out to our members, and offered to help wherever needed. As a result, we launched our first webinar series already back in March, focused on supporting businesses with Q&A sessions around HR and employment and accessing government subsidies made available. Our entire events and training programme for the second quarter has been moved onto a virtual platform, which also brings with it opportunities.

delivering a special online training course in ‘Leadership in the digital age’, starting with leading remote teams, focusing on tools needed right now, and in the future. This is a unique collaboration, and we are proud of partnering with Nick Wright and his team. You can read more about Nick and Hyper Island on page 5.

One opportunity with online is that geographical limits are less important. Hence we reached out to our fellow Swedish Chambers in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, and the British Chamber in Stockholm and offered up a partnership on webinar solutions and services, where relevant to the broader group. The reception was great.

I am convinced that these partnerships will continue long after COVID-19 has gone.

business services team is available to support your needs, and our community team are here to help you make the most of your membership.

In this issue of The Link, the 350th issue – which is humbling, you will hear from a number of businesses responding to the COVID-19 crisis, and how some of them can support your business. Happy reading, and please get in touch if you think we can help in any way.

Stay safe!

It is with great pride that we see member businesses contributing to the fight against the virus, and supporting society, in Britain, Sweden and beyond. Whether it’s Nolato securing supplies to the pharma and medical device industry, Volvo and Absolut Vodka transforming their production into making hand sanitisers or software providers opening the free use of their platforms to support the masses getting used to a remote working reality. There is a saying in Sweden; ‘many small creeks make a river’, and this is true. If we all support with what we have at hand, and support our fellow friends, businesses and neighbours, we can all make lasting impact. Community matters.

Our team will be working remotely for the time being, and are in full swing planning our virtual programme for the spring, and hopefully an exciting programme for the autumn, with the Tech Forum, Summit and much more. Our

Peter Sandberg, Managing Director Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK sandberg@scc.org.uk

EVENTS AND PROGRAMMES

MEMBERSHIP AND COMMUNITY

Finance and Operations

Mathilda Börjesson, Events and Programmes Manager Anna Dahlqvist Thuresson, Swedish Youth Abroad Scholar Philip Rask, Intern

Sofia Larsen, Senior Manager Membership and Community Henrik Barkman, Gull & Stellan Ljungberg Foundation Scholar Emilia Nordin, Intern

Peter McNamee, Financial Controller

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Business services

Contact us

Jonas Eklund, Marketing and Communications Manager Sara Apéria, Handelsbanken UK Scholar Hedvig Astberg, Intern

Anna Crona, Business Services Manager Madeleine Hjalber, The Sten A. Olsson Foundation Scholar Baltsar Lindgren, Intern

Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK Sweden House, 5 Upper Montagu Street, London W1H 2AG +44 (0)20 7224 8001, info@scc.org.uk

We are also proud to take our business support to the next level, by partnering with Swedish educational provider Hyper Island on

SCC TEAM

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Don’t just hope for a better future.

Plan for one.

What does the future look like for you and your loved ones?

We are all about helping you achieve your aspirations, and we acknowledge that everyone has a unique set of challenges. That is why we are genuinely committed to understanding you and your ambitions for the future.

To find out what we can do for you, contact Helena Whitmore or Daniel Wikehult on +44 (0) 20 7246 4225 or privatebanking@seb.co.uk

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB sebgroup.com/privatebanking

This publication is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute a financial promotion.

Our London contacts are available to introduce you to the Private Banking network in SEB, but Private Banking services such as asset management are not provided from the UK and therefore any contractual relationship will be with the SEB entity actually providing such services.

Please be aware that the value of investments can go down as well as up. Past performance is not necessarily a reliable indicator of future performance. Future returns are not guaranteed and a loss of principal may occur.

CONTENTS THE LINK • ISSUE 350 • APRIL 2020

VOLVO TRUCKS GOes THE EXTRA MILE As one of the major players on the UK market, Volvo Trucks is going that extra mile to keep their customers on the road and to help keeping the country from grinding to a halt in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pages 7-8

Providing safe and seamless entrances

Meet Linda Thiel The Link met with Linda Thiel, Director at the London Studio of White Arkitekter, to discover the legacy of the architecture firm and its dedication to sustainability and innovation.

The Link discussed the emergence of smart cities and how Gunnebo contributes to the development of Mobility as a Service with Robert Hermans, Executive Vice President and Deputy CEO of Gunnebo Group.

Pages 38-39

Pages 17-18

a new customs environment

Swedish innovation meets British engineering

Quality design will live forever

Steve Cock, Director Customs Consultancy at KGH UK & Ireland, shares his top tips for companies to get ready for the new trading environment due to Brexit.

Ken Brewster, UK Sales & Marketing Director at Husqvarna Group, elaborates on the emergence and opportunities of the robotic lawn mower industry.

SCC members Skultuna and Svenskt Tenn elaborate on the fundamentals behind two of Sweden’s most successful design legacies of all time.

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PAGE 15

PAGEs 19-20

IN THE LINK 11 YEARS AGO “The British are famously at their best with their backs against the wall, and ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ embodies a national sense of determination, and nostalgia for a time when there was an unquestioning faith in those in power.” These words were from Camilla Lilliesköld, Creative Director of Camilla Lillesköld Design & Art Direction, in the May edition of the Link in 2009, Issue No. 281. The article describes the history behind the expression “Keep Calm and Carry On” that was originally a WWII propaganda poster in the United Kingdom in order to give courage to its citizens. In light of the current COVID-19 virus crisis, it is more important than ever to keep spirits high.

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SCC & HYPER ISLAND LAUNCH New Course

FEATURE

Leading teams online: about human behaviour

The SCC and Hyper Island have launched a unique new partnership, supporting business leaders in the digital age, and helping the adaption to a new remote working reality. The result is a three-week online course that will help you and your team work better together remotely, be more effective and reach your goals. Get the modern toolbelt for culture, collaboration and leadership in times of change and complexity all while doing your job. Learn more at scc.org.uk.

For many businesses, working from home has become a necessity in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and leaders find themselves leading and managing their whole team remotely, perhaps for the first time. It’s easy to believe that technology is the major threshold for teams to get over, when in fact it is equally as important to understand how culture and building empathy and trust help creating meaningful virtual experiences. “It’s never about technology. It’s actually always about human behaviour,” says Nick Wright, Managing Director of Hyper Island UK.

Founded in Sweden in 1996, SCC member Hyper Island is a school and consultancy, focusing on digital mindsets and skills, with culture change and innovation as some of the key elements. “We have been training over 10,000 remote leaders to-date. Across all projects, we help our clients to pivot their businesses into the 21st century and beyond, and to respond to the changes that are disrupting their businesses,” Nick says.

Empathy is essential Especially in today’s situation with a completely new territory both for the leader and the team, it is important to understand and to enhance empathy features. Nick explains: “People are trying to manage their work-life balance, with the schools being closed, having to home-school alongside keeping their jobs, and all the things in between. So, establishing empathy for that situation and sharing an understanding of what the issues are, is an essential starting point.”

Putting stinky fish on the table Hyper Island has made available an extensive online toolbox with resources for self-leadership, driving change and building stronger teams. When discussing empathy and building trust, Nick mentions the tool “Stinky Fish”, an activity focused on putting fears, anxieties and uncertainties on the table to create openness within the team. “It’s a great way of levelling anxieties, sharing humility and vulnerability, and it creates a shared community in that space as well. And that starts to build a new team culture where everyone can understand and respect each other’s situation.” The leader doesn’t have to have all the answers because, according to Nick, it’s not their job to solve people’s personal anxieties and worries. “But it is their job to have empathy for the situation and for each of the team members to have empathy. This is to enhance collaboration, effective group dynamics and self-leadership.”

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Building a new culture To start building working practices, Nick suggests writing a Remote Working Charter, to define the guidelines and behaviours expected from the team when working from home.

“We need to understand that the culture we had in the office and the way of working is out now, certainly for the foreseeable future, and that a new culture has to be created. You can do it with your existing team, but you just have to work around those confines. What are the issues that these individuals are facing? It’s a structured approach to reflecting on what the experience has been for the past couple of weeks or a month, what we have learned from that and use that insight to create a shared charter for the group to start becoming more productive.”

Water cooler moments For someone who is used to working from the office, moving into a virtual space can be challenging, especially when it comes to the lack of social interaction between colleagues. “The thing that is missing in remote work is the regular chats. That doesn’t happen so much in remote working because you’re dialling in for the meeting and you don’t have the informal chat either side of the meeting. You need to create space for that opportunity in the beginning of your meetings and have a ‘check in’.

You check in with a question; ‘How’s your day?

What are you looking forward to later today?’.

That way you can see how people are feeling and that becomes sort of your water cooler moment.”

Break up bigger teams Nick mentions platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams that all allow these interactions but advises bigger teams of 12 or above to be broken into smaller groups. “Within those pods, you start to have a level of responsibility and commitment to the other people in that group. To maintain a high level of efficiency and trust is

Nick Wright, Managing Director of Hyper Island UK.

critical to that space as well. That will filter up and across your teams anyway, no matter what size of company that you’re running.”

Building high performing teams During the interview, Nick returns to the importance of culture and enhancing trust in order to achieve efficiency and high performing teams. “There’s some great thinking from the author Susan Whelan. She talks about different stages of trust building or different stages of team development. It’s a very important piece of writing and theory behind what we do.” He continues: “At stage one, the team needs clear and purposeful leadership, and accountability to each other in terms of job descriptions and clarity. But as you move through the different stages, it’s more about challenging each other and the leader. When you get through that stage, you get into stage three and four, which is more about high performing, and that’s where you get the efficiency.”

There is more research pointing in the same direction. Nick refers to a research project by Google, called the Aristotle Project, looking at the factors that create a high performing team: “It wasn’t that they all worked in the same place. It wasn’t that they all worked remotely, and it wasn’t that they had a particular ability or were particularly intelligent. The biggest single thing was that they had psychological safety in their team. They trusted each other. They believed in each other and they knew that if they failed, they would be supported in learning how to do better, or they would be allowed to learn from the failure.”

Technologies supporting human behaviour “We just have to remember that the answer is not in technology. The answer is in human behaviour that these technologies have to be able to support. It is always there, you just have to translate it. Dialling up the communication in these spaces is the main thing.”

LINK

FEATURE

5 tips on how to successfully work from home Many businesses are advising employees to work from home, both in the UK and in Sweden, in line with the governments’ guidance to help reducing the spread of COVID-19. But how do you stay productive while working from home?

Here are five tips on how to turn your home into your WFH office.

in work mode connected social and have fun 4 Get 5 Be 1 Get Try to stick to your normal routines. Set the Set clear expectations for communication for Try to find ways to interact socially with your alarm, get dressed and have your breakfast, as if you were going to the office. This will help you to get in work mode and focus on getting the job done.

work area 2 Dedicated Even if it is temporary, a separate work space helps you switch to work mode – and helps you switch back and “close the office door behind you” when you’re done for the day.

regular breaks 3 Take Don’t forget to take physical breaks to stretch

and move around. Get up from your computer for coffee and lunch to keep those regular breaks you usually would have at the office.

you and your team, and make a plan for staying in touch with your colleagues regularly. There are a lot of tools out there to use for virtual meetings, such as Skype, Microsoft Teams, Slack and FaceTime. Instead of only using email, don’t forget to pick up the phone once in a while for those quick job-related questions. As a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SCC patron Quinyx is providing open access to their communication module and mobile app for any organisation needing to support easy communication between employers and employees.

colleagues when working from home. Schedule virtual pizza parties or remote after works over Skype or Microsoft Team, as well as regular meetings with no agenda, when you are just chatting and grabbing a coffee together.

Also, SCC patron Spotify has numerous WFH playlists that will help you keep your energy levels up throughout the day.

What support is available to my business?

Governments across the world are looking at how best to support businesses and enterprises through the COVID-19 crisis. Both the UK and Swedish governments have announced a range of initiatives that may apply to your business.

UK initiatives

Swedish initiatives

9 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – paying part of UK businesses employees’ salary that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis.

9 Statutory Sick Pay relief package for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs).

9 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality, leisure and nursery businesses in England.

9 Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank.

9 Crisis package for jobs and transition including temporary reinforcement of the unemployment insurance.

9 Central government loan guarantee for small businesses to make it easier for companies to access financing.

9 Increased loan facilities and credit guarantees for Swedish businesses.

9 Credit guarantees for airlines 9 Sick pay standard deduction is discontinued temporarily until 31 May.

VISIT THE SCC COVID-19 PORTAL Learn more about the subsidies issued by Swedish and British governments in the SCC’s COVID-19 portal. You will also find useful links to guidelines for both individuals and businesses that are experiencing times of uncertainty and complexity, in light of the pandemic: scc.org.uk/about/covid-19

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FEATURE

Volvo Trucks goes the extra mile amid the COVID-19 crisis Disrupted logistics can cause huge issues for both consumers and businesses, as well as for society as a whole, if food, gasoline and medical supplies were not being delivered in time. As one of the major players on the UK market, Volvo Trucks is going that extra mile to keep their customers on the road and to help keeping the country from grinding to a halt in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Safety is one of our core values, so to stand up and take responsibility and support in this extraordinary situation is natural for us,” says Robert Grozdanovski, Managing Director of Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland.

BY: JONAS EKLUND

Volvo Trucks, part of SCC patron Volvo Group, began life in the UK as Ailsa Trucks Ltd, based in Glasgow back in 1967. The business was the sole importer of Volvo Trucks into the UK. In 1975 Volvo Trucks bought the business and formed the company that we know today. In 1985, its head office was moved to its current location in Warwick. “The UK & Ireland are very strong markets for Volvo Trucks. We enjoy a market share of around 17% for vehicles above 18 tons, which equates to around 6,000 trucks per year. We are supported by a strong dealer network with 85 workshops across the UK & Ireland,” says Robert.

A natural choice Born in Volvo Trucks home city Gothenburg, and having graduated with a Master’s degree in engineering, it was only natural for Robert to pursue a career with Volvo. “I started my career with the company back in 1997 with Volvo Bus, before moving onto trucks. I’ve been lucky enough to work along some fantastic people in different parts of Europe during my 23 years with Volvo. Robert moved from Sweden to Poland as Commercial Director for the Central East markets. In 2007 he became Managing Director in Slovakia and in 2010, moved to the Czech Republic to take up the same position. Before joining Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland in January 2019, he held the position of Managing Director & Vice President for Volvo Group Trucks in Central East Europe.

“I’m now a few months into my second year here in the UK and am thoroughly enjoying my time, again working with a fantastic team both in the head office in Warwick and our dealer network.”

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Tough times for the transport industry Many industries are facing tough times at present, and the transport industry is no exception. “Transport is still happening but as manufacturing and construction slows down

”Our customers are keeping the country moving and we will support them as much as we can in this” or even stops temporarily, work for many of our customers has gone down in the last few weeks. Nevertheless, operators in food distribution, medical and pharmaceutical supplies have been dealing with very high volumes in the last month,” Robert says.

Drivers seen as heroes Drivers are considered key workers but according to Robert, they are currently facing many challenges such as refusal to use toilet and wash facilities at many of their delivery points. He explains that drivers sometimes get a rough ride from members of the general public, but that the perception has changed somewhat in the last couple of weeks. “Drivers are now being seen as heroes and are even being compared to NHS staff. Our customers are keeping the country moving and we will support them as much as we can in this.” As a way of acknowledging their important work, Volvo Trucks has asked people to nominate

“Haulage Heroes” on its social media channels. “The response from this has been phenomenal. We are a proud industry and a proud business, and we will give recognition where we can. Several high-profile celebrities have got on board to share our campaign and supported us, such as TV presenters Nick Knowles, Kirstie Allsopp, Davina McCall, Steph McGovern, Carol Vorderman and even Deborah Meaden of Dragon’s Den fame.”

Keeping the trucks on the road In times like these, disrupted logistics could be disastrous for the society. “If food doesn’t get onto supermarket shelves, fuel doesn’t get into filling stations and vital medical supplies don’t get to hospitals, the country grinds to a halt and causes all sorts of economic and domestic chaos,” Robert says and explains that it is vital for Volvo Trucks to keep its workshops supplied with spare parts to keep the supply chain moving. “The vast majority of our parts supply comes in from Ghent in Belgium overnight and so far, we’ve managed to keep this moving with very little disruption. We also have a huge parts stock in our UK warehouse in Rugby so as long as we can keep these fed, we will succeed in keeping our customers fleets on the move and society functioning.”

Staff going the extra mile Volvo Trucks has experienced a lot of staffing challenges across its network, with staff self-isolating, but has still managed to keep its workshops open. “Our workshops and our people are going the extra mile. We are still delivering and doing that extra little bit every single day to support our customers businesses. One of our workshops in East Anglia even asked for technicians to volunteer to go and

LINK

FEATURE

More heroes in the SCC community The current COVID-19 pandemic comes with numerous challenges for society and the business community. Hospitals have supply shortages of protective gear and materials, and are understaffed in order to fight the virus. Other challenges are spreading the word about the pandemic to the general public and working remotely. Luckily, many of our members have in the past weeks helped with these issues, by for example altering their production or retraining their staff to fit societal demand. We are proud to present some of the efforts made by the members of the SCC network.

Robert Grozdanovski, Managing Director of Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland.

Photo: Volvo Trucks.

work at a customer’s premises last weekend to keep his fleet on the road. Ten technicians offered and serviced a significant amount of trucks and trailers to ensure the fleet kept on the move.”

Safety as core value Robert explains that Volvo Trucks’ brand identity is very strong in the UK & Ireland, with customers and the transport industry perceiving it as a premium brand. “We instil this culture into our whole workforce who all pull strongly together to deliver. Volvo Trucks global core values are Environment, Quality and Safety. These core values together with our Swedish heritage form a strong corporate culture and are the basis for everything we do day to day.” He continues: “As a company we have always taken a strong social responsibility in the different societies we work and act in.

Furthermore, with safety as one of our core values, to stand up and take responsibility and support in this extraordinary situation becomes just natural for us.”

Relationships built on trust and confidence Building relationships on trust and confidence with customers and partners, is a natural way of doing business for Volvo Trucks. “We have an ethos of always being there for our customers, especially now when they most need us to help keep their fleets on the road. This is what we define as a partnership, in good times and bad we’re in this together. Our philosophy is that if we go the extra mile and support our customers when they need us, then there’s a good chance they will come back to us in the future.”

IKEA produces face masks and protective gear for hospitals In the wake of the current pandemic, SCC patron IKEA Group is producing face masks and other protective gear for hospitals in order to help them with shortages of protective equipment against COVID-19. IKEA Group originally started producing masks for employees in China, but are now attempting to distribute gear to hospital workers all around in Europe.

Scania helps Getinge with ramping up production of respirators Employees of SCC patron Scania, who have been left without work due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, are helping Swedish medical technology company Getinge with increasing the production of respirators.

“Getinge needs to increase its production dramatically and we want to help by offering our expertise in logistics,” says Henrik Henriksson, President and CEO of Scania.

H&M delivers protective gear to EU hospitals SCC patron H&M is lining up its supply chain to help delivering protective gear to EU hospitals. Many hospitals are running short of gear for health workers and equipment needed for treating severe coronavirus cases. H&M is sharing its purchasing operations and logistics capabilities in order to source supplies, which the company will be donating in these urgent times.

Peltarion offers its AI platform to COVID-19 research SCC member Peltarion is offering its AI platform to medical researchers working with COVID-19 related research, to help process data in the struggle against the pandemic.

Peltarion’s platform allows people who are not AI experts to build and deploy cutting edge deep learning AI applications and the company is now putting both its platform and research and applied AI teams to service.

SAS employees offered medical training in the wake of COVID-19 SAS employees who have been left without work due to the current COVID-19 pandemic have been offered short medical training at Sophiahemmet’s University College in Stockholm.

With their new skills they would be ready to support the Swedish health care system where needed and able to. The training is a joint initiative by Sophiahemmet’s University College, SCC member SAS, and Novare, with funding from the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation.

Pernod Ricard turns vodka into hand sanitiser SCC member Pernod Ricard, producer of Absolut Vodka, has announced that the company will convert some of its distilleries in the US to produce hand sanitiser. The company will then donate the hand sanitiser to help during the massive shortage of the product.

Quinyx offers open access to its communication module during COVID-19 As a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SCC patron Quinyx is providing open access to their communication module and mobile app for any organisation needing to support easy communication between employers and employees.

KING PARTNERS WITH UK GOVERNMENT TO SPEAD THE WORD ABOUT COVID-19 SCC patron King is partnering with the UK government and several other gaming companies in order to spread the word about COVID-19.

In their mobile games, such as Candy Crush Saga, they are inserting a text that says “Stay at Home”. On top of this, they have donated more than 230 digital poster advertising spaces in London, for the government to put crucial public health messages. Normally, theses spaces would be used for King’s own advertising.

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OUR WAY OF THINKING PROTECTS YOUR WAY OF LIFE Saab is a global defence and security company, present on all five continents.

We are global and international, but remain rooted in Swedish values of trust, reliability, innovation and loyalty. Saab has been active in the UK for over 40 years, delivering advanced defence and security solutions to British Armed Forces and the Emergency Services. This strong relationship has not only improved British defence capabilities, but has also strengthened both Swedish and UK economies, whilst keeping our people and society safe. www.saab.com/uk

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LINK

FEATURE

Getting to grips with a new customs environment Since the UK formally left the EU on 31 January, a transition period is in force until the end of 2020, during which the UK and EU are negotiating their future trading relationship. Even if details on the trade agreement are yet to be revealed, it is certain that there will be consequences and demands for customs declarations and additional border procedures. The Link spoke to Steve Cock, Director Customs Consultancy at SCC member firm KGH UK & Ireland, to find out how companies trading between the UK and EU will be affected and what they can do to prepare.

BY: JONAS EKLUND

SCC member KGH started life in the Nordics back in the 1960s. With 800 employees serving some 24,000 customers across Europe, it is today the largest independent customs services provider in Europe. “We help businesses get the authorisations they require, and make sure they’re doing trade in compliance with the law,” Steve says.

Limited resources to handle declarations According to Steve, one of the major issues going forward will be the amount of paperwork related to customs declarations, and the limited resources to handle them. “At the moment, you’ve got about 40 million declarations a year, and that is only in the UK. That number is going to go up to probably 250 to 300 million, because most of our trade is with the European Union.

And someone has to make those declarations.

Today, there’s about 10,000 people in the UK brokerage industry. It is estimated that the number has to go up by at least 50,000 to take on additional declarations.”

To meet this demand, KGH has been assigned by the UK government to increase skills and knowledge of the commercial and regulatory environment surrounding international trade. “On behalf of HM Treasury and HMRC, we have set up an online training facility called the UK Customs Academy, in partnership with the Institute of Export, a trade body specialising in imports and exports. At the moment we are trying to get as many people onto those courses as possible.”

Getting tariff classifications right There are a number of things businesses trading between the EU and the UK must consider, one of them is getting the tariff classifications right.

“You need to have the correct tariff classification for your goods. Every product has a 10-digit code that tells customs what it is. Most of the time, people haven’t really bothered getting them right, because there’s no tax associated with them. Now, they need to get their classifications in order. They need to understand where the goods are coming from, and they have to value it for customs purposes, which is different to just the invoice price.” Steve says that the tricky part could be to find someone to make the declaration for them. “They could make their own declarations using off-the-shelf software, or get an agent, but there is virtually no capacity at the moment to be able to make your import-export declarations.”

Years of planning Steve explains that many major companies have spent years on planning for a post-Brexit environment, but not all companies have understood the impact new customs regulations will have on their businesses. “We work with major brands like Volvo and Honda, and they’ve spent years working on Brexit starting as soon as they knew it was coming. So, they are very well prepared.

But each time Brexit has neared, companies that have made little or no preparations have called us for help. The problem is that if you need an authorisation from customs, it’s a minimum of three months to obtain the approval and, depending on what it is, it might just be that you receive a letter of acknowledgement and nothing more in that period. If you need a customs warehouse, there’s a queue for about a year only to join the process of the application, because customs just don’t have the staff to handle it. If you are starting now, you will be very late.”

Understanding the language of customs A transition to the new customs regulations is less problematic for small companies trading with smaller volumes, but nonetheless, they will need someone to prepare their declarations for them as well as someone in the organisation that understands the language of customs. “I was a customs officer quite a while ago and at the time, I would go and visit companies and they all had somebody who understood customs. But as time has passed, the need for that has gone because we’ve been in the European Union. Today most companies don’t have that knowledge, but a lot of them will need it again. So, it’s not just the brokers that companies need going forward.”

Avoid the VAT trap One of the most concerning pitfalls, according to Steve, is not understanding VAT liability, which could result in an unpleasant surprise in form of VAT arrears and penalties. “If you import goods, you must be the owner of them when they cross the border to properly account for the import VAT. Anyone can pay import duty and VAT, but only the owner of the goods is allowed to recover import VAT. But terms of trade within Europe aren’t like normal worldwide terms of trade. If you for example buy something from Brazil, the ownership will generally change, as it leaves Brazil, while it’s on the sea, or as it arrives in the UK. The Brazilian company will manage the export, and the UK company the imports, so there is no import VAT issue. But in the European Union, there is no

duty and VAT to pay as goods cross borders, so the terms of trade do not matter as much. It follows that goods have been bought and sold on a more pragmatic basis, with title changing as they leave the supplier’s premises or as they are delivered.” Steve continues: “In worst case scenario, UK businesses that do not take title to the goods until they are delivered to them will nevertheless undertake the import. They will account for the import VAT liability, but not be entitled to its recovery. And then a year or two later, when they receive an audit, they will receive a VAT demand that they can’t get back, as well as a penalty on top of that. That’s the biggest nightmare waiting around the corner.”

Top tips to get prepared Rounding up the interview, Steve shares his top tips for companies to get ready for the new trading environment. “First of all, you need a broker.

If you decide to do it in-house, make sure to sort out the relevant declaration software. Check the terms of trade with your suppliers and customers to make sure that you’re not going to fall into the VAT trap. Also, make sure you have got the right terms of trade and that you actually have the right to import and export. Lastly, look at the flow of goods, check that you have the right classifications and decide if you need any customs approvals to carry on that trade.”

VISIT THE SCC BREXIT PORTAL Businesses need to assess their own exposure and any potential impact of Britain’s departure from the European Union. Visit the Chamber’s Brexit portal for useful information, links, updates and information: scc.org.uk/about/brexit/

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5G takes technological development to a completely new level As a platform for innovation and catalyst for development, the recently launched 5G technology entails boundless potential for improving global connectivity across industrial sectors. For instance, SCC patrons Ericsson and Scania have a partnership aimed at shaping the future of connected vehicles. Peter Marshall, Portfolio Marketing Manager at Ericsson, discloses how different industries can benefit from the 5G network’s groundbreaking potential, whilst Peter Vincent, Head of Connected Systems at Scania, unfolds the innovative technology’s role in transforming the autonomous vehicle industry and beyond.

BY: SARA APÉRIA

Ever since the introduction of the first digital network 2G in the 1990s, the telecommunications industry has been an object of incremental change. “Things do not stop in telecommunication – ideas are constantly evolving and being challenged,” says Peter Marshall, Portfolio Marketing Manager at Ericsson.

Nevertheless, Ericsson emphasises that the 5G network takes technological development to a completely different level: “With 5G, the reliability, speed and quality of the connectivity is much higher than ever before.” According to Peter Marshall, the potential of 5G can indeed only be facilitated or limited by the imagination of the human mind: “5G will be successful if people have the imagination to make 5G successful – it will be a platform for innovation.” From Scanias point of view, a differentiating factor of 5G is its ability to reduce latency and improve the data transfer rate. “I believe that fostering reliable mobile networks is a necessity which 5G will provide for us.

Since our main goal is to stay connected, it is naturally beneficial to have a higher bandwidth and reduce latency for the transport solution technology,” says Peter Vincent, Head of Connected Systems at Scania.

Cyber sickness Upon moving into virtual reality experiences, it is vital that the responses of the human senses are accurately synchronised with the expectations of the brain. If the latency exceeds the so-called ‘20 millisecond threshold’, a state emerges called ‘cyber sickness’. “With 5G technology, the latency can be further reduced than the 20 millisecond threshold, thus creating a scenario in which you feel completely immersed in what you are experiencing,” explains Peter Marshall. In recent times, Ericsson has carried out a series of research projects with King’s College London, aimed at reducing the 20 millisecond threshold. For instance, a spectacular use case was undertaken within the realm of music. Connected by 5G technology, Professor Mischa Dohler was playing a piano in Germany, meanwhile his daughter was singing in London. According to professional musicians, the delay must be less than 20 milliseconds in musical collaborations in order to avoid disturbance. “We are showing with 5G that people can collaborate to create musical performances across different countries. This

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is only possible due to the low latency that 5G introduces into cellular connectivity.”

Network Slicing Another extraordinary concept entailed by the 5G network is ‘network slicing’, implying that a dedicated subset of the network elements are dedicated for the particular service, maximising the effectiveness of the network and providing the specific capabilities for that service. In specific, a corporation can allocate each business area a specific sensor, which in turn is connected to the 5G platform.

To further support this through the introduction of AI and automation, the network can generate predictive algorithms that can aid the understanding of fluctuation in patterns.

Moreover, network slicing importantly meets a demand for privatised communication. Safe and efficient communication is particularly important for the internal communication sys-

”5G will be successful if people have the imagination to make 5G successful” tems of autonomous vehicles. When a vehicle lacks the presence of a human driver, the connected system must take on responsibility for communicating. By collecting data from the vehicle through connectivity, important information about the vehicle’s localisation and potential faults in its system can be reported.

“To effectively communicate with autonomous and manual vehicles alike is where Scania sees an urgent need for 5G technology,” says Peter Vincent.

Platooning In 2016 Scania became the first industrial representative to enter a partnership with Ericsson on the enrolment of 5G technology.

“We of course want to stay ahead of the curve by being Ericsson’s first collaborative partner on 5G. In this ongoing collaboration, we can jointly shape the future of transportation systems connected vehicles,” says Peter Vincent. The project focused on the concept of

‘platooning’ – signifying a plurality of trucks being directly connected and continuously communicating, whilst coherently travelling in the same direction. Although there are a variety of levels of platooning – for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles alike – the ultimate goal is that the first truck of the trail leads the trucks behind. From Scania’s point of view, it was important to roll out 5G-connected vehicles early enough to stay connected, yet late enough to avoid unnecessary costs. In opposition to consumer technology in which a device can be switched after a few years, the device is placed within the vehicle and is expected to operate exceptionally for at least another ten years to come. “We must have a broad spectrum of technology in our vehicles, wherefore introducing 5G in an early stage is important, so that the devices can stay connected in a decade as well,” says Peter Vincent.

Sustainable transport solutions In the main, Scania works towards a vision of providing sustainable transport solutions in alignment with its 2025 strategy. The technological shift for the vision is built on three pillars – autonomous, connected and electrified vehicles – which are combined in order to create sustainable transport solutions. “Scania develops its solutions by combining efficiency and sustainability. Connectivity is essential for

Peter Vincent, Head of Connected Systems at Scania. Photo: Scania.

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FEATURE

Peter Marshall, Portfolio Marketing Manager at Ericsson. Photo: Ericsson.

5G technology is for instance being used for ‘platooning’ – a plurality of trucks being directly connected and continuously communicating, whilst coherently travelling in the same direction. Photo: Ericsson.

deducing how to most effectively and sustainably develop transport solutions,” says Peter Vincent. Gathering and analysing data from the performance of individual vehicles as well as introducing feedback loops to drivers, enables the optimisation of fuel efficiency. “Connected vehicles reduce the fuel need and fuel costs, whilst putting less demand on our environment,” says Peter Vincent. Scania is particularly mindful about its energy consumption, since the corporation foresees an upcoming scarcity of the resource: “Regardless if you are using a combustion engine running on diesel, bio diesel or an electric driveline, you will still need to use as little energy as possible. In the future world, energy will be one of the most limiting and costly factors.”

on-demand delivery of components and an application of augmented reality, which enforces comprehension of the cars’ construction. “This ecosystem has really triggered an entirely new set of innovation. 5G has generated a huge portfolio of solutions that work collectively to benefit the factory.” Further, the factory of the future is described as a production site in which robots constantly communicate, monitoring and surveillance happen remotely and the factory floor is adapted without locking involvement. “In the factory of the future, one will be able to examine, monitor and influence the factory floor externally from all around the world,” says Peter Marshall.

Wireless factories Moreover, 5G technology is an essential factor behind improving the efficiency within the manufacturing industry. Essentially, wireless technology can be used to improve productivity, introduce new service applications and refine overall quality of manufactured goods.

Due to force majeure or a sudden external crisis, factories can urgently be obliged to modify production patterns. A current example is the quickly rising demand for hand sanitiser, in wake of the COVID-19 situation. “Wireless factories are capable of delivering goods quickly in order to meet an unexpected customer demand,” says Peter Marshall. Since 5G aids modular factories in adapting to specific projects, unnecessary outage times in terms of restructuring connections can be avoided.

Peter Marshall continues: “From an innovation point of view, this is where 5G stands out. 5G has now created a platform for people to work together and create multitudes of co-creation ecosystems.”

For instance, Ericsson has recently engaged in a collaborative project with the German electric car company eGO, aimed at creating a ‘factory of the future’. The electric cars are manufactured by using 5G technology, thus facilitating

Robotic surgeries Within the healthcare sector, a symbiotic relationship between 5G and robotic technologies can result in substantial valuable impact.

Since the outcome of surgeries can be a matter of life and death, quick response rates are of particular importance in robotic surgery experiments. Therefore, the essential latency requirement is below a 10 millisecond threshold, meaning that a robot must respond within a 10 millisecond time frame. In collaboration with the Centre for Robotics Research at the prominent King’s College London, Ericsson discovered how a robot could be manipulated from another room. By utilising three network slices, the project demonstrated how spectators could feel what the robot was touching, as well as see and hear everything that was in the same room as the robot. As a result, observers got an identical experience of the sequence of events from a 360 perspective.

“Physically we were in one location, whilst our senses, touch, hearing and sight were logically transferred to another location. The most beautiful thing about this demonstration was that digitisation enabled bringing together a plurality of people to observe what the surgeon was doing,” explains Peter Marshall. This transfer of senses has many applications that can support industry and society, such as teaching, emergency services and even tourism.

The future of connectivity As a result of the evidently demonstrated possibilities of wireless technology, Peter Marshall foresees a rising demand for connectivity in the future. “Both industrial markets, consumer markets and the public sector are showing a strong interest in wireless connectivity, so things are changing quite rapidly.” Likewise, Peter Vincent predicts that autonomous transportation systems must become more effective in the future, which in turn will require a higher degree of connectivity. “The entire logistics solutions and transportation systems will have to communicate more frequently and in detail in the future. Connectivity will be in all parts of the value chain, and we are currently exploring what our role will be in the system.”

Similarly, Peter Marshall emphasises that Ericsson also will be a key driver in the future development of connectivity: “I think that Ericsson is in a very strong place, because the appetite for wireless connectivity is constantly increasing, challenging and evolving. Ericsson is a global leader in 5G technology, and I am excited to see what can happen in the future.”

Furthermore, Peter Vincent predicts an increased prevalence of autonomous vehicles in the future, since they are not dependent on drivers to keep them going. “When we get autonomous vehicles running, there will be an increase in the use of the vehicles. Each vehicle will operate 24/7 and consequently wear out faster. That will lead to quicker technology cycles.” Furthermore, he foresees that the requirement of effective technology solutions will increase greatly in the future in correlation with a rising demand for seamless transportation systems. Peter Vincent concludes: “Scania aims to be at the forefront of technological development, by ensuring that we use the right technologies and introduce them in a service-minded way to our customers. Today is the time to change the fundamentals of technology.”

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Feature

TECH FOR GOOD As technology becomes more and more prominent in our everyday lives, it is natural that attempts to tackle major social and environmental societal challenges are also carried out through technology. In a rapidly evolving world, there are numerous examples of where technology is used for good, while ensuring that the product benefits the masses and addresses a specific community issue. In this feature, Bodil Eriksson, CEO of SCC patron Volvo Car Mobility and Adam Vikström, CEO of SCC member Deligate, give two different perspectives on how to do societal good with technology and how it benefits society as a whole.

BY: HEDVIG ASTBERG

The interaction of government and business life in many European countries has proved to be advantageous in finding new innovative ways of solving wide societal problems through businesses. According to a recent report from Tech Nation, it is estimated that “Tech for Good” organisations in the United Kingdom are currently valued at £2.3bn. A company with an environmental impact that is currently setting its course for the UK market, is the Swedish start up Deligate. Its solutions help grocery stores prevent food waste, by smart tracking expiry dates through an app.

Currently, the solutions are used in over 500 grocery stores in the Nordics. Adam Vikström, CEO at Deligate, believes they are solving a major issue for grocery stores that are struggling to keep track of the expiry dates on products as well as saving them time. “There’s always something to do if you only discover the product in time. But most of the time

when you find it, it already expired one to five days ago,” says Adam.

Volvo Car Mobility has another approach of doing good for society with technology, by addressing the fact that too many private cars stand idle in cities, being used only a few percent of the time. M, their new mobility service, aims to become a true alternative to privte ownership for urban dwellers wanting the freedom a car can provide. Bodil Eriksson, CEO at Volvo Car Mobility, elaborates on why their service makes a difference. “If you reflect on the impact of the society continuing with one product for one person, it is still unsustainable. The sharing or access economy has so much more to it, because we are driving a whole new behaviour.”

Filling a void in the market But how are these innovative ideas born? Both

Bodil Eriksson, CEO of Volvo Car Mobility.

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businesses were born by identifying a void in the market. Five years ago, the founders of Deligate were working at a grocery store in Örebro, Sweden, and saw a need for their solution as it was complicated to manually check goods for expiry dates. “The first question I always get when talking about our product is: Wait, don’t stores have a system for keeping track of this? And the simple answer is no, there is no way of tracking expiry days, they are just printed on the packet. So, the only way to be sure that nothing is expired, is to check every product every morning. And this of course takes a lot of time. And most of the time you miss the products that are actually expiring,” says Adam.

Back in 2017, Volvo Car Mobility studied consumer demands carefully and figured out what customers were missing on the market. “In the early days, we really wanted to find a true

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Growing consumer demand Consumer demand is central in the development and growth of companies trying to impact society through technology. “We see that there’s a growing demand from the consumer side, a new generation of customers that are demanding these kinds of solutions in a different way. They demand for the stores to show and be transparent. What do we do for the environment? What do we do to make this world a better place and to make our eco footprint as small as possible? We see a lot of the stores using it for that reason to be able to tell the customers that they are actually doing something. We’re concerned about these matters and we want to make a change,” Adam says.

Adam Vikström, CEO of Deligate. Photo: Deligate.

need, something that was not fully responded to or that there were not a lot of options for out there,” says Bodil. The starting point for M was the human perspective – how and when do people use cars? They kept coming back to these needs in the perspective of urban dwellers, what many people would like to see.

The company settled for a car mobility service that allows for medium long trips, which mirrors the primary use of car owners. Their main customers live in large cities and are not in need of a car in their everyday life, yet they still need to occasionally make longer trips to places where they would not use public transportation. “Our typical customers use cars a couple of times per month and they want a

“This has a massive effect on the way that we can collaborate with cities and with real estate developers to really start to build the cities for humans and not just for cars” nice and smooth access to a car,” according to Bodil. “They love the fact that it’s flexible, that there are no strings attached so that they can be extremely free in terms of when they need a car and how they use the car.” The real insight though, was to put focus on the whole customer experience, not isolated parts like booking, according to Bodil.

Volvo Car Mobility has developed their digital service in iteration with users. “There are a lot of different types of people that are interested in this, it doesn’t necessarily come with a certain age. I think we have one very strong group of people that are progressive minded people, who are environmentally concerned and aware. They are digitally interested and open to new digital services,” says Bodil and explains that it has been important for the company to develop their product around customers.

“We have not developed or built a booking site, but we have developed a platform that understands intent. This enables us to manage supply-demand predictability, and over time, to increase the level of personalisation and automation.” The strategy of adapting to customers’ intent has proved to be a successful one, as many of their customers are satisfied.

According to Bodil Eriksson, they are currently rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 17,000 users.

Beyond environmental impact What is special with businesses using tech for good is that they not only cater to customer demands but have a substantial impact on society as a whole. On top of this, they save the customers’ money and energy as they come up with new innovative ways to solve issues.

Deligate helps grocery stores reduce their food waste by 60% and the average store is saving 40,000 to 70,000 euro a year using their solution, according to Adam. Since the start, they have also saved 3 million goods from being tossed away.

Volvo Car Mobility believes it can limit the amount of cars in cities in the future. Because of their intent driven approach, they can take out more cars from the cities than already existing car services. “This has a massive effect on the way that we can collaborate with cities and with real estate developers to really start to build the cities for humans and not just for cars,” says Bodil.

The scalability opportunities are huge Although starting out on a small market initially in order to improve local issues, there are many opportunities to scale up ahead as the companies are meeting demands that are relevant on a global scale. “In terms of scalability the possibilities are huge, the problem of food waste exists everywhere. Basically, in every country in the world, you have an expiry date,

Feature

DELIGATE Deligate is an innovative tool that helps grocery stores prevent food waste by tracking, selling out and providing statistics about products that are close to expiring. Using Deligate, stores can make sure that all products are sold or donated in time, and that their customers never buy outdated food. Learn more: https://deligate.app

VOLVO CAR MOBILITY M is a smart car sharing service, and a fully owned, stand-alone company under Volvo Car Group, that can be used from an hour up to a weekend. The service currently exists in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. Learn more: https://m.co/se/en-US/

and you’re wasting food,” says Adam. Volvo Car Mobility sees a lot of opportunities to grow on a global scale as the company caters to people living in cities and is expecting the urban populations to grow. “Already 50% of the world’s population live in cities. By 2050 the researchers believe that we will have 70% of the world’s population in larger cities and with that comes a completely different way of living and the need of a private car changes,” says Bodil.

Tech Forum 2020: Tech for good 3 September | Microsoft Reactor There are plenty of examples of how businesses are tackling fundamental challenges facing us within environmental and social impact, and how they use tech for good. Join us at this years edition of Tech Forum on 3 September to discuss how ideas and innovation behind ideal driven technology and conscious investments can be used to drive change. Learn more: scc.org.uk.

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FEATURE

Swedish innovation meets British engineering at Husqvarna Originally founded as the “Jönköping Rifle Factory” by decree of the Swedish monarch in 1620, SCC member Husqvarna has been a leading supplier of innovative appliances – such as gardening equipment – for four centuries.

In this feature Ken Brewster, UK Sales & Marketing Director at Husqvarna Group, elaborates on the emergence and opportunities of the robotic lawn mower industry.

BY: SARA APÉRIA Initially, Husqvarna’s factory in the south of Sweden manufactured military equipment by appointment to the Swedish Armed Forces.

Ever since, the product line has evolved including appliances such as sewing machines, white goods and motorcycles. Following the introduction of its first hand-push lawn mower in 1919, Husqvarna has directed focus towards its forestry and garden division. “The rich history of the business is proof of its ability to be innovative and evolve over time. It demonstrates the entrepreneurial nature of the company,” says Ken Brewster.

Global company with Swedish heritage Over the course of time, Husqvarna has evolved into a global corporation with a worldwide presence. “We are very much still a Swedish company, but we operate as a global multinational corporation with a presence in 120 countries across the globe. We also employ some 13,000 people in the business.”

A token of Husqvarna’s Swedish heritage is that a majority of its products are still designed in Sweden.

As the sixth largest lawn mowing market in the world, the UK market is of great strategic importance for Husqvarna. “With some 64 million people and 17 million gardens, there is a strong British gardening culture. So we can unlock a lot more potential here in the UK,” says Ken. Consequently, Husqvarna initiated a journey aimed at rapid growth in the UK market in 2016. “The United Kingdom is one of our biggest growth opportunities. I am pleased to say that we have grown our UK business by 55% in the last three years.”

Ken Brewster, UK Sales & Marketing Director at Husqvarna Group. Photo: Husqvarna.

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Husqvarna’s robotic lawn mower Automower® ensures full coverage of complex lawns with remote areas and narrow spaces. Photo: Husqvarna.

A cornerstone in strategic development By combining Swedish innovation and British engineering, robotics has in recent years become the cornerstone of Husqvarna’s strategic development. Having introduced its premier robotic lawn mower in 1995, Husqvarna celebrates 25 years of robotic lawn mowing this year. Ever since, innovation of the product has evolved tremendously: “Newly developed technologies improve performance, and the reliability of the appliance has improved significantly over time.”

Predominantly, the autonomously operating Automower® makes life easier for its users, by saving them time. “What we are looking to do is to create great experiences for our customers enabling them to enjoy their gardens. Freeing up people’s time allows them to do other things and improves their quality of life,” says Ken. Also, the everyday cutting operation of the Automower® provides micro clippings that act as a natural fertiliser significantly improving lawn quality.

In consequence, the increasing popularity of robotic mowers has become evident. “We are just about to celebrate selling two million units. It took about twenty three years to get to one million, and it has only taken another two years to reach the second million.” Ken puts emphasis on that Husqvarna has contributed to an increasingly expanding market: “We have invented the product and driven most of the innovation in recent years. We are the

undisputed market leaders in every market around the world.”

Sustainable innovation As the British lawn and garden market is transitioning from petrol to battery through the success of the robotic lawn mower, Husqvarna is experiencing significant improvements in terms of sustainability: “With low power consumption and zero carbon dioxide emissions, the innovation can be viewed as a very green and sustainable alternative to traditional petrolpowered products.” In conjunction, a raft of sustainability initiatives has seen Husqvarna reduce its carbon footprint as a manufacturer by 21% since 2018.

In order to ensure continuous success, Husqvarna operates an innovation lab in Sweden: “Our innovation lab is working with all different areas of technologies – robotics obviously, but artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things as well.” As a matter of fact, ceaseless innovation is a vital part of Husqvarna’s DNA. “Innovation is absolutely key to what we are doing, because there are a lot of global trends that are affecting our industry among other industries – influences such as climate change, urbanisation, technology and connectivity.

All of these things are shaping how we are researching and developing, and repurposing output. We must stay relevant for now and for the future,” Ken concludes.

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GUEST COLUMN

Retailing: a growing field of research JOHAN HAGBERG, PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, CENTRE FOR RETAILING, UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG

Photo: Malin Tengblad, University of Gothenburg.

With inspiration from the UK, over the last decade retailing has gradually become a more extensive field of research in Sweden in terms of active researchers, funding possibilities, and research centres. Stimulated by established research centres in the UK, several Swedish universities have established retailing research centres, increased funding opportunities, and created joint activities such as seminars, workshops, and conferences.

As part of this development, the Centre for Retailing at the University of Gothenburg was established in 2008 and paralleled with several other efforts in Sweden to put retailing research on the agenda. This led to a significant expansion of retail-oriented research in Sweden, involving different fields of research and topics. The Centre for Retailing is a platform for researchers who, irrespective of their organisational affiliation and scientific discipline, perform research of relevance to retailing.

Among several important research topics, the most central are related to sustainability, digitalisation, and work-related issues.

During this research shift it has become increasingly clear that retailing deserves significant attention due to important ongoing transformations that affect the everyday lives of consumers, retail businesses, and employees, as well as society as a whole.

First, the ongoing digitalisation of consumption is becoming more and more evident within different aspects of everyday life that involves retailing in different ways. Consequently, during the last few years retail research in Sweden has been particularly attentive to various aspects of digitalisation, including how people consume products and services, how shop-

ping is conducted, and from whom and where goods are bought. Digitalisation has highly involved and affected retailing.

Second, and related to the changes in consumption, are questions related to how the retail sector is transforming. The emergence of online retailing has significantly affected the retail industry and now online and offline retailing is becoming more and more integrated.

While the early development of digitalisation was often treated synonymously with growing e-commerce, it now comprises many aspects of retailing such as how exchanges are conducted, the actors involved in the exchange, the setting, and the nature of the offerings. A key topic concerns the implications for physical stores in terms of effects on sales, how digital technologies are integrated in physical stores, and what kind of value the physical stores may provide in an increasingly digitalised landscape.

In recent years, reports on store closings have alternated with news about openings of other types of stores, such as novel pop-ups, showrooms, or automated stores. A significant amount of attention is and should be put on the implications for physical stores and how the retail landscape is changing due to digitalisation and its effect on employment and work within retailing.

Third, changes of consumption patterns in the retail sector also have more general implications for society; for example, in terms of sustainability and the role of retail in local communities. Consumption of retail goods constitutes a significant environmental impact and changing shopping habits also affects the so-called last mile transports and their environmental impacts. While current physical store retailing is highly car-dependent, online

shopping brings other sustainability challenges due to transport, returns, and packaging waste. Moreover, the transformation of the retail sector has also led to increased attention to the implications for urban areas where retail business could no longer be taken for granted as an equally dominant feature, which in turn raises questions about the role of retailing in society.

While several trends in retailing are global, there are also important national and local differences in terms of consumer habits, work conditions, and how the retail sector is organised to create particular opportunities and challenges. Between the UK and Sweden there are differences in terms of overall market share for online retail, particularly in the grocery sector, as well as in terms of consumer density and to what extent last mile transport are conducted via pick-up points or home delivery. International collaboration in the form of joint research projects, conferences, and publishing are important in order to be able to learn from each other’s experiences, and it is important to take such particular characteristics into account. This calls for a continuous development of retail research in Sweden, the UK, and elsewhere to allow for international collaboration to exchange experiences, as well as the ability to be sensible to local conditions and characteristics.

UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG With 47,500 students and 6,000 employees, SCC member University of Gothenburg is one of Sweden’s largest universities, and conducts research and offers study options in a wide range of disciplines.

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PATRONS Highlight

Providing safe and seamless entrances With a presence in 25 markets worldwide, SCC patron Gunnebo has grown from a local Swedish business into the second largest supplier of entrance control equipment in the world. In alignment with an increased global demand for effective mass transit solutions, Gunnebo’s entrance control system plays a fundamental role in developing safe and efficient transport solutions. The Link met with Robert Hermans, Executive Vice President and Deputy CEO of Gunnebo Group, to discuss the emergence of smart cities and how Gunnebo contributes to the development of Mobility as a Service.

BY: SARA APÉRIA

Across all its operations, Gunnebo strives towards its vision of creating a safer world. “By providing products, software and services, we protect and create a better flow for people and valuables,” says Robert Hermans. This can be further examined in the light of three core businesses – safe storage, cash management and entrance controls. By for instance preventing robberies, shrinkage and creating efficiencies in the cash cycle, the separate business divisions jointly create a more secure society.

Entering the UK market From Gunnebo’s point of view, the British market is most accurately described as a quite demanding, mature and transparent market.

“The UK is a very important market to us.

Most of all it is very attractive due to its size.”

Moreover, there is a large extent of competition within the market, which gives customers a wide range of providers to choose from. “For us, this means that we must really be on our

toes, to be able to be better than our competition, as well as to capture the market and grab market shares,” says Robert.

In 1996, the subdivision Gunnebo Entrance Control entered the UK market upon its acquisition of Mayor Turnstiles. Thereafter, Gunnebo Safe Storage entered the UK market in 2000, by acquiring the major British brand Chubb Safes – one of the world’s most recognised manufacturers of safe storages and vaults, which was founded in the 19th century in Wolverhampton. “One of the brothers that founded Rolls Royce once claimed in the late 19th century that ‘We wish that we could have built a brand name that is as strong as Chubb’.

So at the time, it was a very strong brand name.”

A few examples of important British landmarks that are protected by Gunnebo’s entrance control solutions include the first turnstiles ever

Robert Hermans, Executive Vice President and Deputy CEO of Gunnebo Group. Photo: Gunnebo.

installed at Manchester United’s Arena Old Trafford and Brighton Pier. The latter turnstiles were installed in the 19th century to avoid overcrowding on the pier, in order to mitigate the risk of the bridge collapsing. In modern times, Gunnebo’s products are for instance present in a majority of entrances of banks, insurance companies and big office blocks in Canary Wharf – London’s modern financial epicentre.

Emergence of smart, connected cities During the previous five years, society has witnessed the emergence of smart and connected cities. According to Robert, connectivity within smart cities can be rather diverse: “It could be various types of connectivity, where one system efficiently interacts with another.

We define a smart city as an interconnected city, in which necessities such as emergency services and public transport are connected to the mobile network.” Also, recent technological developments have enabled smart cities to become increasingly connected and transparent. Robert believes that the development of smart cities has just begun and will be of great importance in the future. He explains: “We have definitely not reached any kind of maturity when it comes to smart cities or even the definition of what a smart city is. This will be a major focus moving forward.”

Mobility as a Service In relation to smart cities, the newly emerged concept Mobility as a Service plays a vital role.

Mobility as a Service signifies the shift from individual transport modes into an effective, convenient and accessible mass transit system. The idea is to enforce the incitements of commuting, in order to counteract environmental challenges due to pollution.

In this transformation, Gunnebo contributes by making its entrance control solutions as seamless as possible. The corporation’s responsibility is broad, as the supplier of gates for the underground systems in metropolitans such as most large cities in China, Melbourne, Athens, the Italian Railways, Stockholm and Toronto. Although crowded places and large gatherings of people are inevitable, intuition and user-friendliness are key to effective flows of passengers. Robert explains: “The better

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Patrons Highlight

Gunnebo’s innovative entrance control solutions ensure a safe and effective flow of people.

Photo: Gunnebo.

and more seamless the mass transit solutions are, the more likely people will choose public transport. This is where our products can help, by either creating flow through barriers or rerouting or guiding passengers.” Another aspect of providing a user-friendly product is to simplify ticket payment processes in for instance the underground system. “The idea is to secure the revenue for the operator without making the process too cumbersome for people to comply.” In addition, the entrance control systems are essential in mitigating the risk of frauds: “Our products enable operators to continue to invest in the infrastructure and make sure that whoever deserves the revenue actually gets it.”

On a psychological level, Gunnebo contributes to a sense of safety among passengers in society. “One element is also about feeling safe and secure when you travel, which makes it important to control passenger flows. We want to contribute to a safe and controlled environment,” says Robert. Also, the entrance controls somehow work as barriers and authorisation tools: “By knowing that a certain screening of people has taken place, passengers feel safe.

It may become even more a sense of safety and security, knowing that only people that are actually authorised can be there.” Moreover, the gates play a vital role in supervising the amount of people that have entered a building, metro station or an airport. As a result, evacuation processes can be facilitated in emergency situations.

Biometric solutions at airports Moreover, an important business area for Gunnebo is providing entrance control solutions at airports. “Airports equal roughly 20% of our turnover, where we have the largest installations of One-ID gates in the world,” says Robert. A revolutionary innovation within the entrance control systems, is the introduction of biometrics face recognition, of which Gunnebo is the market leading integrator of these

systems for automated boarding of planes.

Instead of utilising traditional methods such as card readers or token acceptors, biometrics and facial recognitions are becoming increasingly more predominant. “The introduction of biometrics is becoming much more prevalent, when talking about the future and the developments.” For instance, this innovative solution is currently implemented on airports in Florida, Beijing and in Hong Kong. Looking forward, Gunnebo foresees a future in which the technology can be utilised across sectoral and geographical borders as well. Robert explains: “I am sure that the solution is suitable for gyms, membership clubs and offices as well. Instead of specific badges or membership cards that can be lost, your face can be the most optimal acceptance token.”

Developing markets According to Robert, urban transportation systems have not yet reached the same degree of prevalence in developing markets as it has in for instance Europe and North America.

For example, underground systems – which predominantly were built in Europe about a century ago – have not yet become a standardised type of transportation in South America.

Robert describes: “In some developing markets it would be too disruptive and costly to start building an underground system. Instead, dedicated routes for buses have often been built up.” This is for instance the case in the Colombian capital of Bogotá, where Gunnebo’s gates are built inside the buses, rather than inside bus stations. “We have certain products that have been on vibrating buses in South America for ten years. Nobody has ever done any service on them but they are still working perfectly,” says Robert.

Swedish heritage In spite of being a multinational corporation, Gunnebo preserves a strong connection to its Swedish heritage. This is for instance reflected in the corporate structure of the global or-

ganisation. “At Gunnebo worldwide, there are generally flat organisations with very open dialogues. Also, we focus a lot on the well-being of our people,” explains Robert. For instance, Gunnebo’s Swedish heritage is mirrored in its daily operations, such as monthly FIKA-meetings, in which staff from across the UK are gathered to discuss current topics, scrutinise the current performance of the company and to extend gratitude towards specific staff members. “I would say that it is probably quite Swedish to really listen to the employees and create a truly collaborative environment.” In addition, corporate guidelines and HR policies at Gunnebo are closely connected to Swedish values. “Gunnebo supports equal opportunities, by employing a broad capital of society and promoting diversity. That is not necessarily a purely Swedish thing, but it is for sure a Gunnebo thing,” concludes Robert.

 The patronship The SCC patronship consists of a core group of SCC member businesses committed to supporting the Swedish-British business community.

The patronship comes with a range of added benefits – if you would like to know more, please contact membership@scc.org.uk.

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FEATURE

Quality design will live forever Famous for the combination of sleek simplicity and exquisite elegance, Swedish design has a unique reputation within the global design scene. Well-renowned interior design businesses, such as SCC members Skultuna and Svenskt Tenn, are greatly influenced by their century-long Swedish heritage. In this feature Ofelia Klerk Kurpatow, International Sales and Retail Establishment at Skultuna Messingsbruk, and Thommy Bindefeld, Marketing and Creative Director at Svenskt Tenn, elaborate on the fundamentals behind two of Sweden’s most successful design legacies of all time.

BY: SARA APÉRIA The poor man’s gold Founded in the little Swedish town of Skultuna in 1607 by His Majesty King Charles IX, Skultuna has decorated Swedish homes with ornaments made of brass – historically known as ‘the poor man’s gold – for more than four centuries. “Brass is known as the ‘poor man’s gold’, which is very befitting to the egalitarian values that Sweden holds,” says Ofelia. Aiming to boost the Swedish national economy, the original factory in Skultuna – where it remains today – initially focused on the production of chandeliers and candleholders for the Crown and Church. As a matter of fact, some of the earliest design creations include chandeliers dating back to the 17th century, which can still be found in churches across the country.

A vital factor behind Skultuna’s continuous success is its ability to translate long-standing knowledge and traditions into modern design.

“Skultuna’s motto is ‘one part traditional craftsmanship and one part modernity’, meaning the willingness to adapt to modern influences, whilst benefiting from well-established historical knowledge.”

Female entrepreneurship Estrid Ericson was a young and unmarried arts teacher when she founded Svenskt Tenn in Stockholm in 1924, just a few years after Swedish women were given the right to vote in 1919. “She was definitely at the forefront of women’s liberation, as a strong and independent businesswoman at the time,” says Thommy. Interestingly, she carried out groundbreaking marketing efforts way ahead of her time: “Estrid Ericson did not work with advertisements. Instead, she worked with what we today call PR, before it was even a word.” For instance, the 20th century businesswoman invited prominent guests – such as well-renowned journalists and influencers of the time – for dinners, in order to showcase Svenskt Tenn products in pleasant table settings. Her enterprising mindset continuously inspires business in modern times: “Estrid Ericson is a great source of inspiration to how Svenskt Tenn works today. We regularly examine our archives, to find what she did and try to do it in a contemporary way.”

The power of functionality Functionalism – the design theory stating that practical design inherently is beautiful – has played a vital role in forming Swedish design language throughout history. Functionalism culminated in the wake of The General Art and

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Industrial Exposition of Stockholm in 1897, in which Skultuna was a major exhibitor with objects designed by Hjalmar Nordström – the father of Swedish modern design. Also, the exposition took place just a few decades before the establishment of Svenskt Tenn. “For Swedes, the functionality really is as important as the beauty of an object. This trend is much larger in Sweden than in other European countries,” says Thommy. In the main, the cold weather in the Nordic countries implies a demand for a functional yet delightful home, in which one can spend life and celebrate traditions throughout the year. “Because of the climate in the Scandinavian countries, it is important for us to have a beautiful home. This has affected the way that we are developing our interior design.” Likewise, Ofelia appoints functionality as an essential factor to success – today and in the future: “Looking ahead, the functionality of Swedish products will remain important. It will always work and bring the industry into the future.”

Everlasting quality and design As a supplier of premium goods with a timeless design, Skultuna bridges the gap between the past, the presence and the future. The idea is to manufacture products that not only will last for a lifetime, but for many generations to come. “That the next generation can inherit products and give them to the next generation

Thommy Bindefeld, Marketing and Creative Director at Svenskt Tenn.

Photo: Svenskt Tenn.

as well, speaks to the core of what sustainable design should be,” says Ofelia. Similarly, the classical design of Skultuna is equally appropriate through all stages of life; for young people wanting to purchase a housewarming gift as well as for a grandparent seeking to pass down an heirloom to the next generation.

Principally, brass as a choice of material plays a vital role in the unique durability of Skultuna’s products: “The material itself has just become an incorporated part of our company and thus in our core values of sustainable thinking in home decor. Brass equals everlasting quality and design,” says Ofelia. Likewise, the Swedish Auction House has a specific department for furniture from Svenskt Tenn. Thommy explains: “That shows that there is a unique longevity of our products, that can be inherited for generations. I believe that is the sustainable way of producing products.”

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Royal heritage By having been official purveyors to the Swedish Royal Court throughout history, both Skultuna and Svenskt Tenn have a unique tie to the Swedish royal heritage. Upon being appointed this honorary mission in 1928, it was perceivably an evidence for the status of Svenskt Tenn. According to Thommy, the royal ties are identically important at the present: “Today it is a proof that the company is well kept and that Svenskt Tenn is an important place for Swedish design. I think and hope that it will stay this way in the future.” In like manner, the honorary task is of great importance to Skultuna. “To be a royal purveyor means that we need to uphold a certain standard in quality and design,” says Ofelia. In addition, Skultuna recently launched a series of tea light holders called ‘Infinity Series’ in collaboration with Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. Ofelia continues: “The pride to carry the legacy of this old

“For Swedes, the functionality is as important as the beauty of an object” company into the 21st century speaks to our corporate identity. We are proud to continually represent the royal family.” According to Ofelia, the royal heritage can be used as a unique selling point in marketing efforts overseas, such as in the United Kingdom: “The connection to the Swedish royal heritage is definitely intriguing to many Brits somehow and appears to be highly appreciated within the UK society.”

With humanity at heart An integral part of Svenskt Tenn’s corporate identity is its strong connection to humanitarian values, which is directly rooted in its history. Josef Frank, a celebrated architect and designer of Jewish ancestry, fled from Austria in the 1930s due to the rising anti-Semitism.

Upon his arrival in Sweden, he experienced difficulties entering the Swedish architecture scene. In the beginning of 1934, Estrid Ericson

Ofelia Klerk Kurpatow, International Sales and Retail Establishment at Skultuna Messingsbruk.

provided Josef Frank a platform to work as a designer for Svenskt Tenn; resulting in some 80% of Svenskt Tenn’s well-renowned patterns. Eventually, Josef Frank’s colourful Middle-European design language made him one of the most iconic and impactful Swedish designers of all time. Thommy describes: “Josef Frank introduced a completely new way of working with colours, prints and a humanistic approach. Everything that he did challenged the status quo in Swedish design.” For Frank, putting humanity and feelings in the centre of attention was crucial, whilst engaging in a colourful, joyful and bold style of design. “Svenskt Tenn is characterised by a very colourful and joyful way of doing design. Also, it has an aesthetic that is much more human and bold than the typical Swedish design.”

The heartfelt story has inspired Svenskt Tenn’s humanistic approach in modern times: “Estrid Ericson has inspired us today to look at how we also can be humanists and open up in our time,” says Thommy. In 2016, the Svenskt Tenn Furnishings Studio began providing migrants a platform to work with needlecraft, while concurrently being supported to learn Swedish during work hours. “This is an integration project aimed at giving newly arrived Swedes, with a background of working as craftsmen, a platform to establish themselves in society.”

Ensuring longevity of the brand Moreover, a vital chapter in the history of Svenskt Tenn, was when Estrid Ericson sold the company to the Kjell and Märta Beijer Foundation in 1975. The mission of the foundation is to secure the brand and the heritage for all foreseeable future. “By being owned by the foundation, we can promise that Svenskt Tenn will live forever. It is our task to move Svenskt Tenn into the future and to preserve the concept and aesthetics of the company

FEATURE

Estrid Ericson, Founder of Svenskt Tenn, with celebrated designer Josef Frank. Photo: Lennart Nilsson.

in a long term perspective,” says Thommy.

Interestingly enough, the Kjell and Märta Beijer Foundation reinvests its entire profit margins into research in life sciences and healthcare at leading research and academic institutions in Sweden. For instance, the foundation supports research projects in Agricultural Studies at Uppsala University, Biomedicine and Pharmaceutics at Karolinska Institutet, as well as studies in Economy and Ecology at the Royal Academy of Science at the Beijer Institute in Stockholm. According to Thommy, the foundation’s investments in research results in both an internal and external pride: “Internally, we are super proud of working for a business that supports the future in research. Externally, I believe that our customers are proud of supporting a business that contributes to a good cause. We support and secure both craftsmanship and humanity; we are a part of the future in that way.”

Future opportunities Skultuna has an ambitious agenda for its future development and expansion across the globe.

According to Ofelia, the simplistic yet elegant style of Skultuna’s delicate brass details translates well all over the world. “Brass brings an amazing warmth and juxtaposes nicely with anyone’s home. It can add luminosity to everything from traditional interior to lighter minimalistic homes.” In order to expand effectively, Skultuna focuses greatly on developing a clear digital strategy for its online store.

“An important aspect of what brings us into the future is our strong web presence and our focus on marketing and media. We have a very strong webshop, which is aligned with how the retail industry is developing.” Furthermore, Skultuna is eager to inaugurate a physical flagship store in central London in the near future. “As a bustling metropolitan, London is an amazing city to open a store in. I think that there is definitely great potential in the UK, since there is an increased interest in interior design here. It will be very exciting to show the British market Skultuna’s mix of a deeprooted heritage with modern and innovative design,” Ofelia concludes.

Skultuna Concept Store at Grev Turegatan 18 in central Stockholm. Photo: Skultuna.

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Previous Events

THE WORLD IN 2020: MEET DANIEL FRANKLIN 22 JANUARY The SCC had the great pleasure of welcoming members to meet Daniel Franklin, Executive and Diplomatic Editor of The Economist. The participants were one of the first few to get his view on the World in 2020. Succeeding Daniel’s speech, there was an interactive Q&A session. This event was kindly hosted by Norton Rose Fulbright.

Peter Sandberg (SCC), Rickard Lilliestierna (Norton Rose Fulbright), Daniel Franklin (The Economist), Tomas Gärdfors (Norton Rose Fulbright).

Gabrielle Törnberg (Kindred), Madeleine Hjalber (SCC) with guests.

The audience had a lot of questions during the Q&A.

BUSINESS BREAKFAST FEAT. CAMILLA WALLANDER 30 JANUARY

Ragnar Agnell (Centigo), Kerstin Mogul (SCC board member).

Camilla Wallander (Berghs School of Communication), Sofia Larsen (SCC), Simon Dixon, (Handelsbanken Wealth Management), Joakim Thulin (Berghs School of Communication)

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At this roundtable discussion Camilla Wallander, CEO at Berghs School of Communication, discussed how to build learning experience within an organisation. Camilla was joined by Joakim Thulin, Head of Insight at Berghs.

The discussions were chaired and hosted by Simon Dixon, Acting CEO and Head of Wealth Management, Handelsbanken Wealth Management.

At Handelsbanken Wealth Management offices.

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Previous Events

LINK UP DRINKS WITH TIGER OF SWEDEN 5 FEBRUARY The first Link Up Drinks of the year was hosted by Tiger of Sweden. As is customary with the Link Up Drinks, new members of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce introduced themselves during the evening. The evening delivered drinks, light snacks and high-level networking, and the opportunity to meet the Chamber’s newest members in a relaxed atmosphere.

Paul Sandgrove, Ernest Hewton (Tiger of Sweden).

Dirk LĂźders (Time Terminal), Viktor Stensson (Bokio).

Georgina Hancock (Discover the World)

Hosted at Tiger of Sweden at Piccadilly.

Alex Haddon (IC Design), David Cox (Mercuri Urval).

Josefin Karlsson (Tiger of Sweden), Ian Burrell (TMF Group), Patricia Ingemarsson (YourPDi).

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Previous Events

NORDIC M&A FORUM 2020 6 FEBRUARY The Nordic M&A Forum in London discussed the year ahead for Nordic cross-border M&A and financing, and brought together 130+ stakeholders from across the industry, from banks, asset managers, private equity and advisory firms, from both the City and the Nordics. The Nordic M&A Forum was kindly sponsored

by Donnelley Financial Solutions, Fogel & Partners, HSBC and Linklaters. In partnership with Danish-UK Association, FinnishBritish Chamber of Commerce, Norwegian-British Chamber of Commerce and SVCA .

130+ participants joined the forum.

Jesper Hjälm (Bloomberg)

Christian Schmidt-Jacobsen (Axcel), Petri Oksanen (Franscisco Partners), Jan Olsson (Deutsche Bank).

Magnus Lindquist (CORDET), Anders Fogel, Gabriel Mellqvist (Dagens industri).

Karl Eidem (Silverfleet Capital)

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Anders Fogel (Fogel & Partners), Spencer Morez, Susanna Sandell (DFIN).

Elisabet Lundgren, Sibel Yilmaz (Linklaters).

Caroline Nicolaisen (ANV Capital Services)

Elisabet Lundgren, Jan Stรฅhlberg (Trill Impact), Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist (Edge Venture Capital)

Johan van Berlekom (Nomura), Max Friberg (Inex One).

Gabriel Mellqvist, Magnus Lindquist, Alexandre Hรถgfelt (EQT Credit Partners).

Niklas Radebrand (Barclays)

Svante Adde (Goodwille)

Hosted at Linklaters.

Pam Hemstrรถm

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Previous Events

MEET THE SWEDISH PRESS 27 FEBRUARY The SCC welcomed guests to an evening where they got the opportunity to meet, network and pose questions to Swedish correspondents based in the UK. There was also an interactive panel discussion about what topics the correspondents from some of the biggest Swedish publications cover, how they work and what stories people living in Sweden prefer to read about the UK. Jonas Sverin (SVT), Hans Norén (Stena).

Katrine Marçal (DN), Charlotta Buxton (SvD), Jonas Sverin, Daniel Alling (SR).

Hosted at the Royal Oak.

BUSINESS BREAKFAST .. ..

FEAT. PER STROMBACK 5 MARCH At this Business Breakfast, Per Strömbäck, Spokesperson for the Swedish Games Industry, revealed the secret recipe for Sweden’s game boom. The event was chaired and hosted by Linda Griffin, VP Global Head of Public Policy, King.

Peter Sandberg (SCC), Linda Griffin (King), Per Strömbäck (Swedish Games Industry).

Nina Collins (Auroch Digital), Linda Griffin, Gabrielle Törnberg (Kindred).

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Ben Greenstone (Taso Advisory), Stefan Lampinen (Game Advisor).

Per Strömbäck, Nick Button Brown (Coherence), Fieldman Robinson (CKH Innovations).

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PREVIOUS EVENTS

BUSINESS INSIGHTS WITH QUINYX 12 FEBRUARY On 12 February, we welcomed young professionals to an evening focused on creating an engaged and happy workforce with SCC patron Quinyx, the market leader in workforce management. Quinyx’s professionals shared valuable insights on effective workforce management, followed by an interactive workshop. Finally, guests enjoyed networking, drinks and pizza at Quinyx’s office at WeWork in Waterloo.

Juliette Barrett, Linnéa Lindgren (Quinyx).

Smilla Agder, Linnéa Jivhed, Henry Stout.

Interactive workshop and discussions, moderated by Elin Hammenfors (Quinyx).

MASTERCLASS ON NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION 20 FEBRUARY On 20 February, young professional members were welcomed to a Masterclass on non-verbal communication with Henrik Fexeus, one of the world’s most celebrated mentalists. During the evening, guests learnt how to master the art of persuasion, influence and negotiation, while enjoying drinks, nibbles and networking. This event was kindly hosted by SCC member Tailify.

Rebecca Connée (Tailify)

Henrik Fexeus, Evelina Wahlström, Matthew Blakemore, et al.

Book signing.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Upcoming events

enabler for good – how ideas and innovation behind ideal driven technology and conscious investments can be used to drive change.

In light of recent developments concerning COVID-19, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce has made changes to its spring calendar of events, including cancellations, postponements and some activities turned into a virtual setting instead. See all upcoming events at scc.org.uk/events

Business Culture Course

 Tech Fest at the Swedish Ambassador’s Residence

 Webinars and Q&As Several dates | Zoom webinar SCC member price: FREE Non-member price: £15 The Swedish Chamber of Commerce introduces a whole new series of interactive webinars and Q&As with experts in their respective fields. These have been designed as an opportunity for members to share insight, and to support the community in a time of disruption.

3 Sep | 27 Portland Place, London Succeeding the Tech Forum, we invite you to join the Tech Fest hosted at the Swedish Ambassador’s Residence in Marylebone. As one of the highlights of the London Tech Week, this is your opportunity to network with global tech companies, investors as well as a designated tech delegation from Sweden comprising of start-ups challenging today’s disruptors.

8 Oct | SEB, 1 Carter Ln, London SCC member price: £96 YP member rate: £54 Non-member price: £288 Are you – or your team members – new to Swedish or UK business culture? The Business Culture Course gives you insights into Swedish and British business cultures and the tools necessary to understand and excel in your workplace environment. Hosted by SEB.

 Business Breakfast feat. Stefan Ingves, Governor of Sveriges Riksbank and Chairman of the Executive Board

 113th Annual General Meeting 4 Jun | Zoom webinar SCC member price: FREE On 4 June 2020, we welcome all SCC members to join the 113th Annual General Meeting.

The AGM will this year be carried out in a virtual setting as a webinar.

 Annual Crayfish Dinner 2020 4 Sep | 1 Lombard Street, London SCC member price: £89 Non-member price: £267 The crayfish season, marking the end of summer, is one of the most popular cultural celebrations in Sweden where people gather to eat, drink and have fun. The SCC’s Annual Crayfish Dinner promises traditional Swedish festivities with great food and drinking songs, “snapsvisor”.

1 Oct | TBC, London SCC member price: £25 Non-member price: £75 Welcome to this roundtable discussion featuring Stefan Ingves, Governor of Sveriges Riksbank and Chairman of the Executive Board, on the state of the economy in Sweden.

 Business Breakfast feat. Anna Wikland, Country Director for Google

Business Breakfast feat. Kristian Elvefors, Managing Director, Volvo Cars UK 

 Tech Forum: Tech for good 3 Sep | Microsoft Reactor 70 Wilson St, London SCC member price: £45 YP member price: £45 Non-member price: £135 Join us at Tech Forum 2020, as we discuss the technologies of the future, and tech as an

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23 Sep | TBC, London SCC member price: £25 Non-member price: £75 Welcome to this roundtable discussion with Kristian Elvefors, Managing Director of Volvo Cars UK, on the future of Volvo, electrification and how to lead a purpose-driven organisation.

21 Oct | TBC, London SCC member price: £25 Non-member price: £75 Welcome to this roundtable discussion featuring Anna Wikland, Country Director for Google in Sweden. Anna will discuss Google’s journey from disruptor to world leader and the way forward.

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Young Professionals

Introducing an upgraded Young Professional membership, with new benefits for corporate members Upon entering a new decade, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce significantly upgrades its young professional membership, whilst extending the membership offering to young professionals of corporate SCC members. “There is no better time than right now to start providing more value to our members,” says Peter Sandberg, Managing Director of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, and elaborates on how the upgraded membership offering will benefit all dimensions of the Chamber.

BY: SARA APÉRIA Since 1994, the Chamber has promoted the personal and professional development of its young professional members, by offering inspirational, business and educational events, social networking opportunities and specific mentorship programmes. Going forward, the extended membership offering implies both an upgraded young professional membership, as well as a wide range of added benefits for young professionals of corporate SCC members. First of all, an increased number of events, programmes and courses will be especially designed for young professional members. Second of all, an access to the full range of SCC events – for free or at subsidised prices – gives members the opportunity to network with a vibrant network of senior business professionals. “The new Young Professional (YP) membership is a win-win as I see it, in that the benefits of the current YP membership model, such as the informal networking, seminars and professional development activities remain intact, and what we are adding is greater access to the extended SCC agenda and network. For the SCC at-large it adds fresh blood to the YP through opening it up to all corporate members’ young professionals, at no extra cost. Win-win,” says Peter.

Company-wide membership The Chamber’s approximate 400 members have a company-wide membership. This means that the firms’ employees under the age of 35 automatically will be able to participate in events aimed at young professionals, without having to pay any additional membership fee. The Chamber will be offering events, courses and programmes with focus on personal and professional development, as well as networking events especially curated for the young professionals in the network. By extending its offering with an increased focus on young professionals, the Chamber aims to support the companies’ investment in youth.

“There is a genuine interest in the younger generation amongst businesses and leaders today, and what they can bring to the table in terms of development of both technological application and business models. That’s a trend that’s been steadily growing in the past decade as more and more businesses and models have been disrupted.”

The next generation of business leaders The Chamber acknowledges that the millennial generation has a lot of potential to shape the business and society of tomorrow. To promote

young talent from across the Swedish-British business community, an increased focus will be directed towards organising learning sessions and programmes within the realm of professional development. This includes rethinking mentorship programmes, inspirational lectures, interactive workshops and business oriented events. Together with its patrons and members, the Chamber is eager to shape the next generation of business leaders. “The young professionals are the next generation, and we want to make sure we are providing the most relevant and valuable services to them throughout their career. This will hope-

fully create a more seamless transition from engaged young professionals to corporate members, as our young professional members are destined to become business leaders one day.” The upgraded membership will confidently provide young professional members the tools needed to promote Swedish-British business relations - today and tomorrow. “I genuinely hope that more young professionals want to join the membership, the forums, the conversations and the professional development courses we have launched or have in the pipeline. Community has never mattered more,” concludes Peter.

Young Professional member Benefits Former

Upgraded Access to a network of young business professionals

Access to greater SCC network of young and senior business professionals

Access to YP events calendar

Access to full SCC events calendar*

Company visits

Business insights

Mentorship programme

Mentorship programme

Networking events and after works for young professionals

Networking events and after works for young professionals Professional development courses

* Events are subject to availability. For some events access is limited. Prices are at the discretion of the SCC. Please visit the booking page of the event for more information.

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FEATURE

Beyond mines and minerals: the rise of northern Sweden The last few decades have seen substantial growth in northern Sweden. The region is best known as a major producer of raw material, such as wood and ore, but has recently established itself as a tech hub, with several multinational firms investing in the region. What makes this northernmost part of Sweden, and indeed Europe, attractive to investment? The Link spoke to Jenny Hellman, CEO at Luleå Business Region, representing one of the largest towns and financial hubs in the region, Niklas Nordström, former Mayor of Luleå, as well as Anders Sundström, former Government Minister and Mayor of fellow northern town of Piteå.

BY: HEDVIG ASTBERG companies to improve and innovate every day.

In fact, the OECD ranks the business climate for innovation in the region as one of the best in Europe. People in the north are loyal and hardworking,” says Niklas.

Anders Sundström is former Mayor of neighbouring city Piteå (distance is relative in remote northern Sweden) and believes the inheritance from the basic industries is what has actually been driving investments inot the region. “The knowledge developed in the basic industries in order to compete on a global scale in forestry, the steel industry and the mining industry, has led to unique productivity and a strife to constantly improve. You will find an industrial logic that suits many businesses,” says Anders.

Norra Hamn in Luleå. Photo: Peter Rosén.

For most of the 20th century, the primary business activities in the north were related to forestry and natural resources. Whilst these industries are omnipresent in the region, the north has been faced with the need to diversify along with society-at-large. “When I was Mayor of the municipality of Piteå in the 1980s the challenge was to reduce our reliance on basic industries and to build a more diversified business community. In other words, the goal was to attract more of the business and financial services sectors here, as we were definitely lagging behind,” says Anders Sundström. He states it is a lot easier to attract investments to the region these days, than it was back then.

Luleå – the engine The city and municipality of Luleå, with a population of 78,000, has seen significant growth and attraction from inward investment in recent years. A sign of this is the recent creation of Luleå Business Region which launched its operations in January this year, offering existing and prospective businesses in the region with support and advice. “We promote the

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region as a destination and facilitate a range of initiatives, working in partnership with the university, local government and industry,” says Jenny Hellman, CEO. “We want to make the business case for Luleå by providing professional and free service and advice to those planning to set up, relocate or expand their business here.”

The arrival of higher education The leading universities up north have played a central role in driving the development of the region. “There was an instant upswing in the development of the region when Umeå University (a fellow northern town) established in the middle of the 1960s and later Luleå Technical University in 1970. Northern Sweden’s business community changed as a result of it and had a natural influx of highly educated and technologically knowledgeable young professionals. This in turn created a fruitful environment for entrepreneurship around the more traditional industries,” says Anders. This trend has just continued to evolve ever since. Anders

But what makes Luleå and northern Sweden an attractive place to do business? Jenny thinks the local business community is very diverse, which makes it an attractive place to invest in. “A mixed portfolio of businesses, ranging from world leading steel producers and tech companies, to construction industry, and a vast and growing service industry makes Luleå attractive as a business region”, she says.

Niklas Nordström was Mayor of Luleå until recently and highlights its loyal and hardworking people and entrepreneurs as a unique sellingpoint. ”In northern Sweden we have never been able to take anything for granted. We are far from the core markets, and the tough arctic climate have forced communities and

Jenny Hellman, CEO at Luleå Business Region.

Photo: Luleå Business Region.

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FEATURE

continues: “Today, northern Sweden has a well-developed natural resource industry which is very competitive and global, but it also has a large service sector on a highly technical level.”

Niklas also believes that the universities in the region are of crucial importance for the investments made by larger corporates today. ”The university in Luleå naturally promotes education and research, and in particular for core local industries in mining, forest and steel but also in ICT. Recent investments from companies such as Facebook, Telia, Ericsson are testament to this,” says Niklas. Jenny Hellman continues:”The presence of a university of technology provides skilled employees to tech companies such as Facebook. We are in close dialogue with the university and facilitate projects aimed at creating a platform which matches existing competence with the business community’s needs,” says Jenny.

Swedish Lapland and arctic tourism Beyond traditional industries and technology, tourism has boomed over recent years. “The last 30 years has seen increased tourism to the region, especially winter tourism,” says Anders Sundström. Niklas Nordström, as Mayor, was involved in numerous projects focused on developing the tourism industry. “We put Luleå and the north on the map for tourists and investors alike” Niklas says. “As a destination the whole of Swedish Lapland has a lot to offer”, says Jenny. “It is one of seven places in the world where you can experience the arctic year-round. We might be a bit less known in the world, but we still offer an excellent leisure and meetings destination embodying the feeling of reserved space with a vast choice of accommodation with 1,000+ hotel rooms and local food sourced from nature.”

Businesses coming together to revolutionise steel manufacturing The effects of climate change and the surge in ‘green solutions’ will be a key factor in the development of the region and the contribution to its current growth. Many multinational companies have made investments in the north due to the access to renewable energy.

“I think it’s only natural that industries in need for green energy establish here seeing as this

Anders Sundström, former Government Minister and former Mayor of Piteå. Photo: Skistar.

Niklas Nordström, former Mayor of Luleå.

is a region with unique access to both hydro and wind energy,” Niklas explains. However, he thinks there is more to it than just green energy in itself. He believes that the north of Sweden has some of the key answers to mitigating climate change itself. “In the north you will find minerals, green energy solutions, unique experience and knowledge within the local workforce as well as an arctic perspective that are all key ingredients in managing climate change,” he says.

There are numerous examples of businesses in the region innovating by using the vast renewable energy sources at hand. “One of the most significant industrial companies in the region – and large employers – SSAB, a steel manufacturer, recently launched a bold initiative to revolutionise steel-making,” says Jenny. HYBRIT, as it’s called, is a collaboration between SCC patrons SSAB and Vattenfall (energy company) and LKAB (mining company), which aims to replace coking coal, traditionally needed for ore-based steel making, with hydrogen. It will be the world’s first fossil-free steel-making technology, with virtually no carbon footprint. “The goal is to have a solution for fossil-free steel by 2035. If successful, HYBRIT means that together we can reduce Sweden’s CO2 emissions by 10% and Finland’s by 7%,” Jenny says.

Facebook established a Luleå based server plant a few years back. “The reason for choosing Luleå as location for their server halls was the naturally cold environment, and access to hydro-powered energy at relatively low costs,” says Jenny. She explains that Luleå was also chosen for its electricity supply as its waterfront steel mill is still operating. “This leaves the northern region, Norrland, with a power surplus.

Facebook’s data centre uses as much energy as the steel plant and the power infrastructure in Luleå can support this demand.” Another example is Sunpine in Piteå, a company seeking to extract renewable products from sustainable forestry and can deliver sustainable pine diesel in a world leading bio-refinery, which has chosen the remote northern location due to its access to natural resources, such as pulp. Anders

agrees that northern Sweden has attracted many firms that strive to create fully renewable energy and points to the Swedish start up, Northvolt as an example. “Right now, Europe’s largest lithium battery factory is being built in Skellefteå. It is a massive investment, of SEK 15bn, which makes Northvolt Sweden’s largest start-up over the past 100 years,” he says. He believes the abundance of electricity is key in order for them to establish there. However, he points to the combination of resources and knowledgeable people to be the determining factor for choosing to establish in the area.

“Businesses want renewable electricity, but they are not interested in it unless there is high level of technological and processing skills,” says Anders.

What is next?

In order for the area to continue to grow, Niklas believes that the universities play a major role. “The Luleå University of Technology is crucial. There you have world leading research in many areas, and you have a collaboration between the five Nordic arctic universities which is unique.”

Being so remote – parts of the region is north of the Arctic circle – infrastructure such as airports, ports and rail services, connected both internationally and domestically, is vital. Anders explains there is a need for large investments in order for the region to be less reliant on Arlanda Airport in Stockholm as a connector for international and domestic travel. Although more investments are needed, the developments seem to be on the right path. During his time as Mayor, the government was willing to invest more in infrastructure up north, says Niklas. “We could see a political shift from government and parliament adding more funding to infrastructure investments in the north,” he explains. Jenny too is hopeful for the continued growth of northern Sweden. ”We are delighted that Scandinavian Airlines have announced the launch of a new nonstop flight between Luleå and London starting 18 December 2020. This is a fantastic start in order for northern Sweden to both grow as a place to do business and as a tourist destination,” says Jenny.

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LINK

IN OTHER NEWS

News from the SCC community Handelsbanken achieves top position in CMA’s service quality survey

Microsoft helps Swedes develop their tech skills

SCC patron Handelsbanken has achieved top position in the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) Independent service quality survey for business banking for the fourth time in a row. The top position was obtained for being the most recommended bank for SME business customers. The survey was carried out between January and December 2019.

SCC member Microsoft will help 150,000 Swedes develop their tech skills in the summer of 2020. A recent study shows that Sweden will lack 70,000 IT experts up until 2022. Therefore, Microsoft will make sure to help individuals advance their tech competences, by educating people in the tech sector, enabling more people to choose to work in the tech sector and educating decision makers in all sectors. Some initiatives that Microsoft hopes will encourage more women to choose the tech sector are for example Årets Tech-tjej and Microsoft Hackathon.

Adwaiz appoints new CEO In February SCC member Adwaiz appointed a new Chief Executive Officer named Rea Averill. Rea, who is also a Board Member of the firm, has worked for Adwaiz for three years in several different positions, including Digital Project Manager and Community Manager.

Cevian Capital funds new Chair at the Stockholm School of Economics SCC member Cevian Capital has made a donation of SEK 50m to the Stockholm School of Economics’ Department of Finance. This donation enables the appointment of the new Cevian Capital Chair in Finance, which will support research in finance and strengthen Swedish competitiveness. The position has been awarded to Bo Becker, who focuses his research on corporate finance and corporate credit markets.

Photo: Skanska.

Skanska and IKEA join forces in Bristol and Sussex BoKlok, a Swedish housing joint venture between Skanska and SCC member IKEA, has made an agreement for future UK construction projects. BoKlok UK has contracts to build new homes on one site in Bristol and two sites in Worthing and Peacehaven in Sussex. The developments in the UK are the first since the launch of BoKlok onto the UK market in 2019, whereas the first homes are expected to be completed in 2021. These sights will together generate about 400 homes made in factories from wood. Also, the homes are equipped with IKEA furnishings and fittings and will be assembled at the construction sites.

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Photo: IKEA.

IKEA invests SEK 1.7bn in Stockholm region Due to a large expected regional growth up until 2025, SCC patron IKEA invests SEK 1.7 bn in its expansion within the Stockholm region. The investment will fund four new, and slightly smaller, IKEA department stores in different formats and locations around the city, with an aim of attracting some 350,000 local customers in the next five years. This expansion also results in that IKEA will hire some 500 new employees within the next five years in Stockholm.

LINK

IN OTHER NEWS

Old Mutual International rebrands to Quilter International On 17 February, SCC member Old Mutual International rebranded to Quilter International, with customers starting to move onto the new platform on the weekend of 22-23 February. Quilter regards the move as transformational and expects the integrations of platforms to result in further business growth. Quilter anticipates to fully migrate onto the new platform by the end of the summer.

Photo: Securitas.

Securitas and Electrolux recognised as Top Employers 2020 SCC patrons Securitas and Electrolux have both been appointed Top Employers 2020 by Top Employers Institute. Securitas was awarded the honorable prize for having demonstrated exceptional workforce management practices and implemented ‘people first’ HR strategies, thus being able to dedicatedly provide a stimulating work environment for its employees. Electrolux was awarded the prize for having delivered outstanding employee conditions and for having been an advanced employer in Europe. As a matter of fact, Electrolux received the Top Employer Award in seven of its largest European markets – including Sweden and the United Kingdom – qualifying them to be called Top Employer Europe.

Linklaters awarded Law Firm of the Year SCC member Linklaters was awarded Law Firm of the Year at the Environmental Finance Bonds Awards 2020. The firm was elected by 30 judges including some of the world’s largest investors within the realm of green, social and sustainable bonds. The firm won the award for showing market leading efforts in green bonds, by having worked on some 100 green, social and sustainable bonds in 2019. In addition, Linklaters was the only law firm that contributed to the UK government’s Green Finance Taskforce on policy recommendations for the future of green finance in the United Kingdom.

Spotify opens new Headquarters in London SCC patron Spotify opens a new headquarter in London for its UK and Ireland branch, located in the Adelphi Building in the heart of London. In February, Spotify invited British and Irish media to the new headquarters for an evening dedicated to showcasing the space and some of its employees. The new headquarter is the first major tech centre for Spotify outside of Sweden and the US market, hosting workspaces for artists, podcasters and creators as well as the R&D team. Since the UK and Ireland market has a growing demand for Spotify’s podcasts and the UK has a world-famous music industry, the expansion is a natural next step for the company. The creation of the new headquarters has created 300 new jobs so far in R&D, thus making it Spotify’s largest R&D hub globally.

Slussen will be the home of the Nobel Centre On 7 February, Stockholm Stad and the Nobel Foundation announced that the new Nobel Centre in Stockholm will be located at Stadsgårdskajen close to Slussen in central Stockholm. The construction of the Nobel Centre is expected to begin in 2025 or 2026 and will take about two years to complete. It is yet undecided who the architect of the building will be. The Nobel Centre will assemble locals, tourists and students to take part in exhibitions, lectures and interactive discussions.

Oddbird launches non-alcoholic gin SCC member Oddbird, specialising in non-alcoholic wines and bevarages, is launching a new non-alcoholic gin in 2020, made with distilled juniper, berries and botanicals from Norrland and Lappland. Last year, the company gathered beverage experts from all over Sweden to improve and refine the taste. The project is made in collaboration with Research Institutes of Sweden to boost the agricultural economy of Northern Sweden.

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Svenska kyrkan

- din oas i London café café

Svenskt Svensktkaffe kaffe&&hembakta hembaktakanelbullar, kanelbullar, svenska svenskadagsdags-och ochveckotidningar. veckotidningar.

Här Härfinns finnsalltid alltidnågon någonatt attprata pratamed! med!

Fritt FrittWiFi WiFi&&gästdatorer gästdatorermed medskrivare. skrivare.

Anslagstavlor Anslagstavlormed medtips tipspå påboende, boende, jobb jobboch ochvad vadsom somhänder. händer.

öppettider öppettider kyrka kyrka && café café

Måndag Måndag--tisdag tisdag10-17 10-17 Onsdag Onsdag10-19 10-19 Torsdag Torsdag--lördag lördag10-17 10-17 Söndag Söndag12-15 12-15 Gudstjänst Gudstjänstsöndag söndagklkl11, 11,onsdag onsdagklkl19 19 Söndagsskola Söndagsskola&&kyrkkaffe kyrkkaffe Ladda Laddaner nerkyrkguiden kyrkguiden -- Appen Appen där därdu dukan kanse sevår vårkalender kalenderoch ochövriga övriga kyrkor kyrkori iSverige Sverigeoch ochi iresten restenav avvärlden världen

mötesplatser mötesplatser && kyrka kyrka

Ung Ungi iLondon, London,Öppet Öppethus/Stay hus/Stay&&play, play, Syjunta, Syjunta,soppluncher, soppluncher,lunchkonserter, lunchkonserter, Seniorträffar, Seniorträffar,föredrag, föredrag,utställningar. utställningar.

Alla-kan-sjunga-kör, Alla-kan-sjunga-kör,barnkör, barnkör, kyrkokör, kyrkokör,seniorkör. seniorkör.

Gudstjänster, Gudstjänster,dop, dop,vigslar vigslar och ochkonfirmandundervisning. konfirmandundervisning.

sociala sociala medier medier

www.svenskakyrkan.se/london www.svenskakyrkan.se/london facebook.com/svenskakyrkanlondon facebook.com/svenskakyrkanlondon Instagram: Instagram:@svenskakyrkanlondon @svenskakyrkanlondon

kontakta kontakta oss/bli oss/bli medlem medlem

Telefon Telefon020 0207723 77235681 5681 london@svenskakyrkan.se london@svenskakyrkan.se https://member.swedishchurch.com https://member.swedishchurch.com Om Omdu duär äri inöd nöd07584 07584054143 054143

På rekommendation av London stift och brittiska mynpå gång:så ställer vi in alla våra aktiviteter samt stänger digheter Mellokvällar 1, 8, 15, 22 tid. och 29 februari samt 7kommer mars. cafét på obestämd Gudstjänster att firas som Entrén öppnar 18.30. vanligt.

Kyrkan öppen 18.00-18.30 för en telefonledes stilla stund.

Personal finns tillgänglig om du behöver någon att prata med.

66harcourt harcourtstreet, street,london londonW1H W1H4AG 4AG svenskakyrkan.se/london svenskakyrkan.se/london

Entrance Entrancefee fee£2 £2 Children Childrenunder under12 12years yearsfree free

Notice Noticethat thatbuggies buggiesare arenot notallowed allowed in inthe theChurch Churchdue dueto tofire fireregulations. regulations.

svenskträffar svenskträffarutanför utanförlondon london se sewebben webbenför förmer merinformation information

www.rivalcolour.com

The future is electrified Vattenfall and Volvo Car on strategies for meeting the increasing demand for electrification on a global scale.

Print in Good company!

Reinventing the timber industry SCA and Stora Enso on new technologies, biofuels and future skylines made of wood.

Swedish games lead the way Sweden is a global hotspot for the games industry, but how can the Swedish game wonder be explained?

LINK Dedicated to the Swedish-British business community since 1906

» The SCC use Rival

“Instead of being informational, make it inspirational”

for printing services – in fact you’re looking at our printing NOW!

Ciaran O’Malley, Trustly, and Steve Edge, Steve Edge Design, in conversation on disruption and innovation.

No.349 0-12.indd 1

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LINK

Feature

Results from the member survey are in BY: SARA APÉRIA With an increased overall perceived value of membership and an excellent Net Promoter Score, the results of the annual member survey 2019 mirror a high satisfaction among the members of the Chamber last year. “We are proud to support and create value for our members across the Swedish British business community, whilst constantly striving for improvement,” says Sofia Larsen, Senior Manager Membership and Community at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce.

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce carries out a yearly member survey in order to get a better understanding of what the members value and think of the services offered by the Chamber. The results are used to continuously improve the offering and relevance of the membership. “The feedback helps the Chamber to grasp how it more effectively can deliver value for its members,” says Sofia.

Increase in overall perceived value Principally, the overall perceived value of membership improved in 2019. Altogether, 80% of the members perceived the membership as very or extremely valuable in 2019, compared to 58% the year before. The most significant change in this parameter corresponded to the percentage of members regarding the membership as extremely valuable, which had increased from 12% to 27%. Similarly, the percentage of members perceiving the membership as very valuable had grown from 46% to 53%. “The Chamber exists by business for business, so we appreciate that a majority of

our members derive value from the membership offering,” says Sofia.

Top three reasons for membership According to the survey, there are three specifically important motivational factors behind joining the SCC membership. First and foremost, 82% of respondents regarded attending events and general networking as the most important reason, in comparison to 75% the year before. Likewise, the percentage of members regarding the SCC events and programmes as good or very good, grew from 84% in 2018 to 98% in 2019. “I believe that corresponds well with the Chamber’s mission of being the ultimate business platform in which members can network and connect.” In addition, being introduced to potential new clients or other connections was vital for 57% of the members, whereas 56% were motivated by supporting the Swedish-British business community. The motivational factors that specifically rose in importance were attending events, strengthening the company’s Swedish brand and making use of the SCC Business Services.

Continued high rating of overall communications The survey shows that members are equally happy with the Chamber’s overall communication channels. The percentage of members perceiving the communication as good or very good reached 99% in both 2018 and 2019.

Also, the amount of members regarding the communication as very good increased from 51% in 2018 to 65% in 2019. The SCC News-

Main reasons for membership

82%

EVENTS AND NETWORKING

57%

INTRODUCTIONS

56%

SUPPORTING THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY

letters – including the bi-weekly Chamber Business Brief and Events Newsletter – were perceived to be of the highest quality, with 93.18% and 92.13% rating them as good or very good, respectively. Furthermore, 89.88% rated the SCC website and 75.28% rated The Link magazine as good or very good.

Excellent Net Promoter Score Net Promoter Score is a metric implying the likelihood that a member would recommend the SCC membership to someone within its network. The SCC was scored 61.18, on a scale from -100 to 100, which is equivalent to an excellent level. “Word of mouth is of great importance, as we believe that good people know good people. We look forward to growing together with our members and patrons,” Sofia says.

61.18

SCC NET PROMOTER SCORE

-100

100

0 Needs improvement -100 - 0

80%

FIND THE MEMBERSHIP OFFERING VERY OR EXTREMELY GOOD

Good (0 - 50)

98%

FIND THE EVENTS OFFERING GOOD OR VERY GOOD

Excellent (50 - 70)

World class (70 - 100)

99%

FIND THE SCC COMMUNICATIONS GOOD OR VERY GOOD

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LINK

New Patrons And Members

NEW PATRONS AND MEMBERS The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK is the ultimate business platform for Swedish and UK businesses, representing some 400 companies from across all sectors and industries, and from start-ups, SMEs, unicorns to large corporations. Membership comes with a suite of benefits for you, your colleagues and your business. If you would like to find out how you can maximise your membership, or to enquire about joining, please do get in touch at membership@scc.org.uk. But first, a warm welcome to our newest members.

New patrons

Mercuri Urval “How can we make sure we have the right people in place to deliver the best possible results?”Mercuri Urval was founded more than 50 years ago to answer this simple but important question that leaders face. Every day since, the firm has developed and refined its methods, so you can be confident in its expert’s advice. As pioneers in predicting the impact of people’s capabilities and personality on business results, Mercuri Urval has always placed high importance on Executive Search and Professional Recruitment. Over the years, the firm has developed a proven track record in Assessment for Selection and for Development purposes. Today, Mercuri Urval works with more than 3.000 clients – across all sectors – in over 50 countries every year.

Trustly Founded in 2008, Trustly is a Swedish Fintech company developing and selling online payment solutions. Trustly’s mission is to make online bank payments convenient for everyone by connecting consumers and merchants through the bank account – the hub of people’s financial life. With nine offices in Europe and the Americas, Trustly processes more than 9 million payments monthly and is backed by Nordic Capital.

New members

Aalto Capital Independent investment banking advisory firm aiding global businesses in fundraising and M&A, across offices in London, Stockholm, Helsinki, Munich and Zurich.

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CANEA CANEA delivers consultancy services, IT solutions and training in four main areas: Strategy, Organisation & Efficiency, Project Management, and Management Systems. We help realise the potential inherent to all organisations and create momentum for operational change by analysing, developing and implementing strategies, systems, and competencies with, and for, our clients.

LINK

Cure Media Cure Media helps brands reach measurable results through strategic and data-driven influencer marketing. We have run over 20 000 activations globally and are trusted by companies like Coca-Cola, PUMA, Unilever and American Express. Awarded as Top Influencer Marketing Agencies, both in 2018 and 2019, by Business of Apps in theUK. Certified by IAB as a Qualified Influencer Marketing Partner.

Java Whiskers Java Whiskers is a new form of cat rehoming, where you can enjoy a cup of coffee in London while you get to know our cats.

New Patrons And Members

Inex One Inex One develops a SaaS tool to digitise market research workflows.

Deal teams in private equity, asset management and corporate strategy departments use our SaaS tool to reduce admin hassle, improve compliance, and reduce costs for expert networks.

Kindred Over the last 20 years, Kindred Group has brought together 11 of Europe’s most successful online gambling brands – forming one of the largest online gambling companies in the world. We offer our 20 million customers a great form of entertainment, fine-tuned to present an unforgettable experience in a safe and fair environment every day.

Monica Mason

Counselling & Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Matter of Form Matter Of Form is a strategic design and technology firm, existing to help brands adapt, innovate and thrive in a fast-moving world. We like to think of ourselves, modestly, as the firm for the experience economy. We use strategy, creativity and technology to design brands and seamless digital experiences for high-end organisations in hospitality, travel, property, retail and wellness.

Rosary Consultancy Ltd Property Advisory

Monica Mason Counselling & Psychodynamic Psychotherapy With over 15 years of experience in practicing psychotherapy and counselling in London, Monica Mason has a vast experience with many nationalities and cultures. Her approach will provide you with a better understanding of the issues you are currently facing and will work towards developing new patterns that will ease the way forward.

Located in South Kensington, London, Monica provides open-ended and short-term psychotherapy in both English and Swedish.

Rosary Consultancy Ltd Rosary Consultancy Ltd is an independent property advisory with a focus on identifying sound investment opportunities that will grow in value over time and guide our clients through the process of buying or renting a property in London.

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LINK

Meet

LINDA THIEL DIRECTOR AT LONDON STUDIO OF WHITE ARKITEKTER Founded in 1951 in Gothenburg by Sidney White, almost 70 years later, SCC member White Arkitekter has grown into a collective of nearly 800 architects. The Link met with Linda Thiel, Director at the London Studio of White Arkitekter, to discover the legacy of the architecture firm and its dedication to sustainability and innovation.

BY: HEDVIG ASTBERG

Originally from Stockholm, Linda Thiel studied architecture at the Royal Institute of Technology. However, Linda did not anticipate becoming an architect as a child – instead she aspired to work in the music industry. Having been inspired by a friend’s parents who were both architects, she applied to architecture school.

“I have no designers or architects in my family, so I think everyone was surprised when I applied to architecture school and got accepted. I haven’t regretted it for a second,” says Linda.

After her studies she set up a small architecture practice with her husband, Lukas Thiel.

In 2007 however, she decided it was time to take on larger projects and consequently joined White Arkitekter. In 2015, Linda was once again ready to do something different, wherefore she moved to London to help White Arkitekter set up an office in the city. For Linda, moving to London was an easy choice: “Since

both Lukas and I are architects, we had always said that with our profession we could work anywhere in the world. London was an easy step – I have relatives here and we were ready to do something different.”

Linda enjoys working for White Arkitekter for a multitude of reasons. The best part of her job is meeting so many people – from the client teams, to the end-users and the engineers.

She also enjoys the fact that she creates designs with an impact. “I love that I am able to bring forward good designs that make a difference, designing solutions to some key challenges in our communities – be it housing, schools, workplaces or hospitals”. Furthermore, Linda appreciates the dynamic aspect of the business: “It is great to be part of a big, creative multidisciplinary collective, with a long heritage of working alongside society, pushing boundaries and working with innovation in the

built environment.” She also likes the fact that the company is employee owned. “Because of its ownership model, there is a strong commitment among the employees, and we have managed some significant transitions over time. From the start there has been an interdisciplinary approach and close relationship to academia and research.”

A Swedish heritage Influenced by its Swedish heritage norms throughout time, White Arkitekter has an open organisational structure. “With our expansion in Sweden during the 50s and 60s, when the welfare state and the Swedish model was developed, the practice grew alongside society. We have a clear bottom-up structure with a strong local presence that embraces diversity,” says Linda. Moreover, she believes that the simplicity that the practice uses in its brand and approach is rooted in the Swedish and Scandinavian heritage. “Our brand and approach are certainly rooted in the Scandinavian design tradition. I used to explain that the core of Scandinavian design is the ability to make a lot out of almost nothing. Having been a rural country historically, we have had to create spaces with little means and focus on the quality of light and materials.” What truly sets White Arkitekter apart in the industry however, is its strong dedication of collaborating with its clients, according to Linda. ”Our desire to collaborate – to work with our clients, not just for them – to develop common knowledge and achieve a shared vision, sets us apart in the industry. ” Establishing in the UK – a learning experience In 2015, White Arkitekter decided to establish an office in the United Kingdom. Yet they already started exploring the United Kingdom market back in 2008. “My colleagues developed good relationships here. We then focused on competitions, made friends with collaborating partners and strategically targeted a few sectors for some years. Eventually in 2015 we decided that the time was right to open a studio, having had some success in competitions.” Over the course of time, the London Studio has increased its workforce from employing three to 17 architects.

East London Gascoigne estate housing project. Photo: White Arkitekter.

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The expansion to the UK market meant working in a different manner than in Sweden, which has been a learning experience according to Linda. “It is more common in the UK, for example, to work as Lead Architect managing the design team. The workload and speed of

LINK

Meet

White Arkitekter has for a long time understood the importance of technology in order to develop further. “In relation to digital technology, we have pushed for Building Information Modelling in order to construct more efficient buildings, for over 15 years and Computational Design Development in regard to analysis, design and fabrication for 10 years,” Linda explains. Nowadays this knowledge is used to enforce sustainable activities: “Current efforts include applying these competences to life cycle perspectives, reusing material, additive manufacturing such as 3D printing and generative design approaches in order to find the optimal design, at all scales. This is made possible through in-house competence, continuous development and our research and development focus.” She also mentions ‘Informed design’ as an example of how technology drives sustainability. “Informed design relates to how we will use digitalisation to achieve a design in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and explore new tools where we connect to end-users as well as construction sites.

This will have a huge impact at different scales, from how to reuse materials, to the transformation of communities,” Linda says.

Linda Thiel, Director at the London Studio of White Arkitekter.

Photo: White Arkitekter.

projects is noticeably different too. The pace at which projects are planned and progress here is much faster.” However, the journey has not only resulted in learning experiences for the London office, but for her colleagues in Sweden as well. Linda explains that Swedish architects have experience designing with off-site and modular construction methods, whereas the British architects have more knowledge of traditional constructions. On top of this, the workforce at the UK office is quite diverse which gives them even broader perspectives.

As a result, the two branches have been able to exchange their expertise.

Sustainability at the core of business Over the last ten years consumer demands and expectations have dramatically changed.

One thing that has impacted customer behaviours is the increasingly urgent climate crisis.

“Climate emergency awareness is much more present now not only from an energy point of view, but also with regard to social aspects, diversity and inclusiveness. This is something we have been concerned with at White Arkitekter over the last couple of decades, which has led us to employ social anthropologists. Nowadays these conversations are not so unusual,” says Linda.

With a mission to “enable sustainable life through the art of architecture” and a vision to only make carbon neutral architecture by 2030, White Arkitekter is at the forefront of sustainability. But how do they obtain these

ambitious goals? Linda believes it is important to “walk the talk” which is something that White Arkitekter has succeeded with through a wide range of internal and external initiatives. For example the project “Place for Girls” supports gender equality and diversity in the industry, whereas the company has cut its CO2 emissions per employee by 66% over the last 5 years.

White Arkitekter contributes to obtaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals, by promoting participatory planning in order to develop fair and healthy cities. Their main focus lays on ensuring wellbeing, equality and sustainable cities. In addition, there are more environmentally focused goals such as reducing energy consumption, mitigating climate change and promoting biodiversity. “To ensure that we obtain these goals, we annually evaluate our delivery performance on the goals through our projects. In 2019 we concluded that 55% of all our projects had well-defined climate goals, for instance,” says Linda.

A company structure that lets innovation thrive Innovation is important for White Arkitekter.

The firm has implemented a “bottom-up” structure, which is essential for the development of the company. This is something that is well tied to the company culture. ”We strongly believe in encouraging everyone to be curious and therefore invest in many ideas to implement a culture of innovation,” says Linda.

Many projects in the pipeline But what is in store for White Arkitekter? According to Linda there are many projects in the pipeline in the United Kingdom and Sweden.

In the UK the firm is currently working on several large housing projects in East London and has recently been shortlisted for two new masterplan competitions. The office in Sweden has been at the forefront as well. “In Sweden we have just completed several new award-winning hospitals, such as Danderyd and Huddinge. Our new student support hub in Linköping, ‘Studenthus Valla’, just won the Building of the Year Award. In Skellefteå our “Sara Culture House” is rapidly moving towards completion – this 18-storey timber building is getting a lot of credit across the world,” Linda explains.

An industry in constant change Linda believes that the architecture industry will continue to change, adapt and develop over time, both in the short and the long haul. “In the immediate future, we anticipate changes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This will have an impact on urbanisation and the built environment on many different levels.

These considerations affect everything from how we socialise and relate to urban spaces, to the practicalities of delivering projects. For instance, many construction sites have had to close, meaning there will be a delay in the delivery of much needed homes, schools and health facilities.” Furthermore, she appoints the mitigation of climate change as a major challenge ahead: “On a broader outlook, the climate emergency will bring forward a change in our industry – we will move towards a more circular economy and re-use of existing buildings and places.” The density of cities and designing for inclusivity are also topics that are high up on the agenda: “We need to continue to share knowledge and not create barriers.

We need to build more partnerships to manage the challenges ahead,” Linda concludes.

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