FBC UAE Blog
Egbert Schram, Group CEO of The Culture Factor Group, led an engaging discussion on the nuances of culture and its profound impact on business success.
From decoding the essence of culture to exploring its effects on internal operations and marketing strategies, Egbert shared invaluable insights and practical tips.
Big thanks to everyone who joined us for this enriching session!!
We recently held our Annual General Meeting, where we presented the activity report for the past year. We are proud to announce that our activities increased once again, with a total of 26 events held. We have also managed to increase the number of both corporate and individual members .The financial statement was presented and approved, along with the planned activities for the upcoming year.
Additionally, we are excited to welcome two new board members: Jorge Fernandez Gates, Trade Commisioner at Business Finland and Ulla-Maija Simola, Head of Commercial Management at Nokia Middle East and Africa. Their expertise and enthusiasm will be invaluable as we continue to grow and serve our community. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the success of our meeting.
In the beginning of May we hosted an enlightening event delving into the geopolitics of energy and climate in the aftermath of COP28 and amidst the global energy crisis. Joined by the Belgian, Polish, Netherlands, and Norwegian Business Councils, we explored pressing issues and opportunities for the Middle East's energy future. Our distinguished speaker, Robin Mills, CEO of Qamar Energy, shared invaluable insights. Thank you to everyone who joined the discussion!
On the 1st of May we co-hosted a business breakfast together with The Brittish Business Group and The Swedish Business Council where the LinkedIn expert Stephen Quinn shared his do’s and dont’s in optimising your profile and building a strong network.
Thank you to all the 60 attendees who joined us and made the event a success and to Radisson Red/Silicon Oasis for hosting! 🌟
During this 20th Anniversary Year we bring more Finnish traditions to our activities - hence this spring we organized a traditional Vappu Brunch for the Finnish community in Dubai!
We had a fun afternoon, making new connections and memoires together!
Yet another successful Nordic Mentorship Program has come to an end as we gathered on April 30th for the Mentorship closing dinner. During the past 6 months a total of 26 mentors and 26 mentees have worked together to achieve different goals set up by the mentee.
The Nordic Mentorship Program was founded four years ago by the Swedish Business Council and is open to all members of the Nordic Business Councils in the UAE. The 5th round of the Mentorship Program will start in the fall 2024.
On Friday the 22nd March the Finnish Business Council and the Swedish Business Council hosted the Finnkampen Social Padel Tournament at @clubpadeldubai 🇫🇮🇸🇪
With 50 players bringing their best to the court, the competition was fierce! Huge thank you to all the players for bringing their A-game and making the event a success 💫 Keep the paddles swinging until we meet again on the 1st of November 🔥
Winners in Category A
🥇 Peter Rosman, Danilo Kricak 🇸🇪
🥈 Tero Kilpelä, Henri Kytösaari 🇫🇮
🥉 Emil Lindqvist, Karan Partovi 🇸🇪
Winners in category B
🥇 Kimmo Kytösaari, Pentti Korjonen 🇫🇮
🥈 Ayman Kabbara, Niklas Abrahamsson 🇸🇪
🥉 Jarto Tapio, Janne Kervinen 🇫🇮
The competition between Finland - Sweden was decided through another intense sport: tug of war, where Sweden secured enough points to bring home the victory - Congratulations! 🥇
Last but not least - thank you to all our prize sponsors!
Congratulations FBC for twenty years of work dedicated to the well-being of FBC members and to the success of FBC member companies in UAE, as business council member of DCCI Business Council Network since 2004.
It is wonderful to have had the chance to witness the establishment of FBC and its rapid growth and evolution through two decades, while being the first Chairman of FBC and having been re-elected as Chairman several times thereafter. During most of my years spent in Dubai, I was member of FBC Board. I moved back to Finland in August 2015.
Recently, in February 2024, I read an extensive article published in the leading Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, on Dubai being the leading entrepreneurial haven for Finnish companies. Well, this was the case already in early 2000, when I moved back to UAE having earlier resided in Abu Dhabi 1995-97 and settled in Dubai – the construction of Dubai Marina only commenced officially in 2003.
In twenty years, in my mind, Dubai matured from a large city into a metropolitan with its booming economy and elaborate underground, multi-ethnic culture.
FBC, or rather FBG, Finnish Business Group, was initiated by the Finnish ambassador, HE Risto Rekola. Already in late 1990’s HE Risto Rekola often spoke at Dubai Golf Club about forming a Finnish Business Group comprising Finnish companies operating in UAE. HE Ambassador Rekola did in fact form an unofficial group of 35 Finnish companies, who occasionally held meetings chaired by the Ambassador.
At the end of 2003 an FBG meeting was held at the office of Axel Digital ME in Abu Dhabi, in which a preparatory group was formed to evaluate and take actions to officialize FBG in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The meeting participants included a.o. HE Risto Rekola, Tito Gronow, Reima Okkola, Juho Halinen, Risto Marttila and myself, Pekka Rautimo.
As appointed member of the preparatory group, I frequently visited DCCI in Dubai in 2004 to discuss FBG becoming a member of DCCI Business Council network. One main prerequisite was to provide DCCI with a constitution for legal approval by DCCI. I received a copy of the Italian BC Constitution as a model, to be revised according to the needs of the new FBC.
An FBG Preparatory meeting was held in Abu Dhabi 14.01.2004, in which the activities of FBG were defined and the new FBC Board was tentatively nominated for approval.
DCCI held regular Business Council Roundtable meetings at the DCCI Building in Deira, Dubai, which meetings were enthusiastically attended by all business council representatives of multiple countries. For many, many years these meetings were chaired by Mr. Hassan Al Hashemi, of DCCI.
Normally FBC attended these meetings mainly with two representatives, FBC Chairman with FBC secretary or with representative of an FBC member company. Meeting news and/or DCCI notifications were forwarded to FBC members via FinnBiz website.
The Business Council Network of DCCI was one of the many initiatives taken by HRH Sheikh Mohammad Al Maktoum to promote, especially, Dubai as an international, entrepreneurial hub. And business was thriving in UAE.
In those days I once visited a Finnish firm, which had hired a young Indian man as driver/office boy, and by chance I overheard his telephone conversation with his acquaintance saying: “…Ok, ok – but what is in it for me?..”. I only then, jokingly, realised that the government boosted entrepreneurism in UAE had reached all levels of society.
We also had to create a unique identity for FBC: logo, letterhead, biz cards, website, etc. Regarding the logo, we asked ourselves, what do UAE and Finland have in abundance – water (lakes) / Finland, desert / UAE – and do these two elements of nature have anything in common – yes – waves (ripples) in water – sand wave formations in the desert, which themes then did influence the current logo of FBC.
Axel Digital ME, a Finnish graphical firm located in Abu Dhabi, developed and finalized these items, including FBC website, at non-cost. These items and website were presented 14.12.2004 at FBC AGM by MD Risto Marttila, of Axel Digital ME.
Through the years, FBC Boards held regular, minuted meetings with an agenda prepared in advance. Activities of FBC were primarily based on the Yearly Action Plan prepared by the Board and presented at the AGM, Annual General Members’ Meeting. With delight and respect, I recall such dominant members of FBC Boards, as: Keijo Kuru, Reima Okkola, Sam-Erik Ruttmann, Markku Järvinen, and many others.
On the official side, FBC interacted closely with the Finnish Embassy, with the successive Finnish ambassadors being appointed Honourary Chairmen and Finpro representative or commercial attache being permanent member of the FBC Board. Through the years I recall embassy-related members on FBC Boards included: Matti Ruuskanen, Tito Gronov, Riku Niemelä, Tuomo Hyysalo, Jarmo Kuuttila, Esa Hurtig, etc.
FBC was also invited to many official occasions hosted by the Finnish Embassy for visiting Finnish delegations, such as: visit by Minister Mauri Pekkarinen (2010), Defence Minister Jyrki Häkämies (2010), Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and Foreign Trade Minister Alexander Stubb (2013). And all Finns, who participated, remember the open-to-all-Finns Indepedence Day occasions held in Abu Dhabi, lavishly hosted by the Finnish Embassy.
On the social side, FBC engaged with the other Nordic countries: Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The regularly held Nordic Sundowner, hosted in turn by the Nordic BC’s, was/still is a popular, regular, socializing event. On the business side, the Nordic BC’s sometimes held ‘joint’ Board Meetings. Especially I recall the long-term chairman of the Danish BC, Mr. Jens Lund, Swedish BC Chairwoman, Ms Linda Nordin, and Chairman of Norweigen BG, Mr. Torger Baardseth.
Our own FBC social events included: golf tournaments, Christmas party, various themed gatherings and lectures. On the activity fringe of FBC was even the FBC Ice Hockey Team, as an example.
An organisation like FBC does not function on its own, it depends on the committed activity of members and strong dedication/support of member companies, that do count and facilitate things happen.
Through the years, I have, with gratitude, met with so many wonderful Finnish people within the realm of FBC or on the various FBC Boards - an unforgettable experience of a life time - thank you all.
Once the FBC ladies (Jaana, Tarja, Katihanna, Johanna…Erika) took over the leadership of FBC before and after my last term 2010-2013, FBC started to truly flourish.
Wishing FBC, its members and member companies all the best for the future.
Pekka Rautimo
Honourary Chairman
Finnish Business Council
Ps. Do forgive me, if I have not noted some essential FBC matter/occasion or named some person in particular, but all said happened within a span of twenty years and at least ten years ago.
Happy International Women’s Day 2024! In honor of IWD we hosted an event together with the @swedishbusinesscouncil at @mediaonehoteldubai on this year’s theme Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress. We had a fantastic line up of speakers in our panel
⭐️Moderator: Katriina Kuusniemi, Dubai Holding
⭐️Irene Kasyoki, Bring Hope
⭐️Helena Tronner, Knowit Insight Accelerate
⭐️Sergio Hicke, Alfa Laval
⭐️Katia Al Kaisi, Education House Finland
⭐️Mohit Bathia, Electrolux
Thank you all for the interesting discussions and for making the event a huge success!
Key developments and trends to follow in the GCC area.
Israel-Hamas conflict:
Efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas will continue over the coming month(s). An agreement on a temporary truce is increasingly likely. However, a roadmap towards a ceasefire remains highly uncertain, as Israel will continue to oppose any deal that envisions a temporary truce leading to a permanent ceasefire.
Qatar will continue to lead negotiations based on the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Red Sea and Yemen situation:
Sudden changes in the security situation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has led to merchant ships diverting their routes to longer ones increasing the shipping prices as wells as cancellations on insurances.
Yemen’s Houthi rebel movement will continue its sporadic attacks against commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden over the coming month. US airstrikes against Houthi offensive assets will continue and, although they will have some impact, but they will ultimately not deter the group’s efforts. If the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict is not being agreed in February, the Houthi attacks will persist.
UN trade and development body, UNCTAD stated: “Attacks against shipping in the Red Sea by Houthis are devastating for global trade and supply chains. The attacks are not only adding to geopolitical tensions but also raising costs and leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Container ship transits are down 67 per cent compared to a year ago.”
UAE and the ongoing conflicts
- Palestine: Significant humanitarian operation launched by the UAE to support the Palestinian people.
- Yemen: The UAE joined the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in support for the Hadi Government of Yemen. The UN brokered peace negations are still ongoing and in the case of long term peace agreement; the UAE possibly has its own agenda in this process as well.
- Ukraine: the UAE is committed to continue efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the Russia - Ukraine conflict. UAE is also taking significant part on prisoner exchanges in between the warring parties.
Jani Hardén
Area Security Manager
Wärtsilä Middle East and Asia
