Matkaoppaasta Business naiseksi - Anita Kalergis luotsaa Finnish Business Councelia

Teksti: Tiina Kontra

Tammikuussa Dubain Lakesissa pelattiin mölkkyä. Koko perheelle tarkoitetut mölkynpeluuharjoitukset olivat lajissaan ensimmäiset ja suksee oli suuri.

Tapahtuman järjesti Finnish Business Council. Yksi tapahtuman taustavaikuttajista on puheenjohtaja Anita Kalergis.

Mölkyn tietävät kaikki, mutta mikä on Finnish Business Council?

–Finnish Business Council eli FBC toimii siltana Suomen ja Yhdistyneiden Arabiemiraattien välillä. Palvelemme maassa toimivia suomalaisia yrityksiä, yrittäjiä ja työssäkäyviä yksityishenkilöitä sekä maahan pyrkiviä suomalaisia yrityksiä, Anita Kalergis tiivistää. FBC:n tarkoituksena on välittää tietoa, auttaa maahan etabloitumisessa sekä tukea vientiä. –Ja yleisesti ottaen ylläpitää Suomi-kuvaa.

Anita Kalergis liittyi FBC:n toimintaan mukaan vuosi sitten. –Kokemus on ollut hyvin mielenkiintoinen ja innoittava. Meillä on kasassa hieno porukka, osaamista monelta eri alalta ja tuntemusta maasta, Kalergis iloitsee.

Hän on asunut ulkomailla jo vuosia. –Lähdin aikoinani matkaoppaaksi. Kreikassa rakastuin, menin naimisiin ja sain kaksi tytärtä. Meillä oli mieheni kanssa oma yritys, valmistimme ja myimme rakennustarvikkeita. 13 vuoden jälkeen palasin takaisin Suomeen perheyrityksen, erikoispainotalon palvelukseen. Myöhemmin siirryin töihin amerikkalaiseen terveysteknologiayritykseen ja vastasin muun muassa diabetes-tarvikkeiden myynnistä.

Kolmisen vuotta sitten Anita Kalergis muutti Arabiemiraatteihin –Toimin ensin business-konsulttina Broadfolio-nimisessä yrityksessä ja sittemmin myyntipäällikönä Grandlundin palveluksessa. Suomalainen Granlund tuo maahan IT-ratkaisua, joka auttaa säästämään rakennusten energiakustannuksissa, kertoo Kalergis.

Mitä kauemmin maailmalla pyörii, sitä hienompaan arvoon Suomi ja suomalaiset asiat nousevat.–Jokainen maa, jossa olen asunut, on nyt tavallaan osa minua. –Kun asuimme Kreikassa, tyttäreni kävivät paikallista Suomi-koulua. Koulu oli todella tärkeä tyttöjen suomen kielen kannalta. He pääsivät leikkimään ja laulamaan suomalaisia leikkejä ja juhlimaan suomalaisia juhlia. Suomi-koulu oli myös minulle tärkeä paikka tavata ”suomalaisia siskoja” ja jakaa ulkomailla asumisen iloja ja suruja heidän kanssaan. Voin siis sanoa, että Suomi-koulussa tehdään tärkeää työtä monellakin tavalla!

Fakta

Finnish Business Council

Tällä hetkellä n. 30 yritysjäsentä, joista suurin osa on maassa toimivia suomalaisyrityksiä, sekä n. 60 henkilöjäsentä.

Toimintaa pyöritetään vapaaehtoispohjalta.

Toimii Dubai Chamberin alaisuudessa, ja tekee yhteistyötä Suomen keskuskauppakamarin kanssa. Muiden Pohjoismaiden business councilien kanssa järjestetään kerran kuussa mm. sun downer –verkostoitumistilaisuuksia.

Yksi tärkeimmistä tehtävistä on vahvistaa ulkoministeriön/suurlähetystön, Business Finlandin (entinen FinPro) ja FBC:n välistä yhteistyötä sekä välittää tietoa verkostolle ja jäsenistölle; esimerkiksi informoida jäseniä messutapahtumista, yritysdelegaatioista sekä välittää kutsuja jäsenille hyödyllisiin tapahtumiin.

Joulukuussa FBC järjesti suurlähetystön kanssa yhdessä Suomi 100 –juhlat ja helmikuussa keskustelutilaisuuden, jossa päävieraana oli Alexander Stubb.

Jos kiinnostuit FBC:n toiminnasta, ota yhteys admin@fbcuae.fi

FBC Mölkky Championships Practise

On January 27th a bunch of happy Mölkky players gathered at the Lakes Park to practise their skills. 8 teams participated, with 3-5 players/team. 24 games were played in total and the Pentti family had the best team score with a total win of 5 matches, well done!

Next time we play we will kick of the Mölkky Championships 2018. If your company would like to sign up with a team, please let us know at admin@fbcuae.fi.

New solutions-faster, safer and more efficient way to design and build

Peikko Group Corporation is a leading global supplier of concrete connections and composite structures. Peikko’s innovative solutions make customers’ building processes faster, easier, and more reliable. Peikko has subsidiaries in 30 countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North America, with manufacturing operations in 9 countries. Peikko’s turnover in 2016 was EUR 173 million. Peikko is a family-owned and run company that employs over 1,500 professionals. Peikko was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Lahti, Finland.

In the Middle East Peikko has been represented since 2008 by two companies, Al Rashed Peikko LLC and Peikko Gulf LLC. Al Rashed Peikko LLC is a sales office and a joint venture formed by Peikko Group and Rashed Abdul Rahman Al Rashed & Sons Group, and located in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Peikko Gulf LLC is a sales and production unit located in Ras al Khaimah, the United Arab Emirates. 

Radovan Endel, General Manager of Peikko Gulf LLC, and Antti Rousku, General Manager of Al Rashed Peikko LLC, tell about Peikko’s solutions and scope in the Middle East.

What can Peikko bring to the Middle East market?

Radovan Endel: “Peikko can offer a different construction method that leads to safer, faster and more efficient way of building. This, ultimately, brings both time- and cost-savings to the customer. Our solutions and technical support also bring more freedom to designers and architects.”

Antti Rousku: “Peikko’s products and solutions are pre-engineered and tested, and the design is made locally and adapted to the Middle East market.”

What are the most important products in this market? Why?

RE: “I would rather speak about solutions than products – we are helping the customer solve his construction-related problems; not just selling items. Our pre-engineered precast solutions, such as column shoes and DELTABEAM® Composite Beams answer to the requirements created by the pressure to save time. For cast-in-situ construction we offer our punching reinforcement solutions; a technology and way of building not yet well-known in the Middle East. All our solutions are manufactured in-house.”

AR: “For precast construction our bolted connections play an important role; both column-to-column and beam-to-column. The use of precast construction is increasing, and our solutions are further improving it, especially in terms of speed and safety. Our punching reinforcement solution is new in the Middle East, and intended for cast-in-situ construction. Designers have been needing an application of this kind in the market.”

How can a construction company benefit from Peikko?

RE: “We can offer full support for a complete project from start to finish. We are also able to grow within the company and project, and work in a partnership. We can stay within the project’s budget limits without sacrificing the quality of our products.”

AR: “On-site work becomes faster because of easy installation combined with fast connections. This makes the on-site work safer and also requires less labour. Our solutions are also predesigned and tested.”

How do Peikko’s solutions ease the work of architects and structural designers?

RE: “Predesigned items do not require “re-inventing the wheel”, so the design phase is faster. Peikko’s own software Peikko Designer® makes the entire process even easier.”

AR: “Our solutions offer more possibilities to design flexible buildings – in terms of usage and also architectural shapes.”

What can Peikko offer for investors?

RE: “We offer flexible solutions – the use of a building during its lifecycle can be changed without remarkable effort.”

AR: “We can help investors by reducing the cost of the project and bringing more revenue out of it. The faster the project is finished, the sooner it starts to bring profit. In addition to time-savings during the construction stage, our solutions are also able to reduce the total cost of the project.” 

Where is Peikko’s focus in the Middle East in the coming 5 or 10 years?

RE: “Peikko’s target is not the size of the company, but instead being a reliable and flexible partner in the market, always listening to the market and customer needs. Product development is an ongoing process. Peikko is – and will be – a group of successful people working for successful customers.”

AR: “The market in the Middle East is growing and continuously adopting new ways of building. Peikko will be – and already is – a forerunner in bringing in new solutions and applications used in the future way of building.”

In Peikko we often speak about Peikko Spirit, which is something that all Peikko’s units worldwide share. How would you define Peikko Spirit?

RE: “Peikko Spirit is in my opinion a specific atmosphere of personal engagement – it is a good team spirit that brings added value to the company and our customers.”

AR: “Peikko Spirit is a cross-border team spirit that includes everybody supporting each other, regardless of their position in the company. It is also about having the best possible knowledge where it is needed – this requires collaboration, teamwork and low hierarchical structure.” Further information: www.peikko.ae

Radovan Endel is responsible for Peikko’s operations in the United Arab Emirates. He has been working with Peikko since 2009. At Peikko, Radovan has held various manufacturing-related positions (Production Manager, Operations Manager) in Slovakia and United Arab Emirates. Prior to joining Peikko, Radovan has held a variety of technical and leadership roles in manufacturing field and electromechanical business. He has studied Engineering and Technology and graduated with dual degree in Business Administration.

Antti Rousku is responsible for Peikko’s operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He joined Peikko in 2012, and has held various sales-related positions (Sales Manager, Business Manager, Sales Director) in Finland and Saudi Arabia. Before his career at Peikko, Antti had several years of experience in sales of construction materials in various companies. He has successfully been operating on project sales, consumer and business-to-business sales.

Thank you for celebrating Suomi Finland 100 years with us!

Dear FBC Members and Stakeholders,

Kiitos-Tack-Thank you-Shukran!

On Thursday, 7th of December 2017 in the Polo and Equestrian Club in Dubai we celebrated our beloved home country’s centennial together with 500 Finns and friends of Finland.

It doesn’t matter how well or nicely you prepare a party, the outcome is a result of the people and the spirit of the people. Last week we had an amazing and great party, thanks to all of you who participated in one way or another. The celebration was dignified but fun and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and that it exactly how we wanted it to be.

Our sincere thanks goes once more to all our sponsors who made it possible! 

The Finnish Business Council wants to thank you all for the past year and wish you Happy Holidays and a successful New Year 2018!

Best Regards,

Anita Kalergis

Chairman

Finland 100 years - Wärtsilä is an official partner

On December 6th this year Finland will turn 100, and Wärtsilä is celebrating Finland’s birthday by participating as an official partner of the centennial programme.

The centenary of Finland’s independence in 2017 is the most significant commemorative year for the current generation of Finns. The centenary emphasises Finland’s strengths, such as equality and democracy, by offering Finns and friends of Finland a diverse and international centenary programme - both in Finland and abroad. The centenary year provides opportunities to better understand the past, experience the jubilee together, and set the course for Finland’s future success.

The theme of Finland’s centenary celebration year is ‘Together’. The organisation of the ‘Finland 100 Years’ project was established by the Prime Minister’s Office, and has responsibility for organising the official centenary year events.
 

Wärtsilä supports innovation by donating to research

Wärtsilä donates a total of EUR 1,300,000 to Finnish universities as a ‘gift’ for Finland in 2017. With this donation Wärtsilä intends to demonstrate its support for Finnish technology education, and in this way participate in promoting research in Finnish universities and strengthening Finland's global competitiveness.

Wärtsilä’s superior technological solutions are internationally recognised, but remain little known to the broader Finnish public. So in this special year, with our Finland 100 themes and actions, we will tell the Finns – and our global audience –about Wärtsilä’s long and successful history in developing Finland’s technology sector.

Future of the Seas

Wärtsilä has a proud heritage in Finland, with more than 180 years of experience. We have a wide range of operations here, and we have always been a pioneer in technology. At the core of our operations lies a continuous desire to improve, a passion to tackle new technical challenges, and an ability to look forward. We adapt to the changed needs of the surrounding world and collaborate in close cooperation with our sub-contractors, customers, and other partners. We develop our operations and products in line with sustainable development. Wärtsilä’s Finland 100 theme is the ‘Future of the Seas’, which combines all our key priorities: technology, environment and digitalisation. Our main message is that Wärtsilä leverages technology and digitalisation to help ensure a cleaner and more sustainable future for the seas of the world.

Through our Finland 100 themes and projects we want to highlight Wärtsilä’s image as a leading modern technology company, and try to change the larger public’s perception of the company as merely a traditional engine manufacturer. The objective is also to gain visibility and to improve brand awareness among a broader Finnish and global audience, and with potential employees and collaborators. We would also like to reflect on how Wärtsilä has grown and developed along with its homeland, surviving war, economic turmoil, and political crisis and overcoming financial and geographic obstacles.

Wärtsilä’s Finland 100 themes and examples: 

TECHNOLOGY

Wärtsilä leads the way in gas and dual-fuel engine technology and in engine maintenance, particularly in promoting efficiency, fuel flexibility, and the reduction of environmental impacts. Our technology innovations are exemplified by such successes as the Wärtsilä 31 engine, LNG terminals and engines, and our hybrid and solar power plants. We also support the Vaasa Energy Business Innovation Centre (VEBIC).
 

DIGITALISATION
Wärtsilä has used digital technology for many years in the remote monitoring of ship or plant engines, and in the optimisation and planning of operations. Wärtsilä envisages the future of shipping, and is deeply involved in the development of the world’s first system of autonomous ships for the Baltic Sea.

 
ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS
Product development at Wärtsilä is guided by energy efficiency and environmental values. Wärtsilä supplies technologies that reduce exhaust gas emissions and waste (including LNG engines, scrubbers and catalyst systems, and solutions for the treatment of ballast water, wastewater and dry waste).

Written by: Anne Manner

FBC Golf Championships - honoring the traditions

FBC has organized an annual Golf Championship event since 2011 in its current form.  In early 2000’s the then Ambassador Risto Rekola hosted small golf events in Abu Dhabi.  The tradition was discontinued for many years, but as we revived the tradition in Dubai we inherited the trophy that still goes around, beaten and battered.

In 2017 we momentarily considered skipping the event because of the voluntary work effort needed for the Suomi100 –arrangements. We were happy to be boo'ed at the very idea of not organising the event, proving it has become somewhat of an establishment! The event and after party were organised at the ELS Club on November 16th, around 30 players joined the tournament. The title winner is Jari Puurtinen, the stableford category winner is Ali Irfan.  Anne Sahlström won the longest drive and Riitta Saarinen the closest to the pin tournament. In addition, to honor Finland 100 we created a new category symbolized in a blue and white lion head-cover that will be passed on to the next deserving golfer, who demonstrates relentless, un-waivered go get –spirit and sisu despite many obstacles on the way, as did Finland a hundred years ago. Ari Saarela is the proud winner of the first Sisu – Suomi 100 -trophy.  Congratulations to all the winners and many thanks to Outokumpu and the ELS club for supporting the event and prizes such as golf and f&b vouchers.