Welcome our new member HEI UAE School

HEI UAE is part of a growing global network of Finnish HEI Schools, serving more than 1,700 children across over 25 centres worldwide. The University of Helsinki and Professor Lipponen of the Faculty of Education are the co-founders of HEI Schools and the academic partners in developing our research-based model. To ensure consistent quality across all learning environments, HEI UAE educators receive comprehensive professional development and ongoing support from experienced HEI mentors from Finland.

At the core of the HEI model is the belief that children learn best when they are encouraged to explore, discover, and develop in a nurturing environment that respects their individuality. Through carefully designed learning experiences, HEI UAE helps children build confidence, creativity, independence, and a lifelong love of learning.

www.heiuae.ae

Contact:

Sari Saliba

Sari.Saliba@heiuae.ae




A major step forward for Finland–UAE connectivity

Great news for both Finland and the UAE.

The launch of Emirates’ daily direct flights between Helsinki and Dubai is an important milestone for the growing relationship between our two countries. A year-round direct connection will bring Finland and the UAE closer together and create new opportunities for business, trade, investment and tourism.

For the Finnish business community in the UAE, this is a particularly welcome development. Strong international connectivity is an important enabler of business, making it easier for companies to enter new markets, meet customers and partners, attract investment and strengthen commercial ties. The new route will also provide Finnish businesses with improved access through Dubai to Emirates’ extensive global network.

Over recent years, we have seen the relationship between Finland and the UAE develop significantly across areas such as technology, digitalisation, renewable energy, education and innovation. This new direct connection is another concrete step in that positive development.

At Finnish Business Council UAE, we are very pleased to see this important connection becoming a reality, and we look forward to the opportunities it will create for our members and for the wider Finnish-UAE business community. We have already established a good relationship with Emirates, and our collaboration will bring added value to our members through exclusive benefits, including discounted flight tickets and other travel-related opportunities.

Emirates announcement

Emirates will launch a daily flight between Helsinki and Dubai from 1 October 2026, expanding its footprint in the Nordics. The new service introduces the only year-round, direct link between Finland and the UAE, and unlocking expanded opportunities for both international leisure and corporate travellers.

The Dubai-Helsinki route will be served by the Emirates A350, the latest aircraft type to join the airline’s all widebody fleet. The A350 is the most fuel-efficient large widebody aircraft in commercial service today and also offers the quietest twin-aisle cabin of any aircraft. Accommodating 298 passengers in three spacious cabins – Business, Premium Economy and Economy – the A350 brings the latest of Emirates’ world-class product and service to Finland from launch, with bright and airy cabins and the latest tech touches.

Beyond tourism, the UAE and Finland have established strong bilateral relationships, underpinned by mutual interests in renewable energy, artificial intelligence and digital transformation, advanced technology, education, space and sustainable development. Trade between the two nations continues to grow, and Emirates’ new service will fuel further opportunities for businesses to connect with the UAE and global markets, via Emirates SkyCargo.

As one of Europe’s key advanced-tech manufacturing and timber hubs, the airline expects to uplift key commodities such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, machinery, perishables, and high-value goods via the 16 tonnes of bellyhold capacity on each flight.

Samuli Pesu, Chairman of the Finnish Business Council

Read the full Emirates announcement:
https://www.emirates.com/media-centre/emirates-to-launch-flights-to-helsinki-finland/

Samuli Pesu

FBC Member in spotlight - Meet Sari Saliba, General Manager from HEI UAE School

1. What is HEI Schools Dubai, and what makes it different from other preschools?

HEI Early Learning Centres bring Finland's child-centered approach to early childhood education to the UAE. Our curriculum has been developed in collaboration with the University of Helsinki and is based on decades of research into how young children learn the best. Rather than focusing on academic pressure at an early age, we prioritize curiosity, creativity, emotional wellbeing, and learning through play. Our learning environments are carefully designed to nurture confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of learning while supporting each child's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. As a Finn myself I appreciate the most that all our employees will be trained and mentored by Finnish education experts and all educators are studying for HEI diploma. 

2. What is your background, and what led you into education as a career?

My professional journey has always been driven by a passion for people, especially children. I worked as a nurse for 12 years before studying social services and later management and leadership. Being a lifelong learner myself and through my own educational pathways,  early childhood education felt like a natural extension of the values I believe in learning and children's right for safe education. Early childhood, in particular, is such a critical stage of development. Being part of an organization that helps children build confidence, resilience, creativity, and a strong foundation for life is incredibly rewarding. Joining HEI Schools was especially exciting because it combines educational excellence with an innovative and research-based approach that genuinely puts children first.

3. What does a typical day at HEI Schools Dubai look like?

A typical day is vibrant, engaging, and full of discovery. Children arrive to a welcoming environment where they feel safe, valued, and excited to learn. Throughout the day, they participate in a mix of play-based activities, creative projects, storytelling, music, movement, outdoor exploration, and collaborative learning experiences.  Our educators act as guides rather than traditional instructors, observing children's interests, and using those moments to create meaningful learning opportunities. You'll see children exploring nature, building, creating art, solving problems together, and developing social skills through everyday interactions. Every aspect of the day is designed to support holistic development while ensuring that learning remains joyful and purposeful.

4. What do you think Finland and the UAE could learn from each other when it comes to education?

I believe there is tremendous value in both systems. Finland has demonstrated the power of trust, child-centered learning, and prioritizing wellbeing alongside academic development. The Finnish model shows that when children are happy, supported, and engaged, they become confident lifelong learners. The UAE, meanwhile, is recognized globally for its ambition, innovation, and forward-thinking approach. The pace at which the country embraces new ideas and invests in educational excellence is truly impressive. I think Finland can learn from the UAE's entrepreneurial mindset, multicultural environment, and commitment to future-ready skills. At the same time, the UAE can benefit from Finland's emphasis on play, wellbeing, and holistic development in the early years. Together, these strengths create a powerful model for preparing children for a rapidly changing world.

5. What do you personally enjoy most about living and working in Dubai?

What I enjoy most is Dubai's incredible diversity and energy. It is a city where people from different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives come together, creating a unique environment for learning, collaboration, and innovation. We moved here 14 years ago with our small children, and the way UAE welcomes children and supports their wellbeing is remarkable. Additionally, it needs to be mentioned how safe this country is and the richness what diversity brings to it in terms of culture, religion, even food. I always say that raising my children here was the best gift I can give them: where else would you learn about different cultures and build such an understanding of multiculturalism than in UAE.

Welcome our new member Nordic Hospitality

Nordic Hospitality x Experience

REDEFINING STANDARDS FOR EVENTS & CULINARY EXPERIENCES

Nordic Hospitality x Experience is a premium event production and culinary experience company creating bespoke events for corporations, luxury brands, and discerning private clients. At the heart of everything we do is Nordic Haute Cuisine—an elevated expression of contemporary gastronomy where precision, purity, and artistry converge.

We design and produce experiences ranging from intimate private dinners and yacht gatherings to corporate events, brand activations, gala dinners, and fully bespoke event productions. Our services combine event concept development and production with private chef experiences, high-end catering, culinary design, and hospitality.

Whether we are producing a complete event or creating the culinary experience within it, every project is built around the client, the occasion, and the desired impact. We bring together food, service, atmosphere, storytelling, and production to create experiences that feel distinctive, considered, and memorable.

Every detail is intentional. Every experience is singular. This is Nordic Cuisine, Hospitality & Experience, defined at the highest level.

Nordic Hospitality x Experience operates from Helsinki, Finland and Dubai, UAE.

www.nordichospitalityexperience.com

Contact:

Kristian Karnell

kristian.karnell@nheagency.com

Welcome our new member Nexuspoint

Nexuspoint is a Dubai-based operations practice for owners and senior teams across the UAE, the GCC and Southeast Asia. We help them execute through growth, deals, and the challenges of scaling, the points where an operation is most likely to slip out of shape.

The practice is led by Jeff Ross, drawing on twenty-five years of running and rebuilding multi-site operations across hospitality, retail and service businesses.

What we do: fractional and interim operations leadership, post-acquisition integration, structured programmes for senior teams, and speaking on operations, integration and leading through change.

Contact:

jeff@jeffross.me
Website: https://nexuspoint.me
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nexuspointme &  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrossme/ 

When the Market Slows Down, the Smart Brands Prepare to Stand Out

When a company takes its brand into a live environment, something important happens. For a moment, the brand is no longer just a strategy, logo, campaign or tone of voice. It becomes something people physically experience.

They see it in the room.

They hear it from the stage.

They feel it in the flow of the event.

They judge it in the details.

Especially in a foreign market, an event is rarely “just an event.” It is a moment where the brand is expected to move people, influence decisions and create a real business outcome. It carries potential, while also carrying risk. And tech-wise, the risk is not usually that good technology cannot be found. In markets like the UAE, raw technical capability is available.

The bigger question is:

Who is making sure the technical decisions actually serve the brand? Because once the brand goes live, its intention passes through a temporary chain of agencies, venues, vendors, schedules and compromises. Everyone may do their part to well, and still the final experience can drift away from what the brand was meant to communicate.

A stage can look impressive, but not quite right for the brand. A transition can work technically, but kill the energy in the room. A reveal can happen on cue, but still feel insignificant. These are not just technical issues. They are translation issues. The brand had an intention. The live event delivered an interpretation.

At Scene Arts, this is the space we care about. We call it Technical Ownership. It means coming in early enough to understand what the brand is trying to achieve, then shaping the event flow, technical decisions, responsibilities and critical moments around that outcome. Not to add another layer of complexity, but to remove it from the client. The client should not have to carry technical uncertainty. An event agency should not have to rely on hope, late-night heroics or disconnected vendor coordination to make a high-stakes moment work.

For companies entering or growing in the UAE and GCC region, this matters. The market has ambition and appetite for high-quality event experiences. But as expectations rise, the difference between something that merely works and something that feels true to the brand becomes more visible. Because when your brand goes live, the audience does not see the planning, cue sheets, rehearsals or control points behind the event. They simply feel whether it works or not. That is why someone needs to own it before the pressure is on. And when the market slows down, it is tempting to wait. But often, that is exactly the moment to prepare.

The brands that use this time well will be sharper, clearer and more ready to stand out when momentum returns. If you are planning an event in the UAE or wider GCC region, the first step does not need to be a full production commitment or a big decision. It can simply be a structured look at what the event needs to achieve, where the brand is most exposed, and what should be shaped early so the live experience lands properly.

Scene Arts can help you begin with a clear, low-risk first step before the big commitments are made.

Contact:

Elias Kaisanlahti

Head of Sales

+358 400 387688

elias@scenearts.fi

Dubai is going all in on AI. So should you.

You have already tried AI. You opened ChatGPT or Copilot, asked it something, got an answer that was... fine, and then quietly went back to doing the work yourself. Almost all of us did exactly that.

And while we were busy being mildly unimpressed, the city around us made a very different decision.

In April, HH Sheikh Mohammed himself put it in writing: within two years, half of the UAE government's services and operations will run on agentic AI. No pilot project. No "let's revisit this next year." The first government anywhere to run at that scale on AI that decides and acts on its own.

And few days later, HH Sheikh Hamdan handed the same two-year deadline also to Dubai's private sector, with funded training, incubators, and real money behind the businesses that move. 

The goal was said out loud: Dubai wants to be the best city in the world at actually using this technology, not just talking about it.

So whatever your job is here, you now live and work in a place that has decided to run on AI before anyone else does. That is the air you breathe at the office now.

Here's the part that matters for a normal working week, and it's all about execution. We all have some tasks we wish would just do themselves. The email you sketch few times. The report you dread. Spreadsheets, summaries, proposals – built from scratch or templates every single time. That is exactly the work this stuff was built to lift off your plate.

"Agentic" is the word you'll keep hearing, so let me make it simple. Ordinary AI answers your question and waits. An agent doesn't wait. You give it the goal, and it works through the steps and hands the job back finished. Less a search box, more a capable colleague or teammate who actually gets things done.

And here's what surprises me most: the people getting most value out of these are not the tech wizards. They're normal professionals who set it up properly once, instead of opening a blank chat every morning and explaining their whole job again. That's the entire secret. On my own repeat tasks, I've cut a full day down to an hour, and an hour down to minutes. Not because I prompt like a genius. Because I built a setup. Anyone in your office could do the same.

That setup is what we build together on 12 June, in a hands-on session for FBC members at Media One Hotel. No lecture on "what is AI." No code. You sit down with your own real work and walk out with a system that fits it: your own AI handbook, a reusable context pack, and one task from your week automated end to end. Limited seating, so act fast (https://www.fbcuae.fi/events/2026/5/15/kdg0mb5pw816zn32k7isqclbqoi936).

You don't need to be a programmer, or become one. You don't need anyone's permission. You just need to stop scrolling past the headlines and spend one afternoon getting your hands on this properly. The city around you has already woken up. Consider this a friendly nudge for the rest of us to do the same, before "I've been meaning to learn that" quietly turns into "everyone around me already did."

See you on the 12th.

Tommi Linna CEO & Founder, Aigentics

FBC Member in spotlight - Meet Richard Ulfvengren from Lunette

As a male partner in a female-focused company, how do you build trust and convince women that menstrual cups can be a better alternative to traditional products?

I’ve been doing this for over 10 years, and I believe my genuine passion for the problem we are solving—and for the product itself—has been key. Interestingly, I’ve rarely been asked this question. The product speaks for itself.

Sustainability is clearly at the core of Lunette’s mission. What are the biggest challenges—and opportunities—you see in building a truly responsible brand in today’s market?

We have a strong advantage in that our core product is a game changer for sustainability. A single cup can be reused for up to 10 years, replacing tens of thousands of disposable pads or tampons.

We’ve also made sure to be a non-plastic company in terms of packaging, and we are constantly reviewing our supply chain and internal processes.

One of our biggest challenges is staying true to our ethical production in Finland, even though it is more expensive, and standing up against “copycats” producing in lower-cost countries. However, with our promise to donate one cup for every one sold, we need to be able to look that girl in the eye and guarantee the highest possible quality—without taking any shortcuts.

Through The Cup Foundation, Lunette is tackling period poverty worldwide. Can you share a moment or impact story that has been particularly meaningful to you?

We started this work over 10 years ago, and we are now hearing stories from girls who were able to stay in school and graduate. That means they have a fairer shot at life and can live more independently.

We also know that for every girl who can rely on a menstrual cup, there is less pressure to find money for period care each month. And importantly, girls who stay in school are less vulnerable to child marriage.

Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of menstrual health, and how do you see Lunette contributing to a more equal and sustainable world?

One of the most effective ways to reduce poverty is to invest in women. We believe access to safe period care is a human right. It is well proven that when girls can finish school, they become less dependent and are more likely to grow into the changemakers the world needs.

With a growing global population, it is natural—and necessary—that we all reassess our habits and consider how we can contribute to a more sustainable planet. Menstrual cups are better for your body, save money, and significantly reduce waste, so the choice should be straightforward.

Real change will come when the large multinational companies—who have long benefited from a model where women need to purchase disposable products every month—begin to shift. This is a US$72 billion industry.

I often compare this to our historical dependence on oil. Electric car technology existed for decades before Tesla proved it could be not only viable, but desirable. Now, all major car brands are moving toward electric, and even Volvo is planning to phase out petrol-driven cars.

We need a similar revolution in period care.

Where can people in the UAE currently find and purchase Lunette products locally or online?

We are currently in the process of restructuring our distribution in the UAE and the wider region. Soon, our products will be available through our own webstore, lunette.ae, and on Amazon.ae.

In the meantime, some products should still be available at Boots and Life pharmacies (for example, in Dubai Mall).