Gratitude from Nordic New England

The NEF Newsletter: Connecting New England, Finland, and Scandinavia through trade, education, and culture. Born from the enthusiasm of Finnish New Englanders, it charts our shared journey—past, present, and future. Join our growing community of 2,850+ subscribers and many more via email and blog. Share with anyone eager to build Nordic-New England bridges.

Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Henrik Totterman, Finnish Honorary Consul for Boston and New England. A professor, entrepreneur, and connector dedicated to fostering Finnish-American collaboration and advancing sustainable solutions.

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Contents — November 2025

Upcoming Events

Business & Trade Connections

Innovation, Education & Research

Culture, Heritage & Sport

Diplomacy & Public Affairs

Upcoming events (See further specifics below):

• December: Final registration (!!) for the Finnish Independence Gala Dinner on Saturday, December 6th, 2025, 6:00 PM onwards in the Boston Metro Area

Thankful for Thanksgiving

This time of the year naturally brings reflection, and from a Nordic New England vantage point, the past months have offered plenty to acknowledge. Our region has become an increasingly active crossroads between Finland, the Nordics, and the U.S., with visitors, companies, researchers, and officials looking northward for clarity, competence, and solutions.

Nordic strengths continue to travel well: trust-based collaboration, resilient systems, clean technologies, and the ability to stay focused in turbulent environments. The dialogue around energy transitions, climate resilience, biotech, marine engineering, and education has only deepened. What once felt like an outpost now feels slightly more like a bridge between hubs of knowledge and like-mindedness - Together we can make it so much more!

With that comes gratitude. The work we do here matters because so many of you engage, volunteer, host, and support. Suomi Koulu, Finlandia Foundation Boston, Scandinavian Cultural Center and Library, Uljas Koitto Temperance Society, and several regional groups all play a vital role, along with Business Finland and the Consulate, in keeping this Finnish-Nordic community active, welcoming, and connected. For all of that, I am sincerely thankful.

And while Thanksgiving traces its origins to the 1621 Plymouth, MA gathering — becoming a U.S. holiday only in 1863 — its spirit is familiar in the Nordics. Harvest-season meals, and autumn gatherings long expressed the same gratitude and togetherness that define this season here.

As we enjoy this moment of thanks, we have something special ahead: our Finnish Independence Gala Dinner on December 6 in Waltham — an evening of great company, excellent food, and cutting-edge jazz. If you haven’t registered yet, this is the last chance to join a memorable celebration.

Thank you for keeping this community grounded, connected, and moving forward. Happy Thanksgiving!

Yours Truly,

Dr. Henrik Totterman

Honorary Consul of Finland to the City of Boston and New England.

Business & Trade Connections

Local ties in Cross-Border Business

Mark Ehrenzeller and Ian Rowburrey bring decades of experience from the U.S. HVAC industry, boiler rooms in particular, and for a few years now they successfully represent a Finnish company Oilon US Inc. with a cutting edge heat pump in this highly competitive market. Their role illustrates why partnerships with trusted local professionals are invaluable for Finnish firms entering the U.S. When seasoned industry insiders carry your brand, you gain more than sales capacity — you gain credibility, relationships, and an immediate understanding of what American customers expect, framed through local language, culture, and decision-making norms.

For foreign companies, relying solely on expatriates or relocating staff from headquarters often creates a steep learning curve. Market trust takes time, and without the right local voice, even strong solutions can struggle to find traction. One company I know well solved this by ensuring that locals primarily sell to locals, while keeping the financial backbone — contracting, compliance, and systems — close to HQ. It is a model that blends deep local insight with strategic global agility.

From our discussion, I got a strong feeling of how effective this approach can be: locally grounded, respected in the field, and fully aligned with long-term value creation: great connections and lots of laughter.

Finland and New England: A Two-Way Bridge for Growthh

Earlier this month, on November 14, our Hult Design Thinking for Innovation master’s students and I hosted senior executives for an evening focused on exploring transatlantic technology and growth partnerships. The program opened with a welcome from Hult academic leadership, followed by an overview of the Finnish innovation landscape and a forward-looking keynote on the role of digital twins in pharmaceutical discovery.

The conversations that followed underscored the strong alignment between U.S. and Nordic innovation priorities — from clean tech and life sciences to data, design, and scalable growth. We closed the event with six Hult master’s finalist teams each delivering a rapid 60-second design thinking pitch. Having worked with them in class, I knew the level of quality they could deliver, and it was encouraging to see our executive guests just as impressed by the clarity, storytelling, and disciplined problem framing demonstrated in under one minute.

Congratulations to the winning team, to all participants, and to our broader Hult community. Moments like this remind us that when we bring people together across borders and disciplines.

Innovation, Education & Research

Fun catching up with the visiting future leaders from Aalto University Finland at Hult International Business School in Boston. Many of them are active in Aaltoes — Aalto Entrepreneurship Society, one of Europe’s most respected student-driven entrepreneurship communities and the engine behind initiatives like Slush and many of Finland’s most vibrant early-stage ventures.

Aaltoes has built a unique model: students and young professionals leading real entrepreneurial action, connecting research with industry, and accelerating teams from first idea to global ambition. Their work has shaped Finland’s entire startup landscape, and the talent coming through Aaltoes today represents the next generation of Nordic founders, engineers, and venture builders.

As discussed, Boston is a natural counterpart — a dense, competence-rich hub spanning universities, science parks, hard-tech accelerators, healthtech, climate innovation, and deep research commercialization. Establishing a stronger, permanent link between Aaltoes, Aalto University, other Nordic universities, and Boston’s innovation ecosystem would unlock opportunities on both sides: new ventures, exchanges, market entry pathways, and richer academic-industry collaboration.

These students belong in this ecosystem — and this ecosystem benefits from their presence. Time to lower the thresholds, build the bridge, and make these connections part of a long-term, transatlantic partnership.

Breaking down barriers, because together we can!

Culture, Heritage & Sport

REGISTRATION LINK ON TOP OF NEWSLETTER

Looking forward to welcoming our community to the Finnish Independence Day Gala Dinner on December 6 in Waltham — an evening of great company, Nordic flavors, and warm celebration with over 80 registered guests and still counting. Ensure you register before the end of this week to secure your spot!

This year, we are joined by The Joe Brogan Jazz Trio, a highly talented group of Boston-area musicians and educators. Known for their versatility, they perform classic jazz standards and, upon request, can move seamlessly into classical or contemporary pieces. We have naturally agreed already on a few surprises.

The trio regularly plays at weddings, receptions, corporate events, and private gatherings across Metro Boston and New England, and can expand into a quartet or quintet when the occasion calls for it. Their presence will add a rich musical backdrop to a memorable night of independence, community, and culture.

Diplomacy & Public Affairs

THE NEF - NEW ENGLAND FINNS NEWSLETTER

NEXT ISSUE: #19, December 20, 2025.

Past Issues:

ISSUE #1: January 23, 2024, Setting Sails for a New Adventure - The NEF – The New England Finns monthly newsletter was launched on January 25, 2024, with well over 1200 subscribers on Linkedin a week later.

ISSUE #2: February 25, 2024, Sailing the Northeast Shores - 1776 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #3: March 31, 2024, Nordic Sailors Sharing Joy, Experiences, and Knowledge- 1900 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #4: April 28, 2024, Nordic Sailors and the New England Summer Season! - 2100 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #5: June 7, 2024, The Nordic Midsummer Magic - 2200 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #6: July 9, 2024, The Legendary Nordic Vacation - 2300 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #7: August 31, 2024, The Nordic Night of the Ancient Fires - 2400 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #8: September 29, 2024, Nordic Values At Work - 2450 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #9: November 3, 2024, Embracing the Northeastern Winds - 2500 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #10: December 8, 2024, Shining Bright under the Northern Lights - 2542 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #11: January 5, 2025, A Nordic Cheer for a Resilient New Year - 2584 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #12: February 2, 2025, Nordic Hockey Flair in the Garden Air - 2640 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #13: March 2, 2025, Nordic Hockey Flair in the Garden Air - 2680 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #14: April 5, 2025, Nordic Happiness in New England - 2703 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #15: May 4, 2025, Sauna, Summer, and Sisu — Stronger Ties, Brighter Skies - 2746 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #16: June 14, 2025, From Nordic Flag Raisings to Finnish-American Alliances - 2779 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #17: July 15, 2025, Nordic Summer: Rest, Reflect & Reimagine - 2793 on Linkedin.

ISSUE #18: September 15, Nordic Leadership in Action - 2820 on Linkedin

ISSUE #19: October 15, Nordic-American Two-Way Bridge - 2876 on Linkedin