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The Nordic Midsummer Magic

Welcome back to this monthly newsletter—For those who are new here, my name is Henrik Totterman; I am the Finnish Honorary Consul for the City of Boston and the States of New England (MA, ME, NH, VT, RI).

Below is a summary of collected insights: Remember to register for the upcoming networking event, NATO DIANA MassChallenge Pitching update, City Seminar Stockholm, Hanken EMBA from Helsinki visiting Boston, Press release from Fulbright Finland and Finlandia Foundation, EU-USA EMBA Networking, Breakfast Event with the Governor of Massachusetts, and a brief info table on the State of Massachusetts. Enjoy The NEF!

Economic and Trade Relationships

UPCOMING JUNE 12 EVENT: European-American Business Networking. I strongly recommend that you join Finlandia Foundation Boston and the European-American business community on June 12th to welcome summer!

Finlandia Foundation Boston is co-hosting the third annual European-American Business Networking Event with other leading European-American Chambers and Trade Associations. Join us for an evening of rooftop networking and a festive kickoff to summer! More information and registration can be found by clicking here.

PAST EVENT MAY 30: NATO DIANA and MassChallenge Demo Day at the Microsoft New England Research & Development Center in Cambridge, MA. I enjoyed joining this event, bringing innovators and dual-purpose end-users from military and government agencies, investors, and industry leaders. The DIANA program pilot in Massachusetts helped to accelerate 14 deep tech startups selected out of 1,300 applications from across the NATO Alliance, one being the Finnish firm GIM Robotics from Espoo. During the day, we were given short pitches and a showcase of cutting-edge technologies in energy resilience, secure information sharing, and sensing & surveillance.

As we move forward, please share with me upcoming events, potential business visits, and exciting people with the scoping of this newsletter in mind. We are always excited to share expertise and experience in our NEF community.

Educational and Research

UPCOMING MIDSUMMER WEEK: I will be running together with Patrick Furu a City Seminar in Stockholm for global Hult International Business School master students. The teams are collecting insights and getting ready to eventually advise senior executives at Espresso House, the largest coffee shop chain in Northern Europe.

THE WEEK OF JUNE 3: The Hanken EMBA program visited Hult International Business School in Boston again this week to learn firsthand about strategic management in the North American context with insights from top industrial and higher education experts stationed in the region. We learned together through business war gaming that a focused and well-communicated strategy is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for successful performance. Even the most significant advantages will disappear without good leadership, strategic agility, and efficient resource allocation. Thanks, Patrick Mullane, Katri Nousiainen, Robert Neer, Tuomas Routto, Renu Chipalkatti, Milla Perttula, Frederic Chartier, Mike Lynch, M.A., Katlyn Tabb, and everyone else who helped make this a super productive week! As always, Together We Can!

Cultural Exchange and Public Diplomacy

JOINT PRESS RELEASE MYSTIC, CT—May 24, 2024: FINLANDIA FOUNDATION NATIONAL AND FULBRIGHT FINLAND FOUNDATION SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO EXPLORE FUTURE COLLABORATION.

The 75th year of the Fulbright Finland Foundation follows in the year after the 70th anniversary of Finlandia Foundation National, providing an apt framework to launch a new cooperation between the two Finnish and American institutions that share a set of common values.

FFF CEO Terhi Mölsä, and FFN Executive Director Thomas Flanagan, both expressed not only how vital collaboration between these two organizations is but also how much sense it makes. “There are many areas that we have in common with FFN, especially given the programming in the U.S. for our Finnish grantees and U.S. alumni, so our collaboration is a genuine win-win. FFN is an excellent partner, and we are thrilled to be working together,” commented Mölsä.

WEEK OF JUNE 3: EU-USA EMBA NETWORKING.

It was an honor to host #120+ EMBAs from the Belgian Antwerp Management School, Finnish Hanken School of Economics, and Hult International Business School, along with prominent guests from the Boston Business Society and Consular Corps. Here with my Norwegian friend Honorary Consul Tonje C Gulbrandsen and Suvi Totterman.

Community Engagement

In a recent address to the New England Council, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey emphasized the state's strong momentum despite facing significant challenges, such as a housing shortage. Highlighting Massachusetts' leadership in life sciences, artificial intelligence, and green energy sectors, Healey called on business leaders to support her ambitious economic agenda, which includes a $4 billion housing bond bill and a $58 billion budget aimed at improving schools and transportation. Her optimistic outlook for Massachusetts' role in shaping the future underscores the potential lessons for Finland, especially in fostering innovation and economic resilience amidst complex challenges, and, of course, opens interesting venues for research, innovation, and business.

Exploring New England: The State of Massachusetts

Each month, I summarize and benchmark high-level facts and information from one of the New England states; this month, we focus on the state of Massachusetts.

Concluding Remarks

I hope you find the fifth issue of this newsletter insightful. Do you have any feedback or suggestions for content considering the above broad sections? The publishing date for my following newsletter is Sunday, July 7, with any materials due on Wednesday, July 3.

All the best,

HENRIK TOTTERMAN, D.Sc.
Honorary Consul of Finland to the City of Boston and the States of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

www.HenrikTotterman.com
www.linkedin.com/in/htotterman 

The NEF—This newsletter is designed to build bridges between New England, Finland, and Scandinavia. It's the chart for our shared past, present, and future adventures. I created this newsletter based on popular demand among Finnish New Englanders, and I want to engage with you in trade, education, and cultural matters. This fourth edition marks a significant milestone. We are now a community of over 2200+ subscribers on Linkedin, with many more subscriptions to my email send-out and those following the blog. Share the link to this newsletter with anyone interested in building bridges between the Nordics and New England.

Selected Dates (for planning purposes):

• January: New Year's Day (Uudenvuodenpäivä): January 1.
• February: Shrove Tuesday (Laskiainen): February 13 (2024), Kalevala Day (Kalevala päivä): February 28th.
• March: Nordic Day (Nordens dag): March 23, Easter (Pääsiäinen) Mar 31 (2024).
• April-May: May Day (Vappu): April 30/May 1.
• June: Runon ja suven päivä (Day of Poetry and Summer): June 6, Helsinki Day (Helsingin päivä): June 12, Midsummer (Juhannus): weekend of June 24.
• July: Sleepyhead Day (Unikeonpäivä): July 27.
• August-September-October: Aleksis Kivi Day: October 10.
• November: All Saints' Day (Pyhäinpäivä): first Sat of November, Finnish Swedish Heritage Day (Ruotsalaisuuden päivä): November 6.
• December: Independence Day (Itsenäisyyspäivä): December 6, Jean Sibelius Day: December 8, Lucia Day: December 13, Christmas (Joulu): December 24.