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 3,000+ subscribers on LinkedIn 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. A professor, entrepreneur, and connector dedicated to fostering Finnish-American collaboration and advancing sustainable solutions.
Contents — May 2026
Upcoming Events
Business & Trade Connections
Innovation, Education & Research
Culture, Heritage & Sport
Diplomacy & Public Affairs
Monthly US policy update relevant for New England and Finland
Romeo, Our Unofficial Finnish Diplomat
Last week, we lost a dear member of our family. Romeo, our wire-haired dachshund originally from Klaukkala, Finland, passed away in Boston just shy of 14 years old. He woke up with breathing difficulties connected to his weakening heart. Still, even that morning, he managed to wag his tail, inspect the rabbit nest in the backyard, and ask — in his very clear and determined way — to be let into the honorary consulate's office.
The will was there. This time, the body could not follow. Romeo lived most of his life in the outskirts of Boston, but he never really stopped being Finnish. In our family, he became something of an unofficial diplomat: small in size, strong in character, deeply loyal, frank when necessary, and never overly impressed by ceremony. He represented some of the best qualities we like to associate with Finland — trustworthiness, directness, quiet courage, good humor, and a steady sense of duty.
He was the king of the backyard, the whale watcher aboard our sailboat Blue & White, and a loyal reserve first mate. He understood routines, people, moods, and responsibilities. He knew when to keep watch, when to comfort, when to insist, and when to make everyone laugh.
At a time when public life often feels noisy, divided, and performative, Romeo’s kind of diplomacy feels worth remembering. He did not persuade through speeches. He built trust through presence. He did not posture. He showed up. He was clear about what mattered: family, loyalty, fresh air, the occasional treat, and keeping an eye on the borders of the backyard.
Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us there. In a world that needs more trust, less noise, and more honest connections, some of the most meaningful diplomacy still begins close to home — in how we care, how we show up, and how we remain faithful to those who count on us.
Losing a dog is losing a family member. It is sudden, even though we know the day will come. But it is also a reminder of how much love one small life can bring, and how lasting a mark it can leave. And yes — the rabbits in the backyard may be feeling a little relieved today.
Thank you, Romeo, for everything. You were deeply loved, and you will be deeply missed.
Dr. Henrik Totterman
Honorary Consul of Finland to the City of Boston and the New England States of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont
Business & Trade Connections
KONE, The Nordic Compass, and the Human Side of Business Education
KONE’s recent agreement to acquire TK Elevator, formerly part of Thyssenkrupp, is more than a major corporate transaction. It is a reminder that Nordic companies continue to play a significant role in shaping global industries. The proposed deal would nearly double KONE’s size and create a group with more than 100,000 employees and annual revenue of about €20.5 billion, subject to approvals and expected completion no earlier than 2027.
The KONE story also fits a broader Nordic moment. Nordic Compass, a new industry-led alliance, brings together companies and institutions such as KONE, Nokia, Ericsson, Saab, Vattenfall, EQT, Nordea, Sitra, Novo Nordisk Foundation, and others to strengthen Nordic competitiveness around capital markets, deep tech, defense, and energy. The message is clear: Nordic companies are not only competing individually; they are increasingly part of a wider regional effort to turn trust, capital, technology, and industrial know-how into stronger global influence. For New England, this matters because many of the same themes — advanced industry, clean energy, defense innovation, deep tech, and trusted transatlantic partnerships — are already central to the region’s future.
For New England Finns, the story also connects to education, leadership, and long-term alumni relationships. At Hult International Business School in Boston, we recently published a business case on agility at KONE — exploring how a global Finnish company works to adapt, transform, and stay competitive in a changing market.
That made it especially meaningful to reconnect in Boston with Lionel Pailloncy, a Hult MBA alumnus from 2014–15 and co-author of the KONE case. Lionel had just defended his doctorate at Paris Dauphine University while working full-time — and, in the same week, completed the Boston Marathon for the second time.
His return to engage with current MBA students was a powerful example of continuity: from student, to alumnus, to scholar-practitioner, to contributor to the next generation.
In many ways, that is also part of the Nordic collaboration story. It is not only about companies, markets, or acquisitions. It is about building bridges between ideas, institutions, alumni, and regions — and turning those connections into learning that lasts.
Innovation, Education & Research
A Practical Tool for Finnish Market Entry
Boston Risk Group has created a practical Market Entry Readiness Framework for the Honorary Consulate. The tool helps assess how prepared Finnish mid-sized firms are to enter and scale in the region.
Rather than offering a general market overview, the framework turns company and market characteristics into a structured entry readiness score, a recommended mode of entry, and a set of key risk flags. It looks across firm capability, product fit, regulatory complexity, policy alignment, New England demand, market size, and growth potential.
The output is designed to be useful in early conversations with Finnish companies. It can indicate whether a firm may be ready for direct entry, better suited for a pilot, in need of a local distributor, or more likely to succeed through a partnership or joint venture.
The team also tested the logic through Finnish company examples in clean energy and health tech, including cases where New England demand is strong but regulatory requirements, local partnerships, service capacity, or reimbursement pathways may shape the best entry strategy.
For the consulate, the value is not that the tool replaces a full market entry study. It does something different: it creates a disciplined first screen for opportunity assessment. That helps turn scattered market signals into a clearer discussion about readiness, risk, partners, and next steps.
This is exactly the kind of applied collaboration that can strengthen Finland–New England business ties: practical, data-informed, and directly connected to helping Finnish firms think more clearly about the U.S. market. Thanks Team!
Culture, Heritage & Sport
Finnish Wappu in Boston
Finlandia Foundation Boston brought a bit of Finnish spring spirit to Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co. with a relaxed Wappu drinks gathering.
For those less familiar with the tradition, Wappu is the playful student-style spelling of Vappu, Finland’s May Day celebration. It is one of Finland’s most joyful spring traditions, combining student culture, May Day festivities, sparkling drinks, white student caps, balloons, and the feeling that winter is finally behind us.
We stopped by for a bit, and it was wonderful to see familiar faces, meet new people, and keep building connections across the Finnish community in Greater Boston.
Finnish Wappu, good people, and a touch of springtime festive energy — always a fun combination.
Diplomacy & Public Affairs
A lot of interesting diplomacy and public affairs matters are quietly taking shape right now. Some are still too early to share, but the direction is clear: Boston and New England continue to matter as a platform for international dialogue, innovation, education, trade, and trusted partnerships.
From Finland’s perspective, this region offers something quite special — world-class universities, deep technology ecosystems, strong civic institutions, active business networks, and a culture where serious conversations can still happen directly and constructively.
For now, it is encouraging to see how much potential there is when relationships are built patiently, locally, and with purpose. Enjoy the sunset view of our very own City of Boston.
Monthly US policy update relevant for New England and Finland
The clearest signal from this period is that Washington is becoming more operational and selective. The United States remains active in security, energy, AI, infrastructure, and trade, but is increasingly directing support toward areas it sees as core to national resilience and competitiveness. For Finland, this means the U.S. continues to offer significant opportunity, but increasingly on terms shaped by strategic fit rather than generic international cooperation.
A major development was the end of the 76-day DHS shutdown. That restored funding for agencies such as TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and CISA. More importantly, border and immigration enforcement are now being pushed onto a more protected funding track, suggesting that certain homeland security functions are being treated as longer-term strategic priorities rather than ordinary annual budget items. For Finnish and New England actors, this reinforces the importance of sectors tied to security, cyber resilience, public systems, and operational reliability.
Energy policy also sharpened in a meaningful way. The U.S. is no longer framing energy mainly through transition or climate language, but through resilience, industrial continuity, and the power demands of AI. Congressional attention to data center electricity demand, grid upgrades, and who bears the cost shows that AI is now being treated as a physical infrastructure issue. For Finland, this creates clear relevance in energy efficiency, grid modernization, cooling, backup power, and system resilience—especially in New England, where energy constraints are already a structural concern.
At the same time, AI policy is maturing beyond broad rhetoric. New federal legislative proposals focus on standards, shared research infrastructure, agency coordination, workforce readiness, and protections against AI-enabled harm. The implication is that the U.S. is not only advancing AI applications, but trying to build the institutional and technical framework around them. For Finnish firms and institutions, the opportunity lies not only in AI products, but in standards, trusted deployment, interoperability, and system-level implementation.
Research and higher education remain strong, but governance and access are becoming less predictable. The dismissal of the full National Science Board raised concern about the politicization of federal science governance, while new FAFSA fraud-prevention tools introduced tougher access filters into the student aid system. For Finland, the message is that U.S. universities and research institutions remain highly valuable partners, but collaboration should increasingly be built through direct institutional relationships and co-funded models rather than assumptions of smooth federal continuity.
Trade policy remains strongly strategic. Even as the U.S. began the administrative process of refunding invalidated IEEPA tariffs, the broader doctrine remains centered on supply chains, industrial competitiveness, and economic security. At the same time, appropriations and procurement language increasingly reflect these priorities through tighter sourcing expectations, China-related restrictions, and support for reshoring. For Finnish firms, this means success in the U.S. market increasingly depends on showing how they strengthen American capacity in areas such as infrastructure, clean and advanced technologies, resilient supply chains, and industrial production.
For New England specifically, the broader picture remains positive. The region continues to combine research strength, infrastructure demand, maritime relevance, and a practical environment for international partnerships. That makes it one of the strongest U.S. entry points for Finnish actors in energy, AI, health, transport, and maritime systems.
The bottom line is that the U.S. remains highly relevant for Finland, but increasingly rewards deployable capability over general ambition. The strongest opportunities are where Finnish expertise aligns with American needs in resilience, infrastructure, applied technology, and strategic industry—and New England remains one of the best places to turn that alignment into action.
NEXT ISSUE: #27, June 21, 2026.
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
ISSUE #20: November 20, Gratitude from Nordic New England - 2903 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #21: December 21, Nordic Yuletide and New Year Wishes - 2928 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #22: January 20, Nordic Calm and Clarity in Uncertain Times - 2962 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #23: February 20, New England Finns and Nordics: Building Continuity, Deepening Impact - 2993 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #24: March 20, From Happiness to Hard Tech: Finland in Motion Across the Atlantic - 3012 on LinkedIn.
ISSUE #25: April 16, Nordic Presence in Practice: Community, Culture, and Execution - 3043 on LinkedIn