Amcham Finland is an international membership-based business-to-business network that helps inbound companies access the Northern European market and outbound companies globalize. Based in Helsinki, Finland, Amcham Finland also has offices in Stockholm and New York City.
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The mission of the organization is to make Finland a more globally savvy and connected market. It derives its name from the words Ambition Champions.
Amcham Finland is an independent, non-governmental, non-partisan and non-profit association. It is fully member-funded; it receives no outside funding except for occasional project-based support.
Membership
At the end of 2016, the membership comprised 420 companies that were headquartered in 20 countries. The largest member groups were Nordic growth companies, Nordic-based foreign affiliates and publicly traded Finnish companies.
Member companies that don't have operations in Finland can use Amcham Finland as their local network through the Instant Insider membership.
Activities
Amcham Finland offers its members a networking and policy forum.
The main programs are:
Amcham also supports a Policy Committee, Legal Committee, Tax Committee and Public Affairs Committee.
History and leadership
Amcham Finland was founded in 2005 by fifty companies and registered as a Finnish business association. In 2010, Amcham and the Finnish-American Chamber of Commerce in Helsinki (FACC) merged. At the time of the merger, Amcham was chaired by Petteri Kilpinen and the FACC by Heikki Malinen and Risto Siilasmaa.
The membership is presented at the Annual General Meeting, which selects a board of directors for two years at a time. Amcham Finland has been chaired by Teppo Rantanen, Managing Partner of Deloitte, from 2005 - 2009, Petteri Kilpinen, CEO of TBWA Finland, from 2009 - 2010, Heikki Malinen, CEO of Pöyry and Posti, from 2010 - 2014, and Tuomo Haukkovaara, General Manager of IBM Finland, since 2014.
The first Managing Director was Natasha Seeley. She led the organization from 2005 - 2007. Kristiina Helenius was appointed Managing Director (later Chief Executive Officer) in 2007.
The Board of Directors 2016 - 17:
Ms. Senait Asgede, Senior Client Director, Schroders
Mr. Peter Bardenfleth-Hansen, Nordic Director, Tesla Motors
Ms. Carmen Ene, C.E.O., 3StepIT
Mr. Tuomo Haukkovaara, General Manager, IBM Finland (Chair)
Mr. Jan Ollila, Senior Partner, Dittmar & Indrenius
Mr. Jyrki Ovaska, Executive Vice President, UPM
Mr. Oliver Rittgen, C.E.O., Bayer Nordic
Mr. Andreas Rosenlew, Managing Partner, Grow
Mr. Mikko-Jussi Suonenlahti, Venture Partner, Draper Esprit
Partners
Amcham Finland is accredited by the U.S. Chamber and belongs to the world-wide AmCham network.
It collaborates closely with many Amchams. Amcham Finland is on the Executive Committee of Amcham-in-Europe which has 44 members across Europe and Eurasia.