Dear Members & Friends,

I hope you are having a wonderful autumn so far.

I was deeply honoured to be elected President of the Canada Finland Chamber of Commerce. I have been an active member of the CFCC since we moved here from Singapore in 2015. I have witnessed many times how the CFCC helps business owners and professionals to extend their network and forge important relationships to advance their business or career. So, when I was asked to join the board, I was delighted, and I agreed without hesitation.

I feel so blessed with our team of talented and dedicated board members. They are all business professionals with an impressive breadth of experience and diverse skills. We have been getting together frequently through the fall months and communicating regularly. We have set ambitious goals for ourselves for our organizational development, including building a plan to form effective and meaningful subcommittees. That will allow us to work more efficiently, so we can offer our members improved benefits, better communication, and greater visibility and reach online.

Your opinions are extremely important to us. We will be asking our membership for feedback through a survey very soon so that we can improve our operations to serve our community better. The survey will give us a better understanding of your priorities, which will strongly influence our strategic planning. Please look out for the survey and respond promptly so we can build our future with your input.

We are very excited about two upcoming events. On Tuesday, November 12th, we will be welcoming our new Ambassador of Finland to Canada, Mr. Roy Eriksson. Representatives from Business Finland will also join us to tell us about their office launch in Toronto. And there will be another special presentation that evening – so do join us to hear what it is!

On Saturday, November 23rd, we will gather for our traditional “Pikkujoulu” Christmas party. As well as enjoying our delicious Finnish-style Christmas buffet and drinks, you will hear from Stephen Klus, President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Canada (EUCCAN), our honorary “Friend of Finland”, who will bring his greetings to our community.

I am grateful for this vibrant community and excited for our future together. I look forward to seeing all of you at our events.

Sincerely,