By Patrice van der Heiden, General Manager at the Finnish Dutch Chamber of Commerce

In 1984 I started my career in the Dutch automotive industry on car importer level. Together with a business partner we started our own company in 1992. We made a deal with a Finnish company in Espoo which had developed a very advanced used car valuation system. With this tool a salesman in a car dealership could make the right calculation for trading in a car based on actual and regional market prices. In the early nineties car dealerships in the Netherlands were busy with automation of the workshop but in Finland they were already working on IT tools for the sales departments. What I also remember is that when you were walking in Helsinki you could see when the bus would be at the bus stop by the minute and that you could pay your taxi with a credit card. So, we always talked in Dutch automotive about how advanced things were in Finland and this really helped to build our company.

Looking back to the past thirty years I have fantastic memories; you of course never forget your first Vappu in Helsinki or a Pikkujoulu party on a cruise ship to Tallinn. But also the many visits to franchised car dealers, the FDCC visit to the KONE test center in Tytyri, the many museums I visited in Greater Helsinki area, Ruska in Lapland, winter holidays in Ruka, summer holidays in KatinKulta, visiting my friends in Helsinki, etc. So Finland means a lot to me.

When we started our company, we visited the Embassy of Finland in The Hague and they advised us to join the Finnish Dutch Chamber of Commerce as a member which we did. In 2004 I became a FDCC board member, in 2008 secretary and in 2010 chairman. After eight years you have to leave the board, so in 2012 I was appointed General Manager of the Chamber which means that I'm responsible for all the operational matters: organising events, member and financial administration, marketing and communication, guiding our Finnish interns and keeping contact with our stakeholders like the embassies, the other Nordic Chamber in the Netherlands, Finncham etc.

Through the years we organised of course many events as a Finnish Dutch Chamber of Commerce. I don't think I have a memorable one, although the visit to the KONE test center, as mentioned before was quite special. I always enjoy organising #NordicTalks, a joined event of the Nordic Chambers in the Netherlands but the Meet & Greets we have been organising when a new Finnish Ambassador is coming to the Hague are also always very nice.

For Finland, the Netherlands is the 5th import and the 4th export partner, so we have very close business relations. I think that more or less all the global working Finnish companies are also in the Netherlands. Due to the political situation in the world, the war in the Ukraine and the sanctions to Russia, it makes sense that Finnish and Dutch companies are more focusing on other markets within Europe. More and more companies from Finland are already coming to the Dutch market so this is a good development.

Finland's big year 2017, was also very special for me. We had started a 'Foundation Finland 100 in the Netherlands' and I had the honour to chair that foundation. In 2017 a new tulip was named 'Suomi 100' and was baptised by the spouse of the President of Finland Ms Jenni Haukio in Mäntyniemi. In November 2017 we opened the Finland100Park where over 500 birches were planted. Nowadays there are already more than 750 birches!

The spouse of the President of Finland, Ms Jenni Haukio, baptising a new tulip.

In 2018 I became Knight in the Order of the White Rose of Finland during a ceremony in the Residence of the Finnish Ambassador. I'm very grateful for this and consider it as a special honour; I wear the medal with pride during each Independence Day reception.

30 years of Finland experience - A walk down memory lane with the General Manager of the Finnish Dutch Chamber of Commerce