FACC Newsletter - Summer 2009

FACC AGM AND BUSINESS SEMINAR

On 26 October 2009 the Chamber held its Annual General Meeting at the offices of TressCox. We are happy to announce that the Committee of the Chamber has been increased by two committee members: Riku Laanti of Pamir Consulting in Adelaide who joins the Committee for the first time and Tim Purcell who rejoins the Committee after a few years absence. The Committee members for 2010 are:

• Silke Koernicke
• Geoff Charnock
• Joakim Westerholm
• Lesley Doig
• June Wang
• Juha Pyykko
• Ilka Hakkinen
• Riku Laanti
• Tim Purcell

Following the AGM our members and guests from the Swedish Chamber and the Danish Trade Commission enjoyed a presentation by Silke Koernicke (TressCox) outlining the significant changes to the sub-class 457 business visas which came into effect on 14 September 2009. This was followed by a presentation by Darren Gardner (Maddocks) about the recent changes to the employment law regime in Australia. After the conclusion of the seminar our members and guests enjoyed networking with finger food and drinks.

CRUISE WITH THE EUROPEANS

On 26 November 2008 the Chamber participated in the annual Cruise with the Europeans for the second time. Members and friends of nine European Chambers came together on board the Sydney 2000 to network and enjoy the scenery of Sydney Harbour. About 20 FACC members attended the event which was an impressive attendance rate given the size of our Chamber. The feedback was very positive as our members enjoyed the cruise and the drinks afterwards at the Ueberbar in the Rocks.

THE FINNISH KNOWHOW - TECHNICAL VISITS TO FINLAND

In recent years Finland has consistently been among the highest scorers in many fields worldwide. Various delegations from all over the world visit Finland with an interest in learning about the expertise of the different industries. There are various programs offering strong areas of expertise including the information sector, education, governance and security, electronics, ship building and bio engineering that can be introduced to visiting delegations. For more information please contact FACC secretariat.

GOOGLE SETS UP ITS DATA CENTRE IN FINLAND

Jaws drop as a former paper mill in Hamina, south-eastern Finland turns out to be just the site that internet search engine company Google was looking for when planning a new data centre. A data centre houses thousands of computers that, as Google's pages describe it, "store and serve vast amounts of data". Petri Kokko, Google's Finnish country manager, says that in addition, Finland and Hamina offer a "business-friendly environment" and a hiring pool of "employees with expertise". Summa paper mill, where Google is setting up shop, was operated by forest products corporation Stora Enso until January 2008, when it shut its doors. The symbolism is striking: Where once paper machines produced colossal rolls of newsprint, ready to carry printed information to people's homes, another kind of machine will soon connect some of the same people with electronic information in the form of internet pages.

FINNISH EDUCATION SYSTEM PRODUCES TOP PERFORMERS – FREE

The Finnish education system is an egalitarian Nordic system, with no tuition fees for full-time students. Attendance is compulsory for nine years starting at age seven, and free meals are served to pupils at primary and secondary levels, where the pupils go to their local school. In the OECD's international assessment of student performance, PISA, Finland has consistently been among the highest scorers worldwide; in 2006 Finnish 15-year-olds came first in science and second in mathematics and reading literacy, in 2003 Finnish came first in reading literacy, mathematics, and science, while placing second in problem solving. In tertiary education, the World Economic Forum ranks Finland #1 in the world in enrolment and quality and #2 in maths and science education.

FINNISH DELEGATION VISIT NORDIC EXPOSED DOWN UNDER

The 2009 ‘Nordic Exposed’ seminars presented by VisitFinland, the Scandinavian Tourist Board and Scandinavian Airlines - was held in Brisbane 5 October, Melbourne 6 October and in Sydney 7 October. Finland was represented by Kari Halonen, Marketing Director of Helsinki City Tourist and Convention Bureau, Jouko Kaunisvaara of OneLapland and local VisitFinland marketing representatives Satu Raunola and Camilla Jennings. The theme is ‘Four Seasons and a 1000 reasons to visit Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden’ highlighting year round experiences in the Nordic Region which attracted over 400 travel agents and 40 media representatives.

COOL, CREATIVE, CONTRASTING AND CREDIBLE FINLAND

Four new videos show off Europe’s best-kept secret: Finland. Each lasts about five minutes, and each takes a different approach. If you crave statistics, click the Credible video. If you want landscapes and cityscapes, go for Contrasting. Creative looks at the secret behind Finnish creativity, while Cool defines the word “cool” in more ways than one. http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=178504

THE WORLD’S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP BUILT IN TURKU SHIP YARD

Completed at the STX Europe Turku shipyard in October, the world’s largest cruise liner, the Oasis of the Seas, will set out on its maiden voyage on 5 December from Port Everglades in Florida. Royal Caribbean’s new flagship has already enjoyed international success when bookings for the luxury cruise liner have poured in. This Turku-built vessel is technically revolutionary and its safety, energy efficiency and environmental-friendliness are unparalleled. A unique deck feature of the new vessel is football pitch-sized Central Park, with its real trees, lawns and plants.

The vessel is an impressive display of Finnish industrial prowess and represents the largest single export in Finnish history. The value of the vessel is approximately EUR 900 million.

The Turku shipyard has built luxury cruise liners for Royal Caribbean for 12 years. It first built five Voyager Class liners, then three Freedom Class vessels and, in addition to the vessel just delivered, it is building a second Oasis Class liner.

Oasis of the Seas by the numbers

Length: 360 metres
Beam: 47 metres
2700 staterooms
Passenger capacity: 6300
Crew: 2,200 from 65 different countries

CHANGING OF THE GUARDS IN AUSTRALIA

FACC interviewed Ambassador Glen Lindholm who will be leaving his post in December 2009 and will returning back to Finland.

How do you see your time in Australia for the past 4 years?

“My time in Australia has been a little confusing as it is the fist peaceful country for me where there has not been any serious crisis. All my previous posts have been challenging due to various political crisis such as Sri Lanka 1980s as well as various other posts in Africa.

What have been the major developments during this time?

Finland and Australia enjoy very good relationships. Our major achievements since 2005 have been firstly the Double Taxation Agreement also called ”Investment Promotion” which was signed in 2006. The agreement for Social Security was for some reason on the negotiation table for 20 years. It was finally signed this year and has been effective since July 2009.

Other major events include the visit of President Halonen in 2007 and Alexander Downers visits to Finland in 2006. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all parliamentary delegations which have visited Australia and improved our relationship in various different fields.

During Finland‘s EU presidency in 2008 we where able to improve the collaboration between EU and Pacific Island Forum. Our cooperation since then includes not only political dialogue but also development cooperation.

I have been also pleased with the trade development during 2005-2008 which has been very positive. Unfortunately we have gone backwards this year so there is a challenge to bring it back to 2008 level in the future.

What are you personal experiences in Australia?

I had a connection with Australia as my father moved to Australia in 1920s, and spend some time in QLD in farming bananas and sugar cane. When we came back to Finland I grew up hearing his stories about his time in Australia. We used to have a 5 metre snake skin on the wall and other memorabilia such as a real boomerang. I was singing Waltzing Matilda when I was 5 years old and I knew about “Billabong” and “Kookaburra”. Australia became a very desirable destination to visit and I was curious to spend some time here. After 4 years I can see that Australia has similar challenges as we do in Europe and Finland. Relationships with Asian countries are vital especially trading with China and Japan. Asian influence is very prominent in Australia. Running a multicultural society is very challenging here as it is in Europe. We all are experiencing similar challenges how to merge different nationalities to live in harmony and get adapted to a one society. Australian economy looks good as it has managed the economical crisis very well and looks like it is bouncing back much smoother and faster than many other Western country.

Who will take the post after you?

I welcome my college Maija Lahteenmaki who is coming from Spain to take post starting 1 January. I wish her all the best of success and I am sure she will enjoy her stay as much as I did.

Consul Pirjo Leino moves to Thailand

Consul Pirjo Leino will also leave her post to move to Bangkok in January 2010 after 25 years in Sydney. She is swapping posts with her successor Mrs. Pirkko Kaikkonen who is currently posted in Bangkok.

FINLAND RANKS 1st IN PROSPERITY- AUSTRALIA 6th COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

The third edition of the Legatum Prosperity Index, ranks 104 countries (covering 90% of the world’s population), based on a definition of prosperity that combines economic growth together with measures of happiness and quality of life. Finland ranks first overall as a result of a very strong performance in each of the nine areas identified as the foundations of true prosperity. Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway round out the top five positions in the Index. The largest nations to rank inside the top 10 are Australia (6th), Canada (7th), and the United States (9th).

• Finland scores highest on the sub-indexes relating to security, governance and education for which it ranks 2nd, 2nd and 3rd respectively.
• Globally, Finland ranks 9th for measures of entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Finland ranks 2nd on the sub-index assessing safety and security reflecting comparatively low levels of internal conflict and crime.
• Finland ranks 6th in social capital. This measure considers factors such as the importance of friends and family, membership of civic organizations, and charitable giving.

FINLAND CLAIMS UP TO NR 2 IN WEF’S GLOBAL GENDER GAP INDEX

Iceland (1) has claimed the top spot of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2009 from Norway (3) which slipped to third position behind Finland (2). Sweden (4) completed the Nordic countries’ continued dominance of the top four. The report’s Index assesses countries on how well they are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male and female populations, regardless of the overall levels of these resources and opportunities.

1. Economic participation and opportunity – outcomes on salaries, participation levels and access to high-skilled employment
2. Educational attainment – outcomes on access to basic and higher level education
3. Political empowerment – outcomes on representation in decision-making structures
4. Health and survival – outcomes on life expectancy and sex ratio

The Index’s scores can be interpreted as the percentage of the gap that has been closed between women and men.

CAPITAL OF CULTURE STATUS IS TURKU’S GIFT TO ALL OF FINLAND

The preparation for the Turku 2011 Capital of Culture year is proceeding according to schedule. Almost half of the nearly 150 projects in the Capital of Culture programme have been confirmed, and 41 of them have been completed for presentation.

As the Capital of Culture, Turku is easy to approach and encourages people to think about culture as an everyday phenomenon and an environment in which we live. Culture does not mean just art, culture signifies everything in life. Everyone is invited to create, experience and enjoy culture, as well as to discover it.

Turku’s Capital of Culture year is being built through broad Finnish and international co-operation. Thousands of people across city boundaries have participated in building the Capital of Culture and will continue to do so. The Turku 2011 Foundation has made corporate co-operation agreements with five major Finnish companies for a total of nearly one million euro: Finnair, More On, Tallink Silja, Turun Osuuskauppa and Turku Energia.

PALACE KAMP INAUGURATES A HOTEL AT HELSINKI-VANTAA AIRPORT IN 2010

Palace Kamp will open a new Hotel next year on the 1st January under the name Palace Airport, located at terminal 2. The new Hotel works with the same lifestyle concept as the already existing and very successful Hotel Glo, which is located in Helsinki CBD. Palace Airport awaits its guests at terminal 2 on the service level and features 30 rooms.

For more information, visit www.palacekamp.fi

HELSINKI AIRPORT NAMED WORLD'S BEST IN BAGGAGE DELIVERY

Passengers have voted Helsinki Airport the world's best in baggage delivery. This was announced in the Skytrax World Airport Awards survey, where 8.6 million passengers are asked to evaluate their experiences with 190 global airport services.

Finavia Airport Director Juha-Pekka Pystynen says that the Skytrax survey is backed up by Finavia baggage statistics. According to the statistics, passengers at Helsinki Airport claim their bags quickly, as roughly 87% of arriving flights are offloaded in less than 30 minutes.

"At Helsinki Airport a majority of the passengers pick up their bags in less than half an hour after their plane has landed. In reality the wait time at the baggage claim carousels is on average around 10-15 minutes."

World Airport Awards also went to major Asian airports. Seoul's Incheon Airport won the top honours. Hong Kong International took second place and third went to Singapore's Changi Airport. The top European airports were Zurich (4th) and Munich (5th).

CITY OF HELSINKI APPOINTED WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2012

The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) announced 25 November, that the appointment of World Design Capital™ (WDC) 2012 has been conferred to the City of Helsinki (Finland). Announced during the closing ceremony of the Icsid World Design Congress in Singapore, Helsinki will move on to be the third city to hold the biennial designation in 2012.

Appointed to cities based on their accomplishments and commitment to design as an effective tool for social, cultural and economic development, the WDC designation is an ambitious project initiated and managed by Icsid to promote the impact of design on quality of life. Since its inception in 2004, the project has developed into a tangible venture and is being recognised internationally for its ability to showcase the merits of design-led initiatives within various municipalities.

For the City of Helsinki, design has for decades been a pivotal enabler to building an open city. The concept of ‘Embedded Design’ has tied design to innovation and has enabled desirable solutions that have addressed the needs of its inhabitants. Helsinki Design is also part of world design – it is created together with the international design community and the people of the world. Helsinki Design includes well-known global brands, such as Nokia, Kone and Marimekko, popular events, like the annual Helsinki Design Week, outstanding education and research institutions, such as the University of Art and Design Helsinki, and exemplary architects and designers such as Eliel Saarinen and Alvar Aalto.

Leading up to this moment, Helsinki shared a finalist spot for the WDC title with the City of Eindhoven (The Netherlands). “It was an honour for us to have shared the platform with such a reputable city of design,” stated Pajunen. “We are naturally very open to collaborate with all design-led cities.” A bond has been established between Helsinki and Eindhoven, as the two WDC 2012 finalists. This will lead to innovative partnerships between these prominent European design communities.

THE NEW ADDITION TO FINNAIR: VIA LOUNGE AND VIA SPA

Finnair is opening a luxurious Spa and Wellness centre in autumn 2009 next door to its new via.Helsinki Lounge in the Helsinki Airport terminal extension. The space covers an area of 1,580 square metres and will offer unique wellness services to Finnair's growing number of Europe-Asia passengers.

These new additions are specifically designed to serve customers who change Finnair flights at Helsinki Airport. The lounge and spa will be open to Finnair and oneworld top three tier and business class passengers, as well as at a charge to all other customers.

The Spa & Wellness centre offer quality services including a sauna with a view of the runway, a mineral water bath, cold water baths as well as rooms for different wellness-treatments.

The via.Helsinki Lounge services include a snack bar with drinks as well as restaurant-style meal services. Working is facilitated by a wlan network, work spaces with computers as well as a space which can be used as meeting room. The lounge also has facilities for socializing and relaxing as well as a rotating exhibitions space.

For any further information, just visit www.finnair.com

APPOINTMENTS AT SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES

Lars Olofsson has been appointed as the General Manger for the Greater China operations for SAS based in Beijing.

Irmgard Gotjes-Pedersen has been appointed as his successor as General Manager for Australian and New Zealand from January 2010 based in Sydney.

www.flysas.com.au

FACC BOARD 2009-2010

The board members can be contacted at chamber@finland.com.au