Susan's Writings

Editorial
BCCCF: A bridge to the world
By Susan Fourtané

The BCCCF is one of its kind: It is the only British Chamber based in a country which does not belong to the Commonwealth of Nations. It is also the only Chamber of commerce in the world working with all 53 Commonwealth countries.

The BCCCF is lead by Garry Parker, founder Chairman of the organisation. For Parker, Finland can act as the hub for businesses between Nordic and Baltic countries. “Even if the main purpose for our organisation is to promote business opportunities between Finland and the Commonwealth, BCCCF will also be working for the whole Nordic and Baltic Region from Helsinki”, he said when opening the launch seminar.

Among the speakers was Austin Browne, Commercial Director at the Commonwealth Business Council in London, welcomed the BCCCF and noted that “this initiative is needed to promote business throughout the Commonwealth nations, big and small.” Pekka Huhtaniemi, Under-Secretary of State at Finland’s Foreign Ministry, said that “there is room for developing new activities for business between Finland and the Commonwealth countries.”

Harri Pärssinen, CEO of Ernst & Young and BCCCF Vice Chairman, concluded the evening by saying that “joining or partnering with BCCCF is a positive way for Finnish enterprises to find the right business partner or opportunity in any member country, and be part of a lively network, with one business language that we Finns can handle.” Other relevant topics that were discussed at the seminar included how to bring Finnish enterprise to the Commonwealth nations and vice versa. Questions such as tackling business corruption and cultural differences were part of the discussion, leaving room for further follow-up.

The Commonwealth of Nations: A little history

To understand the function of the Commonwealth we first need to understand the meaning or the word and its origin. Dating from the 15th century, the English noun Commonwealth comes from the original phrase common-wealth which comes from the old meaning of wealth, which is well-being. The term literally meant common well-being.

The Commonwealth of Nations –formerly the British Commonwealth- is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, most of which are former British colonies or dependencies of these colonies, plus the United Kingdom itself. The Commonwealth membership includes both republics and monarchies.

Thirty per cent of the world’s population is represented by the Commonwealth of Nations. The head of the Commonwealth is chosen by leaders through consensus. When the modern Commonwealth came into being in 1949; King George VI was asked to be head by leaders of the member states. After he died, leaders of the member states of the Commonwealth asked Queen Elizabeth II to become head. In the same way, when she dies, leaders will once again select the head by a consensus decision.

Susan Fourtané can be contacted at susan.fourtane@bcccf.fi

Written by Susan Fourtané for the British & Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce in Finland.
This Editorial was first published on August 14th, as part of the BCCCF August newsletter.
http://www.bcccf.fi/newsletter/august2009.html

Karim Azriouli

I recently interviewed Karim Azriouli, a Finn who immigrated to Canada, where he already feels at home although he says missing summer nights in Finland, spending time in the summer cottage and of course sauna.

British & Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce in Finland: Helsinki and Montreal are quite different cities, starting from size for example, with all what that implies. What makes Montreal a good place to live?

Karim Azriouli: Diversity, lots of immigrants, different cultures and different nationalities sharing one city, that’s one thing I like most from Montreal.

BCCCF: You moved to Canada only knowing your girlfriend, without a job waiting for you. You moved to build up your career by yourself. How is it to be a foreigner starting from scratch in Canada?

KA: Bureaucracy is easier in Canada than in Finland. Finding a job is not easy without speaking French apart from English, of course it depends on the job too. I believe in being proactive. In most, if not all cases we are more used to move to other countries when we have a job in a company or a business opportunity already set but if we don’t have that, the initial step is far too big for most to take. Most immigrants here didn’t come with a business opportunity to begin with. They open their own business after and continue from there on. That makes a huge difference. Diversity, as I mentioned before, makes it more appealing for me personally as I come from a multicultural background myself. Besides being a citizen, how does nationality shape and define itself nowadays? Many people have more than one nationality or share a completely different culture and customs than which their nationality would initially suggest. Montreal is more diverse than most cities in Canada with an emerging number of immigrants. In this regard Montreal is naturally much more advanced than Helsinki for example, although in Finland we are seeing more people awaking the growing number of nationalities and cultures present.

BCCCF: What were you doing in Finland before moving to Montreal?

KA: I was working in the field of web analytics and Internet marketing – providing customers with analyzed marketing results. It was an Internet Marketing Consulting company. I was responsible for the sales and marketing of the company. We became quickly the fastest growing IT-company (Deloitte, Rising Star category) in Finland. It was my first job with a decent amount of responsibility, managing a sales unit consisting of 12 people. There were no restrictions, no limitations in how much I could influence and practice my experience as long as I could meet and exceed the expectations. It was a great experience. I wanted to continue and take the investment abroad but the company was not willing. The main reason was not being able to take the risk.

BCCCF: How do you see the opportunity of Finnish companies investing abroad and foreign capital coming to Finland? Let’s say, Canada and Finland working in cooperation?

KA: I see great potential in Finnish expertise. Finland has a high standard of know-how, even more so if you compare it on a global scale. Small companies usually stay small mainly because of their reluctance to grow into the international market, or rather, their reluctance to meet the challenges and demands when exploiting their investment to the fullest. Too often companies prefer to stay in their comfort zone. The Finnish way of doing business is repeatedly restricted by this mentality, often missing the opportunity or underestimating the potential of their investment. Because of this, when outside the boarders, the most commonly accepted answer and way of growing is by using solely local expertise instead of their own. This, on the other hand, makes Finland a great opportunity for foreign investors and partners. Ultimately, I see more opportunity of foreign capital coming to Finland than Finnish companies investing abroad. I am certain that the know-how and potential of the Finnish companies is competitive enough within the global market. Yet, I feel Finnish entrepreneurs should recognize even more the potential they have in their hands and be more aware and proactive in seeking opportunities. “We don’t want to grow too fast, we want to grow slow.” is a phrase used too often and inappropriate in the context whether international or local business in general.

BCCCF: Do you think Finnish companies are ready and willing to have a representation in Canada?

KA: Perhaps not acknowledged enough, there still is a huge demand for foreign expertise when it comes to taking Finnish companies abroad. There lies the mutual interest. I can’t see any reason why Canada would differ in this respect. Nokia is an often used example of a successful venture, a small company from a small country growing into a giant player and a global icon. Nokia is just one example and shouldn’t be left as the only one. Even if not the same kind of giant, there are constant opportunities for many other “Nokias” as long as we are able to grasp them.

Karim Azriouli can be contacted at karimazriouli@hotmail.com

Interview by Susan Fourtané for the British & Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce in Finland -
susan.fourtane@bcccf.fi
www.bcccf.fi

The interview was published first on July 14th, 2009 as part of the British & Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce in Finland’s Newsletter: http://www.bcccf.fi/newsletter/karim_azriouli.html