NBCP becomes NordCham Philippines

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Since 1 September 2016 the former Nordic Business Council Philippines carries the new name Nordic Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, or NordCham Philippines for short, as business organisation in the Philippines.

The new name, logo, and website of the NordCham Philippines was unveiled on that date to the media, members and guests at the BDO Corporate Center in Manila, hosted by premium member, BDO Unibank.

At the launch event global keynote speaker, Fredrik Härén had been invited for a speech on inspiring creativity.

Intended for Nordic-Philippine trade and investment promotion NordCham Philippines is the largest Nordic chamber of commerce in Asia.

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“Since we established in late 2012, we have grown from zero to 100 members, becoming the largest Nordic Chamber of Commerce in Asia. Our member companies include major multinationals, SMEs, and startups, representing industries such as ICT, energy, clean technologies, maritime, logistics, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and financial and corporate services. As a recent trend, we are delighted to see more and more Filipino businesses joining our membership,” Mr Joona Selin, Executive Director commented the rebranding.

NordCham is also strengthening its structure for Nordic-Philippine trade and investment promotion activities by introducing an advisory board as a new organizational body. The advisory board is composed of resident and nonresident ambassadors of Nordic countries in the Philippines, as well as prominent Filipino business people with connections to the Nordic countries.

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As another addition to the mix of its activities, NordCham will have a heavier focus on CSR.
One example of this is the traditional Crayfish Party on September 24, which is organized for the benefit of the Chosen Children Village – a home for mentally and physically handicapped children.

While NordCham members have invested in the billion-dollar scale in the Philippines,
NordCham President Mr. Bo Lundqvist could more investments to come: “The continued growth of the Philippine economy, and the opportunities it opens up for business, direct investment, and employment, is exciting to us all. NordCham actively participates in this growth by promoting the Philippines as a business destination, and by continuing to help
Nordic business successfully establishing business links with the Philippines.”

Referring to the 10-point agenda of the new Administration under President Duterte, Mr
Lundqvist continued: “We see it as an agenda in which we would like to participate actively.

Our Nordic countries have long been advocates for open trade and open economies. We are excited to see this development take place, together with changes towards ease of doing business, these are some of the key building blocks of the economic agenda of the new administration.”

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“In particular, we see infrastructure, renewable energy and ICT as areas where the Nordic countries have world-leading innovation and technology to offer to the Philippines. We also believe we have both the experience, and a working model of good governance, health care, education and social security which the Philippines could take inspiration and learning from, as the roadmap is being crafted.”

In conclusion, Mr. Lundqvist adds: “We are bullish on the growth prospects of the Philippine economy under the new administration, and we see several areas for continued and strengthened Nordic-Philippine cooperation under the new NordCham structure and its activities.”

NordCham Philippines (formerly Nordic Business Council Philippines) was established in late 2012 to bring together the Nordic-Philippine business community. The organization promotes and facilitates trade, commerce, industry, and investment between the Philippines and the Nordic (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden) and Baltic (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) countries.

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Total trade between the Philippines and the Nordic and Baltic region reached € 515 million in 2014. Exports from the Nordic and Baltic countries to the Philippines totaled € 319 million, while imports were at € 196 million.

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About Joakim Persson

Freelance business and lifestyle photojournalist

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