Swedcham Hong Kong AGM and Annual Awards

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Swedcham, has announced its new Board of Directors, elected at the Annual General Meeting on 29 April, at Club Lusitano. Swedcham also welcomed its newest Director Anders Bergkvist, SVP Head of Controlling China Market Unit at Stora Enso Hong Kong!

From left: Per Ågren, Pontus Karlsson, Patrik Lindvall, Katarina Ivarsson, Ulf Ohrling (Chairman), Paul Bergström, Anders Bergkvist (Absent: Karine Hirn, Jimmy Bjennmyr)

The new Board consists in: Per Ågren, Pontus Karlsson, Patrik Lindvall, Katarina Ivarsson, Ulf Ohrling (Chairman), Paul Bergström, Anders Bergkvist (Absent: Karine Hirn, Jimmy Bjennmyr).

New elected Board members were introduced prior to the AGM,  here summarised as follows:

Anders Bergkvist

Senior Vice President, Head of Controlling, China
“I’m heading up the finance function for Stora Enso in China. Stora Enso has 2 paper mills, one packaging converting business and a large green-field project in Guangxi, Southern China. In total Stora Enso is employing some 4000 people with a total investment of around 2 bn USD in China. My team is located in Hong Kong and Shanghai and responsibilities include, monthly reporting, Tax, IT, treasury, M&A and China Strategy.”

Stora Enso is world leader in carton board and will, with the new investment in Guangxi, also be the leading Chinese producer. Our paper mills are well positioned in premium segments of the market and our packaging converting business serves the major consumer electronic and food -service brand owners. China is Stora Enso’s target growth market.

Anders Bergkvist arrived in Hong Kong January 2013 and has worked for Stora Enso since 1997. With a finance degree from Stockholm School of Economics he started out in Brussels, and in 1999 he took on the role as financial controller for Stora Enso in Singapore.

“I will bring experience from a global renewable business with very strong ties to China and the region. I’m look forward to contributing to the Swedish Chamber of Commerce.”

Per Ågren
Regional Director, Business Development, APC Asia Pacific Cargo (HK) Ltd

“I have lived, worked and breathed the logistics sector in Hong Kong for 17 years. I was back in Sweden a couple of years in the beginning of 2000 but soon found myself longing back to the vibrant logistics and business world Hong Kong is. I am married with Carol and have 2 teenage children.”

APC is a medium-sized forwarder with offices in Asia and in Europe. There Per has daily sales and marketing duties but is also involved in management and strategy matters for the company. In his work he meets, more or less daily, people who are involved in sourcing, purchasing or sales from both overseas and from this region.

“As an individual I would like to contribute both with my time and network to assist the chamber to stay active over the years to come. I have been on the board for the past 4 years. During these 4 years I have been part in establishing the Swedish Chamber in Taipei, Taiwan and headed the Editorial committee, our member magazine Dragon News working group.”

“I am genuinely interested to promote Swedish interests in this part of the world and would not hesitate to represent and work for the Swedish Business Community and the Swedish Chamber in Hong Kong. Apart from being passionate about logistics, I also dedicate time in activities enabling our company to work in an environmentally responsible manner and to be a conscientious logistics provider. I also try to be active in helping organizing events for the Swedish community to find time to relax and enjoy life beside the daily hard work.”

Jimmy Bjennmyr

Head of Corporate Banking, Hong Kong Branch, Handelsbanken AB (publ).

“I have been living in HK since 2012, originally coming from the northern parts of Sweden; Skellefteå. Apart from Sweden I have also lived in France and in the US.”

The last 10 years Jimmy has been working with corporate banking at Handelsbanken, meeting entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes on a daily basis. His last stop before Hong Kong was in Stockholm. Before that he worked for The Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce, connecting Swedish entrepreneurs and companies to American investors.

A big part of his job at the bank is about being responsive and listening to customers’ needs and opinions and then work together with them to find the best way moving forward.

“We meet with companies of all sizes and industries and come across all kinds of issues regarding differences, obstacles and advantages of doing business in Hong Kong. This is input I also can contribute with to Swedcham as I often meet with members both through work and social events and therefore can get an understanding of the members needs.”

“A benefit from working at a Swedish bank in Hong Kong is the recurring inflow of new Swedish related businesses and people coming to Hong Kong, as the bank often works as a natural counterpart to contact when or before arriving.”

He looks forward to continue this work and be a contributor to this very active Chamber.

From left: Ulf Ohrling (Chairman), Carol Ågren Lee (SverigeShoppen), Katarina Ivarsson

SverigeShoppen was appointed winner of the 2016 Swedcham Annual Award.

“There were many interesting candidates for the award but with the motivation submitted with the nomination of SverigeShoppen it became clear that they were the winner,” stated Swedcham Hong Kong.

From the motivation ScandAsia quotes: “SverigeShoppen is the Hong Kong Swedes’ own fairy godmother. They work in their own little way to both support Sweden and Swedes by bringing all the things we like the most to Hong Kong, but also devote much time and effort to show everybody else out here what Sweden, our culture and traditions are about by for instance participating in different fairs and other events.

“Given their size, SverigeShoppen, suffices, with almost magical powers to put Sweden on the map in an efficient and effective way. Even if their efforts seem small to the naked eye they are important as small streams make a great river. SverigShoppen is one of these small streams. Their protégé is Sweden, a place dear to many of us, and SverigeShoppen makes sure that others too understand what Sweden has to bring by spreading fairy dust here and there. To further foster initiatives like these, to make people understand that all ways to support Sweden are good ways, even the small ones, SverigeShoppen deserves to be the winner of this year’s Annual Award.”