IN 2012 Finnish national Joona Selin had a choice to either stay in the country or go back to Finland, after Finnish semi-governmental investment and trade promotion organization Finpro closed shop.
“It was either I have to pack my bags and be happy with my experience here in the country or do something else here,” Selin said.
Selin, at that time, was in the Philippines for more than two years and was Finpro’s analyst and Asian Development Bank liaison. It was his first time in Asia and in the country.
Back in his native country, after graduating with a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration degree from the University of Jyvaskyla, Selin worked in the information and technology industry doing consulting, research and sales.
A new beginning
Selin said that, three years ago, he had a fateful meeting with Bo Lundqvist and Erik Nielsen, which would then become the impetus for what is now known as the Nordic Business Council of the Philippines (NBCP).
Lundqvist is now the chamber’s president, while Nielsen is its vice president, and Selin its executive director.
“We came to the realization that there was little or no support given to the Nordic business community on the ground here in the country. Bo had some thoughts and Erik also had some thoughts,” Selin said.
Selin added that Lundqvist was an entrepreneur and Nielsen was in the corporate world, while his situation provided him with the time and the drive to make things happen.
He said that from the meeting, they started coming out with a structured presentation and then started reaching out to the business community.
“We started to talk to them. It was partly identifying the gap. It was about creating an organization that can support the existing business community and the newcomers that will be coming in,” Selin said.
According to Selin, their first task was to create awareness for the chamber and convince Nordic companies to join.
“Since day one, there was positive response. We are not a social club. We are a business council. We wanted to bring more investments and promote the country,” Selin said.
Selin added that business chambers in the country are well defined and they had to look at some of the benchmarks. But, he said, what makes them different is that they are more consultative in their approach.
“We are more personalized. We ask them who they want us to introduce them to. We ask them what pain points they are facing. We want to introduce them to prospective clients, government agencies and organizations,” Selin said.
In 2013, during the first year of the NBCP has grown from having 18 member-companies to 50. Currently, they have close to 100 members and Selin said they can see themselves as having 150 member-companies.
With a lot of business chambers already present in the country, Selin said it makes a lot of sense to have them visible and be heard.
“It is good to have a lot of chambers, as it drives common interests and make this country a better place. There is no harm in having as many support organizations for the business community. We have good intentions in improving the business environment,” Selin said.
Selin added that, while other agendas might not be aligned and there are overlapping topics, the European side always speaks with one voice, while pointing to the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and the EU-Philippines Business Network.
The booming Philippine economy
Selin went back to Finland recently to discuss with Finnish companies the investment potentials of the country.
“The last five years were the best times for the Philippine economy. There are opportunities in every corner. Companies would be silly not to look into them,” Selin said.
Selin’s sales pitch in Finland was very much NBCP in every aspect, as they were held one-on-one.
He held different meetings with company representatives from the health care and pharmaceutical, waste management and energy industries.
“They were intrigued by the opportunities here in the country and were eager to learn about the market,” Selin said.
He described the Philippines as a high-risk, high-reward market with the best approach is to have partnerships with local players.
He said the booming business environment comes with challenges, and that foreign companies must understand how business is being done in the country.
“The Finnish environment is by the book. No questions asked. Here, it is more creative and more room for interpretations,” Selin said.
Still, Selin said they expect more manufacturing companies to come in, while also noting the potential fit of Nordic companies in the service sector, software development and back-end office work here in the country.
“We want to bring in more Nordic companies here in the country,” Selin said.
Extended patience
Selin said he has completely adjusted to life here in the country, including the brutal traffic in Metro Manila.
“Every day life here is very chaotic. I have always thought of myself as the patient type, but here in the country, my patience has been extended further,” Selin said, while adding that it is very unproductive inside a car and stuck in traffic.
Selin said he has been to New York and Chicago, but the Makati City skyline really impressed him when he first arrived in the country.
“I never lived in one before coming here. The place is buzzing all the time. This is a totally different environment. We have more land area in Finland, but there are only 5 million people. There are no high rises in Finland. You can walk between meetings,” Selin said.
Over the five years here in the country, Selin has already found his hideaway in Palawan, and has crisscrossed the country from Banawe to Davao. He has also eaten the balut and started learning how to play golf.
For someone who knew nothing about the Philippines when he first came over five years ago, Selin said his life is here now in the country.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano