The Link, September 2020

TECH Creating impact across sectors

Opportunities amidst the pandemic

How businesses, investors and public bodies can use tech and work together for a brighter and more sustainable future.

Chris Philipsborn, Managing Partner at Kreab London on communications in a volatile world.

LINK Dedicated to the Swedish-British business community since 1906

�I love the fact that we are now a global organisation and that we can pick and choose the best practices from around the globe.�

Meet Ranj Begley, Chief Content Officer and Managing Director UK at Readly

No.352

The way to smarter heating Nordic Heat and NIBE on eco-friendly technologies and reducing energy consumption from heating.

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ABOUT

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the United Kingdom is the ultimate business platform for Swedish and UK businesses. We help businesses establish, grow and develop, through our wide range of business services, matchmaking, events and programmes.

We represent some 400 businesses, from start-ups, to SMEs, unicorns and large multinational corporations, from across all sectors and industries. Founded in 1906 – by business and for business – we have connected the Swedish-British business community for over a century. Join us today, if you haven’t already.

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Editors: Jonas Eklund, Tobias Almqvist and Fredrika De Geer Cover photo: Magnus Glans, Readly

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NOT A MEMBER YET? Visit www.scc.org.uk or contact us on +44 (0)20 7224 8001 / info@scc.org.uk

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DEAR MEMBER

Bringing the best of both conditions with us forward It is safe to say that 2020 didn’t quite turn out the way any of us intended. The pandemic has changed the conditions in which businesses operate, how we travel and communicate, and in the very way in which we live our lives. An almost revolutionary and immediate change, leaving businesses in a must-change and must-adapt environment. Many find strength in these conditions, sharpen their offering, and use new technologies and new ways of working as a means to develop and to forward their businesses. Some have had it, and found it tougher. Many lost their jobs, some lost their entire markets overnight. The SCC, its network and the platform has offered help throughout, and even offers support for those in search of new careers, with our job board on scc.org.uk – free for member firms to advertise on.

At the Chamber, we have worked hard on making sure we still provide value and services from day one of lockdown in the UK and adapted to the world around us. Writing this, since the first lockdown in March, we conclude some 30+ successful events and a number of mentorship, capital raising and accelerator programmes. In the first week of September, defying the world around them, some 22 Swedish tech start-ups successfully completed the London Bootcamp aimed at providing them with a launchpad into the UK, whether looking to set up, find a new market or to raise capital.

The programme, hosted in partnership with

the Swedish Agency for Economic Growth and the Department for International Trade, concluded with the annual Tech Forum. This year’s forum celebrated tech as an enabler for good, and as a game-changer in the world of impact.

Tech enabled us all to operate when the world briefly turned against us.

We will never fully go back to what was, I seriously don’t think so. However, I hope we will bring the best of both conditions with us forward. We will develop our virtual offering, and it won’t disappear. However, we are all dying for personal interaction and meeting people face to face, without lenses or screens between us. In late August, we had the pleasure of hosting our first physical event since early March, in Stockholm as we gathered for the Swedish-British Dinner. A truly socially distanced event, we all felt the positive energy from meeting at last. Our first UK event will come, whenever possible and whenever we feel responsibly able to. Until then, we promise to deliver and develop our virtual services in a fun, interesting and transformative way.

October for our big Brexit session “Countdown to Exit”, on the negotiations, the future relationship, how businesses have prepared and meet expert advisers who can help you with tax, customs and immigration issues.

In this issue of the LINK, you will hear from a number of our member businesses, from a range of sectors, from cleantech to edtech, about liberated spirits and safe work environments. This and much more.

In this issue we welcome our new patrons Epiroc, Essity and CEG, as well as our newest members Agency A, Beechbrook Capital, Carpe Diem Beds, Cirio, Hausfeld, Ignition Law, Proskauer Rose, Roots of Iroko, Silverfleet Capital, TLC Lions and White & Case.

We represent a fantastic membership and a strong trading partnership. If you haven’t joined us already, I hope you will do so in 2020.

The world hasn’t stopped. Britain left the EU in January, but the negotiations are ongoing. And as we speak, they’re at a crucial stage with tensions running high in both Westminster and Brussels. Meanwhile, businesses (from our perspective) are anxiously awaiting the outcome of their engagement. Join us on 15

Peter Sandberg Managing Director Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK sandberg@scc.org.uk

SCC TEAM EVENTS AND PROGRAMMES

MEMBERSHIP AND COMMUNITY

Finance and Operations

Mathilda Börjesson, Events and Programmes Manager

Sofia Larsen, Senior Manager Membership and Community

Peter McNamee, Financial Controller

Michelle Riedenfalk, Sten A. Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture Scholar Kajsa Thorselius, Intern

Maria Karlsson, Gull & Stellan Ljungberg Foundation Scholar Nellie Kullenberg, Intern

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Business services

Contact us

Jonas Eklund, Marketing and Communications Manager Tobias Almqvist, Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK Scholar Fredrika De Geer, Intern

Anna Crona, Business Services Manager Mahmoud Hajo, Scholarship Fund for Swedish Youth Abroad Scholar Celine Pattyranie, Intern

Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK Sweden House, 5 Upper Montagu Street, London W1H 2AG +44 (0)20 7224 8001, info@scc.org.uk

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Off to a Winter Wonderland!

SWEDISH

MOUNTAINS

HAS

NEVER

BEEN

Take easyJet from London Gatwick to Åre Östersund Airport! www.easyjet.com www.ad(enturesweden.com

CLOSER

CONTENTS THE LINK • ISSUE 352 • SEPTEMBER 2020

The century-old Swedish School in London taking new steps New Head Teacher, Jenny Abrahamsson on taking the school successfully through a period of change, with the help of a strong mindset and clear goals.

Pages 9-10

Implications of remote working

Where history meets modern society Pia Djupmark, CEO of Grand Group, on the rich heritage of Grand Hôtel in Stockholm and the way forward post-pandemic.

Joel Uddenäs, International Tax Manager Moore Global US Tax Services Limited on tax and social security implications of working overseas amidst the pandemic.

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Page 17

Taking ownership of the Scandi-cool image

Breaking ground with liberated products

Creating a safer work environment

With a new coffee range hitting the retail shelves in early 2021, Löfbergs is looking to introduce that “scandi-cool” image to British consumers.

Oddbird wants the question “Do you want your wine with or without alcohol?” to be as common as “Do you want your coffee with or without milk?”

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Ejendals and Safelift on attitudes and misconceptions regarding work equipment and a safer work environment that has an impact on both productivity and profitability.

PAGEs 21-22

IN THE LINK 22 YEARS AGO “The newspapers tell me that my electric toaster and refrigerator are likely to malfunction in the year 2000”.These words were written by Paul Carpenter, at that time Managing Director of the DMR Information and Technology Group, in the May 1998 issue of the Link (issue no 179). In the feature, Paul discusses the upcoming millennium shift and the infamous “Millennium Bug”, who should be concerned and what the risks are. Today, the discussions on technology, its development, risks and impact on society, are very much alive. With the development of “Internet of things”, maybe it is more likely today for your toaster to malfunction, than 22 years ago?

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London Tech Week

TECH CREATING IMPACT ACROSS SECTORS During London Tech Week in September, the Swedish Chamber hosted its annual Tech Forum, this time in a virtual setting. In line with this year’s theme, Tech for Good, 350+ participants joined in on the discussions on how tech can be used as an enabler for good and how businesses, investors and public bodies can work together for a brighter and more sustainable future. To get a better understanding how the business community can create impact, we met with Magda Lukaszewicz, Associate at Balderton Capital and Stefan Granlund, Head of Fintech Partnerships SE at Danske Bank to discuss their view on “tech for good” and how they work towards more sustainable investments for the future.

BY: FREDRIKA DE GEER

In 2018, Danske Bank launched +impact, a digital platform supporting start-ups in the Nordic region. Today, +impact holds more than a thousand startups and four hundred investors, all representing a mindset and goal of using business as a force for good. “+impact is a digital platform with a specific focus on helping impact startups to scale their business and improve their positive impact”, Stefan Granlund, Head of Fintech Partnerships SE at Danske Bank, explains. “Tech for good is very much in line with the purpose of +impact. It is spot on and very much aligned with our purpose of helping impact startups grow their business and impact on society,” Stefan Granlund says.

All investments assessed from an ESG perspective Venture Capital investor Balderton focuses exclusively on investments in European founded tech startups across all sectors. Al-

though investment strategies differ by sectors, Balderton analyses all opportunities through the same lens. Magda Lukaszewicz, Associate at Balderton explains: “We assess every company we invest in from an ESG perspective,

”It has to be easier to make sustainable choices.” we have our own frameworks for that, which is based on the ‘UN Sustainable Development Goals’.” Magda also highlights the questions they discuss internally, such as the complexity of defining ‘Tech for Good’ and how to address it. “If you have a company that creates a lot of jobs, for example, but is at the same time polluting the environment, what do you do then?

Is it Tech for Good or not?” With tech being such a fast-paced, developing sector with a crucial role to play in promoting sustainable behaviours, Magda notes that it is always front of mind for Balderton. “Tech and sustainability are very high up on our agenda and we spend a lot of time thinking about this and our role in it, in particular over this past year.”

The UN Sustainable Development Goals Much like Balderton, +impact also works in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. To make sure that the +impact start-ups and investors are working towards the same goal, all participating parties need to present how they address these issues. “First of all, to be eligible on +impact as a startup, you need to address one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Likewise, the investors can state which goals are of special interest for them.” Stefan says. In addition, +impact can be

Magda Lukaszewicz, Associate at Balderton Capital and Stefan Granlund, Head of Fintech Partnerships SE at Danske Bank. Photos: Balderton Capital and Danske Bank.

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London Tech Week

Watch Tech Forum in full on Youtube Did you miss attending Tech Forum a few weeks back? Watch the programme in full on Youtube.

Text.

used as a platform for both seeking investment opportunities and funding with partners that have similar values. “Investors can use +impact to scout for startups based on the Sustainable Development Goals and vice versa – startups can get an understanding of who of the investors are interested in the goal they address.”

What potential does tech have to do good?

With the technology sector developing at a rapid speed, one can only imagine what the future will entail. The promise of new technology only increases as it becomes even more pervasive across markets, however, whether this potential will be used for social and ecological good remains uncertain. Magda thinks about this from a wider perspective: “Tech has a lot of potential to do good and I think many of the biggest questions we are asking ourselves related to the environment, sustainability and governance can be helped by new technologies.” Magda continues by discussing the future of more eco-conscious investing: “We are not there today, but I think that companies that do not have good answers to ESG questions will struggle to get customers and funding in the future.” Stefan also emphasises tech’s great opportunity to do good, and continues by highlighting how startups in combination with technology can play an important role for solving greater problems in the future “Tech has the potential to scale exponentially and the startup mindset with its agility and focus on execution, has the ability to find the right solutions that fit the problem.”

Working together To reach the goals that are set for the future, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, big stakeholders such as banks, investors and the business community need to come together. Stefan says that the business community has an important role in enabling

change: “The business community is essential to overcome the sustainability challenges. They are the ones that can develop and scale the viable solutions we need.” In addition to the business community, today we can see how startups with a strong vision can cooperate with large cities around the globe in order to work towards a more sustainable world. “I think it’s important that different stakeholders in society work together and align where they hold similar values. Here, I would like to highlight an example from our portfolio - VOI (e-scooter sharing start-up), they are working very closely together with cities to establish partnerships and drive policies aligned on health, safety and sustainability”, Magda also points out that overall, consumers today are more educated and willing to make sustainable choices, but that the challenge is how you make sustainable choices easily accessible to the mass market. To change consumer behaviour, these choices must be as affordable and as easily accessible as other alternatives. “It has to be easier to make sustainable choices.

I think that companies, but also governments and cities, have to think harder on how they can influence consumers to shift to more sustainable consumption patterns and behaviours - allowing for some level of natural laziness,” she adds.

To address the challenges that the future holds, it is important to work together. By acknowledging what needs to be done and taking advantage of the fast-developing tech sector, fast-growing start-ups and investing in more sustainable choices, tech can be an enabler for good. “The Sustainable Development Goals are set for 2030 and that is a fairly short time frame. So, we urgently need solutions that can be scaled quickly – and this is where tech and startups come into play,” Stefan says.

Said at Tech Forum “Is the internet of things equipped for what we are about to do to it? That also raises issues of how data vulnerability is or is not democratic. Some people are more vulnerable than others. Children are an interesting case study. Not only educating them but also designing with them in mind.”

Dr. Stephanie Hare, Author, Researcher and Broadcaster ”5G will not only change the industry, it will change consumer behaviour.”

Marielle Lindgren, CEO at Ericsson UK and Ireland “The NHS is the world’s largest employer of professionals, with over 1,4 million people in our workforce - how can we become the absolute best place to work? Making us work faster and harder, and do more of the same is going to leave everyone exhausted. The workforce has been identified as a key priority for us. How do we utilise technology to try to transform healthcare?”

Tony Young, National Clinical Lead for Innovation, NHS England “...urbanisation, climate change, environmental awareness and digitalisation – none of these trends are new to you or us, but what we have seen is those trends becoming truly personal for each and everyone...We see consumers seeking access over ownership and this is what Volvo Cars is embracing. People don’t need to own to use and that’s a big thing for the automotive industry.”

Bodil Eriksson, CEO, Volvo Car Mobility

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OUR WAY OF THINKING PROTECTS YOUR WAY OF LIFE Saab is a global defence and security company, present on all five continents.

We are global and international, but remain rooted in Swedish values of trust, reliability, innovation and loyalty. Saab has been active in the UK for over 40 years, delivering advanced defence and security solutions to British Armed Forces and the Emergency Services. This strong relationship has not only improved British defence capabilities, but has also strengthened both Swedish and UK economies, whilst keeping our people and society safe. www.saab.com/uk

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London Tech Week

Swedish tech making a mark at London Bootcamp With Britain’s exit from the European Union, articulating the value and benefits offered by the UK market has become increasingly important. London, still very much the financial capital of Europe and home to most international corporate headquarters, the UK more broadly offers Swedish businesses a fantastic growth market and launchpad globally. In response to this, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK last year launched ‘London Bootcamp’ in partnership with the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.

The programme helps Swedish start-ups on their journey to the UK and gives them the tools needed to succeed. The Link met with three of this year’s 22 participating start-ups on their UK journeys. “We joined London Bootcamp to get a good overview of the UK market, which is a key market for us. We are keen to understand the eco-system in terms of brands, media agencies, content creators and investors,” says Robin Åstrom, CEO and Founder of Wehype.

BY: FREDRIKA DE GEER

With bases in Sweden and international growth ambitions, 22 companies participated in this year’s ‘London Bootcamp’, hosted during London Tech Week in September. The programme offers a one-week programme with sessions on practically setting up, marketing in the UK, avoiding pitfalls and business culture differences (to name a few), and meetings with experienced entrepreneurs, advisers and investors, resulting in a unique launch pad.

Expectations for the programme Online funeral director, Fenix Funeral, launched a pilot test in the UK at the end of February this year. “Fenix Funeral is one of the leading funeral directors in Sweden today. We are now looking to expand our business into other markets,” Charlotte Runius, Director at Fenix Funeral says. Fenix Funeral digitalises and transforms the very traditional, and often expensive, funeral industry by offering their service online at a reduced cost. By participating in London Bootcamp they were hoping to gain new investors in order to continue their journey in the UK. “One of the main reasons for our participation in the programme has been to gain British investors that can support us on our journey,” Charlotte explains.

Fredrik Uddenfeldt is Head of International Growth at ClimateView, a Swedish start-up which provides software helping cities to plan and collaborate towards reaching their climate goals. To Fredrik, meeting with the other participating companies during the programme is of equal importance, businesses with whom they share a journey. “The UK is our fastestgrowing market at the moment and home to many investors. London Bootcamp is a really valuable opportunity for us to listen, learn and to get to know other companies that are in a similar situation.“ Entering the UK market The size of the UK market (the world’s fifth largest) and being a centre for international businesses, makes it a natural step for Swedish businesses on their growth journeys. “The UK is one of the largest economies in the world. A large chunk of our current and potential clients are based here and it’s obvious that we need to have a good presence.”, says Robin, CEO and Founder of Wehype. Wehype launched 1,5 years ago and is today the world’s largest Gaming and Esports media platform.

This year, participants of the London Bootcamp programme met with and exchanged ideas with investors and entrepreneurs virtually.

Now their goal is to expand internationally.

“We are now in a scale-up phase in which we focus on international growth and continuous innovation on the technology side. We expect to get a good glimpse of how the UK market works and relevant insights we can turn into actions to grow our business,” Robin explains.

ClimateView expanded to the UK earlier this spring: “We want to be fully prepared for the next phase of growth in the UK. We hope that the programme helps us with that,” Fredrik says. The 22 businesses in the bootcamp programme join at different stages of their expansion, some are already present legally but at the very beginning of their journey, whilst some are preparing for that very first step. “The bootcamp was a fantastic opportunity to learn about the UK market. Since Fenix Funerals already has a foothold in London, I particularly enjoyed the sales and marketing sessions. Also, the workshops with the other start-up team members was a good challenge,” Charlotte says.

Valuable insights One of the main goals with the London Bootcamp programme is to give the participants insights and practical tips when entering the UK market, but also to be a platform for likeminded entrepreneurs and businesses. Fredrik highlights the widespread insights they obtained, from administrative advice to great con-

nections. “We got lots of useful insights, from administrative and financial things to strategiclevel advice. But the best part was talking to other companies who are in a similar situation as us, preparing to scale up.” Charlotte agrees and also points out the value of meeting people in the same position: “The knowledge and connections will be useful as we scale Fenix Funerals in the UK. I look forward to keeping in touch with other founders and managers going forward to discuss mutual opportunities.

I would certainly recommend the bootcamp for companies in different stages that plan to sell or operate in the UK. It’s also useful for companies like Fenix Funeral, that already have a foothold in the market, for the Swedish managers to better develop the UK opportunities,” Charlotte adds.

As an end to the week, and to end the programme, ten bootcamp businesses were selected to perform a final pitch during the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK’s Tech Forum event. This year, Charlotte Runius at Fenix Funeral won the pitching session and was awarded with a one-year membership at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK. “I’m proud of course. It shows that people in the UK see the same problems we do at Fenix Funerals and appreciate our solution. It is an indication that we will be successful in helping families here too,” Charlotte says.

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FEATURE

The century-old Swedish School in London taking new steps The Swedish School in London has provided stability and high-quality education to the Swedish community in London for over a century. Over the years, the school has stood through two world wars. It is now facing new challenges with the ongoing pandemic and the UK’s upcoming departure from the EU. The Link met with the school’s new Head Teacher, Jenny Abrahamsson, who lets us in on how she plans to take the school successfully through a period of change.

BY: FREDRIKA DE GEER

The Swedish School in London was established over 100 years ago, in 1907. The school has evolved over the years and is today welcoming students from pre-school to sixth form. As the only Swedish School in the United Kingdom, the school provides a firm foundation for Swedish families living in London. “Together with the Embassy, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and the church, the school enable businesses to recruit skilled staff with children from Sweden. We also offer Swedish families living in London the opportunity to maintain the Swedish language

and culture.” Jenny Abrahamsson, Head Teacher of the Swedish School in London, says.

Swedish curriculum The Swedish School in London follows the Swedish curriculum and is approved by The Swedish National Agency for Education as well as the Department of Education in the UK. As a consequence, if a family moves to London from Sweden, or if they are returning to Sweden, the children can continue their education without the need to retake any year groups. The school

also provide an excellent foundation for further studies in the UK and abroad. Both Swedish and British authorities regularly inspect the school.

Ofsted, Office for Standards in Education, has given the school the top result ‘outstanding’ for the three most recent inspections. “I think our school ethos and staff are some of the main reasons why we have these excellent results from the inspections. Another factor is the communication between the board, school management, teachers, pupils and parents. There is a sense of community and involvement where everyone

The schools sixth form students have until now studied at the premises of Richmond University and will shortly be moving to th National Archives in Kew. Photo: Joakim Carlström.

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”My biggest challenge at the moment is to transition the school through a period of change without losing sight of the long-term objectives.”

Jenny Abrahamsson, Head Teacher at the Swedish School in London. Photo: Joakim Carlström.

pitches in to make sure that we can maintain the extremely high standard for which we are known,” Jenny says.

Leadership in times of change Jenny assumed the responsibility as Head Teacher this summer and it has been a period with many uncertainties. “I would say that my biggest challenge at the moment is to transition the school through a period of change without losing sight of the long-term objectives. Also making people feel confident and secure in their environment and setting a positive tone for the future, despite being in a fairly challenging position.”

To be able to handle this period, Jenny relies on her management style, which encompasses compassionate leadership, clear communication, and integrity. Despite the challenges, Jenny is optimistic and sees Brexit as a potential window

of opportunity to attract a broader target group for both the school in Barnes and sixth form.

Clear visions for the future Looking ahead, Jenny has clear visions for the school and its students. “I want the school to be a sourcing pool for Swedish businesses and education. Setting the tone and sending confident, competent and well-graduating students that contribute to the development of the organisation or company they come to,” Jenny says.

Equally important to having visions for the students, is the staff. “As the Head Teacher, I want to set clear objectives and provide our skilled and dedicated staff with the right circumstances for them to develop and do what they are good at.”

Furthermore, Jenny has a desire to strengthen the profile of the school’s sixth form through mentoring programmes and using its location

to expand and enrich the programmes. “Part of this is how we can strengthen the connection between the school and businesses in London.”

A milestone in the school’s development Since the Swedish School in London first opened its doors at the beginning of the 20th century a lot has happened. The school is now one of the largest Swedish schools abroad and only one in five schools which offers students to attend and graduate from sixth form. An upcoming project this autumn is the move of the entire sixth form to The National Archives in Kew, a non-ministerial department and the official archive and publisher for the UK Government, England and Wales.

Jenny emphasises the importance of this project: “Months of discussions and collaboration in preparation for this move have highlighted just how closely aligned our values around education are. I think this is going to be a major milestone in the school’s development.”

ABOUT THE SWEDISH SCHOOL IN LONDON The Swedish School in London is a private, not-for-profit school providing first-rate Swedish education from pre-school through to sixth form.

The school follows the Swedish curriculum and uses London as a second classroom to add an international dimension to its teaching.

Learn more at swedishschool.org.uk.

The Swedish School in London teaches students from pre-school through to sixth form. Photos: Joakim Carlström.

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FEATURE

Modern technology – an enabler for learning With innovative mindsets and the goal to make education more effective and accessible, SCC members Edulution and Humly are challenging the traditional ways of learning. Using bespoke solutions that embrace modern technology, Edulution and Humly create new ways and possibilities for improved learning outcomes.

BY: FREDRIKA DE GEER

Born and raised in Africa, the Founder of Edulution Michael Wray, is passionate about the continent and has a burning desire to make a difference in the lives of its people, particularly those living in poverty. It became clear to Michael that education was the key to unlocking the potential of its youthful and rapidly growing population. “It is well documented that the current traditional teaching and learning practices in African schools are ineffective and not yielding the intended outcomes. To achieve Michael’s goal of improving the learning outcomes and thereby the standard of living of the bottom 80% of learners in Africa, he knew he needed to transform the way Africa learns and that technology needed to be the enabler and that without empowered people facilitating the digitised learning, it would count for nothing,” Marie Thelander, Donor Relations and Fundraising at Edulution explains. “And so in 2015, Edulution was born and today its programme is proudly serving 10,500 primary

Marie Thelander, Donor Relations and Fundraising at Edulution.

Photo: Edulution.

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Edulution wants to improve children’s learning curve and develop the traditional way of teaching with the help of modern technology. Photo: Edulution.

school learners with 125 locally sourced, trained and employed coaches across 48 centres in Zambia and Namibia, and expanding its reach into South Africa in 2021”.

Resource of skilled people Swedish edtech business Humly, was launched in 2015 with the purpose of utilising the great potential in supply teaching, but at the same time keep the high quality in education when the regular teacher is absent. With the Humly app, schools can offer work shifts which teachers can book according to their teaching subjects. “We have always seen ourselves as a digital marketplace where we have a resource of skilled people that love their subject and to share their knowledge. And then we have demand – schools that need teachers with very short notice for shorter vacancies. We try to bring inspiring people with good subject competence to each assignment so that we get the right people for the right job,” Kristoffer Persson, CPO and Founder at Humly, explains.

Changing traditional ways with technology When Humly was launched, the work required from schools to find a substitute teacher was very inefficient. “Schools were calling in and they were calling out and had very high margins because it required so much labour,” Kristoffer says. Humly offers a more productive way for schools to handle this administrative process through its app. In addition to this, it offers more quality in the education with their supply of teachers and slowly changes existing norms about supply teaching. “In Sweden, at least, people view supply teaching as just a grown adult in the room and don’t really associate it with quality, or high-level teaching. The question that we addressed is how can we do this inspiring and with high quality, even when

the ordinary teacher is not in the classroom?”

Kristoffer explains.

Puts the learner back on track Edulution is a learning programme that is designed to support the public-school system and improve numeracy, literacy and digital skills. The programme is delivered through a unique combination of technology that can work offline and online and off the electric grid, exciting content, effective coaching, and a comprehensive and continuous performance measurement system. Coaches monitor each learners progress via a live dashboard, enabling him or her to step in and assist the learner when necessary. “Edulution is a solution guided by a vision of an Africa whose people are skilled and empowered. Edulution’s catch up learning programme puts the learner back on track and back into the system,” Marie says.

Measuring learning Marie explains how Edulution’s coaches are its “secret sauce”: “Edulution’s coaches are recruited from the local communities where its centres are located and they play the critical role of mentoring, supervising and managing the learning sessions and building advocacy with the teachers, parents, government and the surrounding communities. Being effective in this type of learning environment is made possible by Edulution’s sophisticated datacentric technology platform that enables them to assess and guide their learner’s progress in real-time.”

Similar to Humly, technology is crucial for Edulution to operate its business, and to be able to monitor that the students are actually learning.

“If learning is not measured, we cannot know if learning has occurred. Today, over 250 million learners are in schools but not learning.”

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To address this problem, coaches monitor each learners progress via a live dashboard, enabling them to assist when necessary. Every month, learner activities and any tests that were done are automatically uploaded to a central cloud-based database. This allows the coaches and the programme management team to view and analyse the performance of a class or learner across several key metrics at any point in time. “What makes the Edulution model so effective is the fact that learners are actively engaged, they learn at their own pace,

Gustav Bild-Tofftin, CEO and Co-founder and Kristoffer Persson, CPO and Co-founder at Humly. Photo: Humly.

they have to achieve mastery before progression and that they learn in a fun and supported environment that is created by their coaches and from learning with their peers.”

Better match through AI and machine learning In order to attract the right people, the use of modern technology is important, Kristoffer explains: “We use modern technology a lot and I think it absolutely helps us attract better knowledge and competence to schools, but it also is very appreciated by schools.” For Humly, modern technology is defined as being easy and accessible for the user, which they aimed for when developing their app. “For example, everything is in the app. It’s just a few clicks and the app knows everything it needs to know, you don’t have to add a lot of information and it’s open 24/7.” To improve the matching between users, the supply teachers and the school, Humly is using AI and machine learning. “Technology is starting to get smarter and smarter. We use both of these new technologies to always do better matching to learn what people like and don’t like,” Kristoffer adds.

Changing teaching on a larger scale Edulution’s ambition is to improve the learning outcomes for the bottom 80% of primary school learners in Sub Sahara Africa by facilitating digitised learning. “To achieve this goal

FEATURE

we are focusing on these following long-term outcomes: Government funds the uptake of Edulution’s solution into the public school system for system-wide scale; our learning platform and IP is applied to other learning modalities; stakeholders embrace Edulution’s solution, advocating for its retention and expanded access and as a diversified, sustainable and valuable organisation it has an ability to raise (or realise) capital and not be dependent on donor funding. With Edulution learners achieving an 18% higher percentile ranking than their peers in mathematics, we think Edulution is on the right trajectory to realising its vision,” Marie says.

Attracting new talent to the sector Municipalities all around Sweden are today collaborating with Humly, and they have grown to be the biggest company within the segment.

Next step is its expansion into the UK market this autumn. “In September, we’re hopefully doing our first supply teaching in the UK for the platform,” Kristoffer says. By introducing supply teachers to the education sector, Humly hopes to contribute to the teaching sector in the future: “I think this is how we can help the schools on Monday mornings, but we can also help schools in the longer term because we attract new competence and new talents to the sector.”

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FEATURE

“When people hear the word ‘fika’ we want them to think of Löfbergs” With a brand-new coffee range hitting the retail shelves in early 2021, Löfbergs is introducing a taste of Swedish ‘togetherness’ – and the classic brick package – to the British consumers. “We want to take ownership of that Scandicool image in the UK. When people hear the word ‘fika’ we want them to think of Löfbergs,” says Wilson Clarke, Managing Director of Löfbergs UK. BY: JONAS EKLUND

SCC member Löfbergs began its journey on the UK market back in 2011, with the acquisition of Red Cup, a service business that focused on looking after high-end central London customers, with high-quality coffee, machines and backup service. After another acquisition of retail coffee brand Percol in its portfolio, it wasn’t until 2016 Löfbergs established its limited company in the UK. “I arrived in the company in 2016 and took over as Managing Director of the Red Cup business.

After successfully merging the companies in 2018, we moved to Fika House, a purpose-built warehouse and offices about ten minutes from Heathrow in West Drayton. Today we run three main brands under the same roof – Löfbergs, as a food service coffee partner for a host of UK businesses, and the retail brands Percol and Plantation Wharf,” Wilson explains.

Launching Löfbergs into retail Earlier this year, Löfbergs launched its own storefront on Amazon featuring some of their most popular ground coffees from Sweden. The initial introduction to the UK consumers is now being complemented by further launches into Co-Op and Ocado. “We have been having quite a few conversations with our retail partners about upcoming promotions, and in early 2021, we will follow up with the launch of our brandnew coffee range ‘Next Generation Coffee Lovers’,” Wilson says.

The most sustainable coffee company According to Wilson, Löfbergs is known as the most sustainable coffee company in the world.

Wilson Clarke, Managing Director of Löfbergs UK. Photo: SCC.

Löfbergs will be hitting the retail shelves with a new product line in early 2021. Photo: Löfbergs.

“Whether that be the way we use renewable energy, having our own hybrid articulated lorry or the way that we source our coffee, sustainability is at the core of everything that we do.”

Since 1996, they’ve worked with different certifications such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ. In 2019, 90% of their coffee was certified, with the goal to reach 100% in the near future. Löfbergs is also looking to expand its portfolio with new sustainable products. “We have a new range of recycled coffee products launching soon. For example, we will be using used coffee grounds to make syrups.”

Owning the Scandi-cool image As part of a future drive, Löfbergs will be taking ownership of a number of Swedish traits in the UK. “Very early on, we recognised our Swedish heritage and didn’t try to hide around being an English company. Going forward, we want to own that Scandi-cool image, and that ‘Swedishness’. Also, when people hear the word ‘fika’ we want them to think of Löfbergs,” Wilson says.

Introducing the brick pack to the Brits The square vacuum-packed brick package is another Swedish feature that will be introduced to the Brits. “That square brick that you would be used to buying on the supermarket shelves in Sweden is not really known here, we buy what’s called ‘soft bags’. But the UK retailers love the brick pack because it saves space, it stands up and looks better on the shelf.”

‘Togetherness’ – a vision for the future As part of Löfbergs‘s strategy for 2030, ‘togetherness’ will be theming its vision of the future. “For example, we could introduce ‘fika’ at offices – a moment during the day for people to come together, whether it’s by the water cooler or the coffee machine,” Wilson explains. “It seems crazy at this moment to talk about ‘togetherness’ with the pandemic and everything that has been going on during the last months, but bringing people together and eliminating loneliness will be a big thing for the next ten years.”

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Patrons Highlight

“Even a pandemic opens up opportunities for business” Founded in 1970, with the idea to explain complicated matters in a simple way, SCC patron Kreab is a global public relations and communications partnership, advising corporations and other organisations on issues of strategic importance in business, finance and politics. “At Kreab, we work at the intersect between public affairs, financial communications and corporate communications generally,” Chris Philipsborn, Managing Partner at Kreab London explains. The Link caught up with Chris to discuss communications in a volatile world, and how the ongoing pandemic can present both challenges and opportunities for businesses going forward.

BY: JONAS EKLUND

In 1976, Kreab launched its operations in London and has over the years built up a global presence with close to 500 team members in about 25 offices around the world. “In London, we do a fair bit of public affairs. Obviously, we give Brexit advice to a number of clients, which has been an interesting and ongoing challenge. We have public affairs clients across the energy sector, the financial sector and elsewhere.” The London branch also houses a global media hub with a number of senior journalists, and apart from financial communications, Kreab provides services in reputation and crisis management, which is Chris’s area of expertise.

Working closely with principals What sets Kreab apart from the competition is its ability to give strategic advice at top level.

“Many companies say this but with us it’s a reality,“ Chris says. “We tend to work closely with the principals in any given situation. That is particularly the case when we work across crisis and reputation management because that usually is highly confidential. Often, we will work with a CEO and one or two board members, and sometimes the rest of the organisation won’t even know that we’ve been hired, because the matters are extremely sensitive.”

From journalism…

Before joining Kreab, Chris worked in a variety of positions within journalism, public affairs and communications. “During my time at the London School of Economics, I worked for Margaret Thatcher’s former Parliamentary Private Secretary. I subsequently worked for a small number of MPs and peers.” After finishing his studies, Chris decided to get trained as a journalist. “Eventually, I covered Parliament for a group of regional UK papers and the lobby.” He later went to Latin America where he wrote for the Financial Times and The Economist, and broadcast for the BBC World Service. “After two years I decided to come back to the UK and get a pension scheme for my sins, and I ended up being a lobbyist for a non-governmental organisation.”

”Surprisingly, the pandemic has made some of it easier. The Zoom and Teams calls that we are having really show the way for senior managers to communicate with large numbers of people in one go.”

…to public affairs This was the start of Chris’s career in public affairs and communications. He spent seven years with British Telecom, based mostly in Brussels, with the latest position as Head of European Corporate Affairs. He subsequently served as a director on three management boards, including Europe’s largest nuclear site, a foreign policy think tank and the UK’s then-largest welfare to work provider. He met Gunilla Banér, who for many years was the Managing Partner of Kreab in London, when they both attended the Ad Hoc Council, a membership group Chris now chairs. “She asked me to join Kreab and I’ve been with the company now for seven and a half years.”

Gunilla very sadly passed three years ago, which is when Chris took over the position as Managing Partner.

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Targeted projects Many of the projects Kreab is requested to carry out are very targeted, especially within public affairs. “We have clients in the financial sector for instance, who wants to know the likelihood of government taking a particular decision. Other clients will want to know how to work with regional and local government as well as the national government. And with global clients, we will often team up with our offices elsewhere to give them all the ground intel across the globe, wherever they need it.”

Prepared for the unexpected That the world is changing at an increasingly rapid pace has indeed become evident during the last couple of months, which has resulted in the need for businesses to prepare for the unexpected. “We pride ourselves in being able to deliver the right team for the job and to meet the client’s expectations accordingly. We have in-house expertise across Kreab, whether

it’s sustainability, Brexit, or we’re dealing with the continuing debacle over the pandemic,” Chris says and continues: “Does the world change quickly? Obviously, it does. We have seen that in action with the pandemic. Before the pandemic, we’ve had three years of Brexit in the UK. That is a story that changes every week, if not every day, and much of it is driven by politics. And politics change, politics are highly volatile.”

Long-term impact of the pandemic Chris believes that the ongoing pandemic will have a long-term impact on businesses on multiple levels. “I’m looking at all kinds of issues for clients. What kind of offices will we be requiring in the future? How much office space will we be needing, and how many of our people will be working from home?” He says that many multisite corporates inevitably will be looking at saving on overheads as people obviously can work from home. “But the next question some multisite corporates will be asking is, if our people can be working from home in the UK, France or Germany, can they work for half the salary or for lesser overheads in Cyprus or in Eastern Europe for instance?”

Internal communications made easier “The pandemic is also having a really interesting impact on internal communications across companies of all sizes – small, medium, large,

Chris Philipsborn, Managing Partner at Kreab London.

Photo: Kreab.

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and across multisite corporates,” Chris says and explains that a lot of companies, especially medium and large, struggle with how senior managers communicate directly with their workforce, which often has been an issue when he has advised companies on internal communications. “Surprisingly, the pandemic has made some of it easier. The Zoom and Teams calls that we are having really show the way for senior managers to communicate with large numbers of people in one go. I think that technology will reach the stage, if it hasn’t already, when a CEO can speak, if not face to

face, but at least be seen on a laptop or even a phone with a very large numbers of employees. I think that’s a very exciting advance in terms of internal communications.”

New opportunities for business Although the pandemic has shaken business and society to its core, Chris is confident that something good can come out of it and that businesses need to seize the new opportunities that arise. “The consultancy world can be quite fickle, but the first half of this year has been a record year for us. A lot of it is related

Patrons Highlight

to the pandemic and the issues companies are struggling to deal with. How do they communicate with their employees and how do they communicate about the pandemic? How do they set things up post-pandemic and how do they reach into some of the new opportunities? Because even a pandemic opens up opportunities for business.”

THE PATRONSHIP The SCC patronship consists of a core group of SCC member businesses committed to supporting the Swedish-British business community. The patronship comes with a range of benefits – if you would like to know more, please contact membership@scc.org.uk.

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Feature

Remote working could have tax and social security implications With the ongoing pandemic swathing the world, many businesses have adapted to a reality with flexible and remote working as a new norm. While employees can work from home, or practically from anywhere in the world, businesses are posed with new challenges when team members choose to work from overseas. “This raises a lot of questions regarding where taxes and social security charges should be paid and which social security system your employees should be covered by. Immigration, employment law, and insurances are all issues businesses should be aware of when employees are working from overseas,” says Joel Uddenäs, International Tax Manager, at SCC member firm Moore Global US Tax Services Limited.

BY: JONAS EKLUND

Moore Global US Tax Services Limited specialises in US tax services including compliance, tax return preparation advisory and consulting work. The London practice is part of the US parent company’s International Services Group which consist of roughly 40 professionals across offices in London, Zurich and the US. The company belongs to a larger network (Moore) operating in 110 countries around the world. “Even though we only work with US tax law, our network has the capacity to provide services in basically any country in the world,” Joel explains.

Consider tax and compliance issues Employees working from overseas during the pandemic have, according to Joel, become a more common sight, especially in London, with businesses employing people from all over the world. “A lot of people have decided to return to their home countries and stay close to family and friends during the lockdown. This is understandable but may create tax and compliance issues. With people working outside their employment country, a lot of queries arise surrounding which jurisdiction has rights tax and social security amongst many other issues such as corporate obligations and regulatory issues.”

Subject to ‘transfer pricing’ Businesses should be aware that they might be considered to have created a permanent establishment or branch in the country where their employees are working, which could require them to complete local filings and pay corporate tax or payroll taxes.“ Entities might also be subject to what we call ‘transfer pricing’ – in short, this is international agreements stating that because you work in X jurisdiction and a portion of your companies profits are attributed that that jurisdiction and should be taxed as such,” Joel says and continues: “It doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be problems, but if you let your employees stay in a country for a little bit too long, that definitely generates issues that companies should be aware of, especially now as the pandemic is somewhat easing up.”

More flexible workplace arrangements Going forward, Joel believes we will see more businesses offering employees flexible workplace arrangements, and even letting employees work from overseas on a permanent basis. “I believe that this pandemic has shown that with today’s technology, it is actually very possible to work from home. And when we

say work from home, in this kind of global world we are living in, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re working from the country of employment. The tech industry is way ahead of traditional business when it comes to this, but I think that more companies will see the benefits of offering this flexibility.” Apart from the opportunity to source talent from a wider pool and help employees with their work-life balance, Joel thinks this could be an opportunity to decrease the amount of office space and cut costs at the same time.

”If you let your employees stay in a country for a little bit too long, that definitely generates issues that companies should be aware of, especially now as the pandemic is somewhat easing up.”

Global workplace with the right tax set up Having an international workforce might indeed raise a lot of questions, but Joel is confident that with the right set up, businesses can offer employees a global workplace.

“I would not discourage companies to have their employees working from their preferred location. It is just important to consider is that every country have different rules and plan in advance of implementing such a policy. If you already have employees working from overseas, you should definitely seek advice and start discussing with advisors that can provide you with global tax and social security advice.

Non-compliance can result in large penalties and if it always beneficial for the company to resolve them before the local authority takes things into their own hands.”

Joel Uddenäs, International Tax Manager, at Moore Global US Tax Services Limited.

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Feature

Oddbird is breaking ground with liberated products Meeting today’s conscious consumer’s rating health, transparency and environmental concerns highly, SCC member Oddbird is entering the alcohol liberated product market. The Link met with Moa Gürbüzer, CEO and Founder of Oddbird to learn more about what differentiates their products in the market and their vision to change social norms.

BY: FREDRIKA DE GEER

Moa Gürbüzer started her career in the 1980s, working as a social worker focusing on alcoholrelated family issues. Moa wanted to make a difference for these families and children, but there didn’t seem to be an end or solution. Moa realised that to be able to make real change, it had to be on a structural level in society. In 2013, Moa founded Oddbird which produces alcohol liberated products. Today the company is the largest producer of wines liberated from alcohol in Scandinavia.

”I want the question ‘Do you want your wine with or without alcohol?’ to be as common as ‘Do you want your coffee with or without milk?”

“With or without?”

“My idea to change the alcohol culture was, and is, quite simple. I want the question ‘Do you want your wine with or without alcohol?’ to be as common as ‘Do you want your coffee with or without milk?’,” Moa explains. With this question and approach, the aim was to start a movement and a new social behaviour related to alcohol consumption, but also to question the norms that exist today. Oddbird has taken a deliberate stand by calling its products “liberated from alcohol” instead of the oftenused term “alcohol-free” to differ itself from products that contain, for example, grape juice.

Even more importantly, this term also highlights that the products liberate the wines from all the problems that alcohol entails.

Taste and quality is of great importance Moa explains that with its fine tastes and carefully chosen vineyards, Oddbird’s products attract a larger target than other alcohol-free producers – consumers that drink alcoholic wines for the craftsmanship and quality. “We work with winemakers that have respect for tradition, respect for nature and genuine values.

The winemakers, together with our team of experts, create great wines which we mature for up to 12 months and then gently liberate from alcohol by using a unique method that preserves the wine’s natural flavours and aromas.” Moa points out that the drinking culture around the world is very excluding. The norm is to drink alcohol and the ones not drinking,

are the abnormal ones who get excluded. “We have a drinking culture that excludes people.

We need one that includes people.”

Customers today demand transparency in the production, for example, the environmental footprint a product, or company, leaves. “The food and beverage industry is undergoing a huge transformation as we speak. Customers want locally produced products with a conscious and respectful approach to nature.” Oddbird has worked to find both short term and long term solutions to the environmental issues in producing wine, such as the amount of water that is required. “Short term solutions will be carbon offset and alternative transport routes, while long term solutions will be transforming water usage and packaging,” Moa says.

Taking responsibility In the near future, Oddbird will release their alcohol liberated gin, made with distilled juniper, berries and botanicals from Norrland and Lappland, hoping to contribute to society by creating export trade from the north of Sweden.

Oddbird have just recently released a Prosecco.

Moa is also active in donating to organisations focusing on women’s wellbeing. But most importantly she thinks her biggest impact comes

”We have a drinking culture that excludes people.

We need one that includes people.” from selling wine. “I always say that as many bottles we have sold, that’s how many people I want to ask the question, and I hope that many more will call themselves an ‘Oddbird’ and take responsibility,” Moa concludes.

Listen to the podcast "With or without” Moa is producing a Podcast called “With or without”, where she invites guests to discuss and highlight alcohol-related issues. Listen to the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Moa Gürbüzer, CEO and Founder of Oddbird. Photo: Oddbird.

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FEATURE

Attitudes and misconceptions behind many workplace accidents Slips, trips, falls, heavy lifting or inaccurate handling – every year there are hundreds of thousands of work-related injuries reported in the UK, resulting in pain, absence from work and loss of earnings. While safety in the workplace has a major impact on productivity and profitability, safety precautions are all too often neglected. The Link met with Patrick Hellström, Growth hacker at SCC member Safelift and Martin Stevens, Country Manager UK and Ireland at SCC member Ejendals to discuss why.

BY: TOBIAS ALMQVIST

The reason why many workplace accidents occur has to do with attitudes and misconceptions regarding work equipment among those who are supposed to use it, a fact which is confirmed by both Martin and Patrick. “Many people have an idea of what a lift is and what it isn’t. A large portion of our clients currently have no lifts but instead rely on traditional ladders. For us, it is crucial that we are allowed to present our products to explain the benefits that come with it,” says Patrick.

Ejendals actively works to resolve this issue through ‘Ejendals Academy’, an education programme with the aim of contributing to a reduction in the number of injuries by providing training sessions and teaching product awareness. “Attendees learn when and how a product should be used, as well as when a product needs to be replaced. In addition, it gives us an opportunity to learn from our clients what they actually need.”

Suppleness is crucial Safelift manufactures compact and flexible mast lifts facilitating work in for instance retail and grocery shops, installation, cleaning and property management. “The company was founded with the goal of making working at height indoors safer by replacing ladders”, Patrick explains. He emphasizes the importance

of their products being flexible and convenient. “We must be able to show that a lift is a suitable alternative also to companies that are not working in heavy industry”. Martin agrees: “Hands and feet are the body parts that get injured the most. However, a glove that doesn’t fit or becomes an obstacle to work around won’t stay on, which means the employees ex-

”A glove that doesn’t fit or becomes an obstacle to work around won’t stay on, which means the employees expose themselves to risks.” pose themselves to risks. Making the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) convenient to wear is consequently almost as important as it is to make it protective.”

Sweden associated with quality While establishing themselves in the UK as late as 2013, PPE manufacturer Ejendals (named after ‘Lake Ejen’) history goes all the way back to 1949 when it was founded in Leksand. “The company is still run by the same family, and our core focus is still to provide high-quality

products that protect hands and feet.” However, in recent years, we’ve gone from being a very traditional Nordic business to becoming an international business,” Martin explains.

Both Martin and Patrick mention that a difference between the Swedish and the British market is that the British market is much more saturated. “To overcome this hinder, promoting ourselves as a Swedish company has definitely been beneficial as the country is associated with manufacturing quality products,” says Martin.

Reinvention in times of crisis In regards to the Corona pandemic, they both state that it has affected their businesses. “For Safelift, we’ve seen an increased cautiousness among our prospects regarding how willing they are to invest,” says Patrick. However, both Martin and Patric are optimistic about what the near future holds for their companies. “I’m very proud of how our team has responded to the pandemic. We’ve managed to quickly reinvent ourselves and, on the basis of pre-Covid success, we are actually expanding our team in these dire times,” says Martin. “Safelift is about to launch a new lift that is even smaller and more flexible than our current lifts and we are confident that it will be able to convince a lot of prospects to replace their traditional ladders with our safer alternative,” Patrick says.

Text Safelift manufactures compact and flexible mast lifts. Photo: Safelift.

Ejendals specialises in PPE products that protect hands and feet. Photo: Ejendals.

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ADVERTORIAL www.goodwille.com

Building a workforce in the UK Expanding your business to the UK means that you will be entering one of the world’s largest economies, with access to some of the best talent out there. Whether you are planning to register a UK entity or scale a team, employ directly into your Swedish entity, or transfer employees to the UK from overseas, you need to take local laws and guidelines into consideration. “Make sure that you have the foundations in place which are compliant with UK law. They are vital to an employment relationship and can help to eradicate headaches in the future,” says Jacqui Brown, HR Manager at Goodwille.

Goodwille provides essential business services to Swedish companies looking to enter, grow or scale in the UK. With clients headquartered around the world, and with a strong focus on Scandinavia, Goodwille has helped nearly 2,000 businesses, from pre-revenue start-ups to global retail chains, over the course of 20 years. “We support our clients with their noncore business activities, such as corporate governance, finance and human resources, which gives them more free time to focus on the things that bring real value to their business,” says Jacqui.

Competitive and candidate-driven market With its diverse and multicultural talent pool, recruiting in the UK can differ a lot from the conditions in Sweden. Jacqui explains: “The UK and particularly London can be a very competitive and candidate-driven market and certainly pre-Covid, this would be the accurate description. Even now, especially the tech industry, which arguably was already in a more solid position to future proof for the working from home model which Covid has forced upon the UK working populace, is still very candidate-driven.” Furthermore, recruitment in the UK can be a fast-paced environment and candidates are keen to know more about the opportunity at hand. “It is generally not all about the remuneration side of things, although of course this plays a part. Candidates are interested in your employer brand, about company culture and what development opportunities there will be for them.”

Compliance from day one If you are looking to employ team members working in the UK, they need a contract compliant with UK employment law and not the country of the parent company – and they need it from day one of employment at the latest. “Statutory rights differ from country to country, so bear this in mind when considering things such as notice periods, annual leave

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Get more insights in the new SCC business guide Get guidance on managing employees in the UK in the new business guide, available to download on scc.org.uk

or bringing employees from overseas. “We do need to be mindful of 31 December 2020, which is the deadline to arrive in the UK before the end of freedom of movement, when it comes to the Right to Work for EU Nationals in the UK. EU Nationals who arrive in the UK before 31 December 2020 have until summer 2021 to apply for pre-settled status. Arrivals post 31 December are still possible, but there are work visa’s and sponsorship licence applications to consider.”

Jacqui Brown, HR Manager at Goodwille. Photo: Goodwille.

allowances and how holiday is accrued, sick pay, types of family leave, rights on disciplinary, grievances and terminations,” Jacqui says and continues: “This is why it is vital to use an expert in UK HR or UK legislation. When it comes to employer benefits, nothing is compulsory aside from the provision of a workplace pension scheme which is in line with Auto Enrolment legislation.”

Bringing employees from overseas When bringing employees from an overseas HQ to work in the UK, there are several considerations to take into account. “Aside from the employment law elements, consider if they will be in the UK on a temporary or permanent basis. If temporary, then they could potentially benefit from a secondment situation where they can continue their primary employment with the HQ and claim some Temporary Workplace Relief for their temporary work in the UK, and remain in the Swedish Social Security System. If they are relocating to work in the UK permanently, they would be hired locally and pay tax and National Insurance in the UK as usual,” Jacqui says.

Right to Work post Brexit With the UK’s departure from EU looming around the corner, there will be a new set of rules and regulations to consider when hiring

Long-term plan Jacqui suggests that businesses about to hire their first employees in the UK should have a long-term plan for competitive employment offerings: “Even if you wish to start on a lean model in terms of benefits initially, look at what similar companies to you are doing that you can perhaps implement once you start to scale. Benchmarking is a good idea to understand salaries and benefit offerings.” She adds: “Also, make sure that you have partnered with an expert in HR or employment law to know that you have the foundations in place which are compliant with UK law, such as your employment contracts and policies. They may seem like a small consideration, but they are vital to an employment relationship and can help to eradicate headaches in the future.”

Key considerations when building a workforce in the UK 9 Think about your employer brand 9 Make sure you know your competitors and what they are offering and doing 9 Make sure you are compliant with UK law from day 1 9 Find a competent partner who can guide you For more information, please contact jacqui.brown@goodwille.com.

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Feature

Where history meets modern society

Grand Hôtel opened almost 150 years ago at the very heart of Stockholm. Photo: Grand Group.

The Grand Hôtel in Stockholm has a long and prestigious history. For almost 150 years, the hotel has not only hosted Nobel Prize winners, celebrities and royalty, but also everyday people looking for something extra. In this feature, Pia Djupmark, CEO of SCC member Grand Group, fills us in on the hotel’s exciting history, upcoming projects and how the hotel moves forward post-pandemic.

BY: FREDRIKA DE GEER

With the National Museum next door and a view over the Royal Palace, the Grand Hôtel is located at the very heart of Stockholm. Even though the hotel opened almost 150 years ago, its history still holds a central role in today’s work. Pia Djupmark, CEO of Grand Group explains: “Our history remains in the walls.

Strong personalities and role models are still Regis Cadier, Founder of Grand Hôtel, and Wilhelmina Skogh, a former Managing Director of the hotel. They were pioneers and created the most modern hotels of the time and a unique conservatory.” This long-standing history is also a key ingredient that distinguishes Grand Hôtel from other hotels, although Pia points out that excellent service beats everything. “Our location, building, strong brand, and our history are of course invaluable but can never replace the feeling that truly genuine service creates. The hardware can always be copied but the software is in our DNA. The soul of the Grand is to always make people feel welcome, to be the perfect host.”

History meets modern society To manage the hotel’s history, vision and heritage is a significant task. Today’s society is moving faster than ever before, and keeping up and achieving the balance between treasuring history and welcoming modern aspects is of great importance, according to Pia. “The biggest challenge is to manage a rich heritage yet keeping with the times and developing the hotel, so it stays at the forefront and can meet the future.” Pia, who has worked within the hospitality industry for more than 32 years, highlights how exciting it is with new hotels and different concepts evolving on the expanding Stockholm market.

The Grand Hôtel offers as many as 273 rooms, of which 70 are suites. It is not only a destination to stay overnight – food and drinks also play an important role. Chef Mathias Dahlgren has the award-winning restaurant Matbaren and Rutabaga located at the hotel. Also, the Veranda and Cadier Bar restaurants are to be found at the hotel. Since opening, Grand Hôtel has been host to great events, and is continuing to do so even though the events have changed over the decades, from jazz parties and live orchestras to events such as MTV Video Music Awards, Royal Rehearsal Dinners, Stockholm Fashion Week and the Polar Music Prize.

future holds, Pia explains that it is hard to say when the market will be back on track and that the main focus is to handle the situation and plan for a future where the hotel can adapt to changes. But despite today’s challenges, Pia is certain that The Grand Hôtel will stand strong.

“Grand has been around for almost 150 years and will continue to be a hotel and a destination that both Stockholmers and international guests will visit. The world is changing and we will change with it, but there will always be a reason for people to visit us. We will do our utmost in order to make people feel welcome and leave the hotel with memorable experiences,” Pia concludes.

Ongoing projects in spite of the pandemic In spite of the pandemic, The Grand Hôtel has several ongoing projects, refurbishments and renovations, and Pia reveals another exciting project – a new champagne bar which will open in September. In addition to this, 19 new rooms are under construction at the Bolinderska Palace, a part of Grand Hôtel which previously has been made up by private homes.

A post-pandemic future Naturally, the travel and tourist industry has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic throughout the world, and with the pandemic came restrictions. Travel bans both nationally and internationally, Swedish guidelines limiting gatherings to a maximum of 50 people and social distancing, it soon became difficult to operate per usual. “We were quick with an action plan where activities and actions were taken directly to reduce costs and to think creatively regarding income with take-away alternatives,” Pia says. With great uncertainty about what the

Pia Djupmark, CEO of Grand Group. Photo: Grand Group.

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Feature

Preparing for the end of the post-Brexit transition period While having been overshadowed by the ongoing pandemic in the past few months, post-Brexit talks between the EU and the UK regarding future relations have continued throughout the pandemic. As the end of the transition period is drawing closer, there are still many uncertainties regarding how businesses operating in the UK will be affected. The Link spoke to four different law firms from the SCC membership to straighten out what the main priorities should be for businesses regarding different legal areas.

Employment Law “The UK will be free to do what it chooses to do regarding its employment law framework.

In theory, it is able to make changes to it and to decrease or increase employment rights.

It seems unlikely that there would be an overarching reform of existing employment law following the conclusion of the transition period: many EU derived laws are by choice “golden plated” by the UK and some key aspects of UK employment law are not derived from the EU (i.e. NMW).

A key outstanding question relates to the extent to which UK courts and tribunals will remain subject to European rules and case law.

As there are no immediately foreseeable or planned changes, there is little for companies to do in order to mitigate risks at this stage.

The assumption, for the time being, is to plan staffing risks based on the current legal framework.”

Tania Tandon Tandon Hildebrand

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Dispute resolution “Under the current regime, there are European wide rules which govern how courts deal with disputes between parties of different member states. The rules principally regulate: the member state in which the cross border litigation should be determined, and the enforcement of a judgment.

After 31 December the relevant EU regulations will no longer apply. This will mean that a UK party and an EU party who are in dispute and want to resolve this through the courts would be subject to different and more cumbersome rules and judgments may be less straightforward to enforce. It is expected that the UK will accede to a treaty (the Lugano Convention) which to all intents and purposes will replicate the current position. However, that accession has not yet been agreed and, as with the UK withdrawal arrangements more generally, time is running short.

Even if the UK accedes to the Lugano Convention, in one important respect it will not provide the same uniformity of approach that the current EU rules provide. Where disputes are fiercely fought, one tactic a party can adopt is to slow down a dispute by counterattacking an opponent in a court of a different member state. The Lugano Convention does not provide a ready method of defeating this tactic in the way that the current rules do.

So what can organisations do to mitigate the risks? If the UK does accede to Lugano, most ‘normal’ commercial disputes which are resolved through the courts will be largely unaffected. However, Lugano accession remains uncertain. Organisations entering into contracts today may want to avoid the risk that the UK ends up without a harmonising convention for litigation. And even with Lugano, if parties have a bitter dispute, the system for resolution can be disrupted by a party intent on causing havoc. One solution is to provide in commercial contracts that arbitration will be the method used for resolving disputes. This will be unaffected by Brexit. The recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards is governed by the New York Convention. Under that treaty arbitral awards are widely recognised (for enforcement purposes) across the globe. Parties can select the ‘seat’ of the arbitration and choose their arbitrators. Unlike court proceedings, arbitration is confidential. However, they should bear in mind that arbitration is often more costly than court proceedings and that the outcome can be more unpredictable than litigating under a well-established judicial system which follows precedent such as that which applies in England.”

Geraldine Elliott RPC

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UPCOMING EVENT

Countdown to Exit: UK's new trading relationship with the EU 15 October | Virtual event Join us for a Brexit focused forum with leading Brexit customs and business advisory experts, featuring discussions on what to expect from the negotiations and how it might impact your business. Book now at scc.org.uk.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Data Protection

“As regards Brexit implications on M&A posttransition 31 Dec 2020, not much will change, at least not short term.

“Any business with activity in the UK should, as a minimum, make sure that it complies with the GDPR and the DPA 2018, which are the rules governing personal data. When the Transition Period expires, the rules of the GDPR and the DPA 2018 will be “merged” through a complicated set of regulations following the withdrawal.

The area most affected will be merger control.

Post-Brexit the one-stop-shop regime for merger control within the EU will not apply in the UK. Instead, EU and UK merger regimes will run in parallel. This will most likely lead to an increase in UK merger investigations (the CMA in the UK has estimated that there will be an increase in UK merger investigations by up to 40 %) resulting in additional cost and time spent on getting merger control clearance for the transactions and parties should be prepared and cater for that. The filing regime in the UK is voluntary, not compulsory like the EU, so for the UK part of transactions, there will be more of an assessment to be made by the parties in relation to merger control filings.

There are some signs that the UK may be taking a stricter approach on anti-trust issues than historically and it will also now have new powers in some sectors to require foreign investment approvals.

Also, the EU cross-border merger regime, which efficiently merger companies within the EEA without inadvertently leaving assets or liabilities behind and allow for dissolution of transferor companies without the need for additional processes, will no longer be available to UK companies.“

Elisabeth Lundgren Linklaters

One of the issues which will change is how the flow of data between the UK and EU will be regulated, which businesses in the UK should prepare for. In relation to personal data flowing from the UK to the EU, the withdrawal legislation does not put in place restrictions for such flow. The EU is viewed as offering the same level of protection as the UK. The position is different when it comes to the flow of personal data from the EU to the UK. After the expiry of the Transition Period, the UK will become a “third country”, and that could make the flow of data from the EU to the UK difficult. This could be cured if the EU made an adequacy decision about the UK Data Protection rules, or if the UK and EU agreed on a Free Trade Agreement, where Data Protection is dealt with.

Businesses must prepare for the eventuality that neither take place before the end of 2020. To secure a continued flow of personal

data from the EU to the UK, UK businesses must ensure that the contracts under which the personal data is obtained allow for such a transfer. There are standard clauses which can be inserted in the contracts to ensure such transfer. In addition, it would be useful to examine the data flow of the business, and to assess where your business stands in relation to the following questions: 9 9 9 9 9

What kind of data do you receive?

Where do you get it from?

Why do you collect it?

Where do you store it?

What contracts have you got in place for the collection and for the storage of the personal data?

Finally, businesses which, as a part of their business, monitor the behaviour of their customers and/or offer goods and services in the EU should consider appointing a representative in the EU to deal with local data protection authorities, or perhaps even consider appointing a Data Protection Officer.”

Claus Andersen Royds Withy King

Shaun Young Royds Withy King

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3 December | 25+ speakers | Register now

What is 21st century leadership?

Sweden and Britain celebrate centuries of friendship and trade, and our business and political spheres are tightly interlinked as a result of it. At the Swedish-British Summit 2020, we look at our joint future ahead, the challenges, and how we can learn from each other. “Outer Thinking” is about 21st-century leadership, bringing together business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians and academics from both Sweden and the United Kingdom, to address the greater trends facing us, from tech to climate change, the future workforce or global trade.

Hélène Barnekow CEO, Microsoft Sweden

Håkan Samuelsson President and CEO, Volvo Cars

Fraser Nelson Editor, The Spectator

Lisa Lindström CEO, Doberman

Daniel Franklin Executive and Diplomatic Editor, The Economist

Susanna Campbell Non-executive Director for Kinnevik AB

Humam Sakhnini President, King

Josh Hardie Deputy Director General, CBI

Viveka Hirdman-Ryrberg Head of Corporate Communication & Sustainability, Investor AB

Magnus Lewis-Olsson President, Saab Technologies

Polly Toynbee Columnist, The Guardian

Madeleine Thomson Interim Head, Our Planet, Our Health and Senior Science Lead, Climate Change and Health, Wellcome Trust

Frances O’Grady General Secretary, Trades Union Congress

Peter Fellman Editor in Chief, Dagens industri and Business Manager Di-gruppen

Learn more and register at scc.org.uk Sponsors

Design Partner

In parnership with

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Long term financial planning as important as ever

Feature

Join us on 3 December Learn more and register at scc.org.uk

With the end of the transition period of the UK’s departure from the EU drawing closer and with people secondguessing its outcome, it can be easy to have concerns over private investments and UK equities not growing in line with other markets. “Although Brexit is a big event, covid has arguably proven a bigger stimulus to review one’s planning from a structuring point of view. We would generally encourage people not to knee jerk and move out of the market, but think long-term,” says David Denton, FPFS TEP Chartered Financial Planner and Head of Technical Sales at Quilter International.

BY: JONAS EKLUND

SCC member Quilter International is one of the leading cross-border providers of wealth management solutions, offering Ireland and Isle of Man insurance-based platforms for financial advisers to manage their clients’ investments both in the UK, Sweden and beyond. “Our international arm has been in existence for 35 years. Whilst we do business in approximately 40 countries, because of global mobility, we now have clients in more than 100 countries,” David says.

”Taking your emotion out of it, not making quick decisions and sticking with your original ideas, will probably give the better long-term results.”

Concerns over UK equities Being a wrapper provider rather than an actual investment manager, Brexit has not been as impactful as one might imagine for Quilter In-

ternational. “It’s more the investment managers who are getting the challenging questions about what should be done in the context of Brexit,” David explains. “I think part of the Brexit story and definitely part of the covid story is that people are geographically in different places now than otherwise anticipated.

Also, since the Brexit vote in 2016, people are naturally concerned that UK equities haven’t grown in line with other markets.”

Preserve benefits in the long term Brexit has got more people to think harder about how they should structure their wealth, the importance of currency and what diversification really means. “Since the UK effectively left the EU on the 31st of January, we’re now in the transition period and as we don’t know what the end of that period means, many people are second-guessing,” David says. “But beyond that, looking for diversification to cover multiple possibilities are all achievable within what we offer, to try to preserve benefits in the long term.”

Leave emotion out In situations like these, it is according to David

David Denton, FPFS TEP Chartered Financial Planner and Head of Technical Sales at Quilter International.

Photo: Quilter International.

very easy for private investors to have a reaction and try to make quick decisions. “Lots of people are very emotional about Brexit and what it means. In the long run, things will revert to a more normal position. Taking your emotion out of it, not making quick decisions and sticking with your original ideas, will probably give better long-term results. Moving out of the market can give you some comfort, but history indicates that moving out of the market is easy. Choosing when to come back in is much more difficult.”

Difficult for self-advised investors “If you’re a self-advised investor and try to do things yourself, which can be the case when people have emergent wealth, the chance of getting that right is implausibly difficult,” David says and explains that self-advised clients can display significant biases when it comes to investment disciplines. “For example, if you see three fund managers you like and you purchase three funds as a private client investor, understanding the stock overlap within the portfolios and putting those together and to see what you own as a whole, would be incredibly difficult. Tools are available to enable people to understand wholly what they’re owning, allow multiple managers within one strategy and allow tax efficiency at the end of the day as well.”

Long-term planning as important as ever If Swedes residing in the UK would consider moving back to Sweden, they should resist the temptation to sell out their existing investments without a proper review. “As a tax resident of the UK before coming back to Sweden, you could take away a huge opportunity, if you sold an insurance-based investment known as a K policy”, David says. “Quite often, people say that you should think about cashing out and rebasing your assets when you move countries. That might appear logical if you’re going from a low tax environment to a high tax environment, but when moving from the UK to Sweden, this depends entirely upon the investment product structure. Long-term and early planning is as important as ever, and Brexit hasn’t changed that.”

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Feature

Swedish know-how leads the way to smarter heating

The vast majority of global greenhouse gases emitted today originate from cities. In order to combat climate change and to achieve long-term sustainable development, future cities have to develop smarter, resource-efficient ways, as well as to successfully manage social challenges that arise when people live and work in densely populated areas.

The Link spoke to two member companies, NIBE and Nordic Heat, who in different ways work to develop eco-friendly technologies and reduce energy consumption from heating.

BY: TOBIAS ALMQVIST

NIBE is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of renewable energy products offering solutions for heating, cooling, hot water and ventilation that reflect today’s demand for sustainable construction. “Sustainability is in our blood,” Phil Hurley, Managing Director explains.

“In the UK, NIBE offers its full range of heat pumps, that generate heating from the ground and the air around us, which suit basically any building which has a heating, cooling, hot water or ventilation demand. Our new NIBE S-SERIES products connected online system makes sure everything runs smoothly in your home. By adjusting the temperature to your daily patterns, you get maximum comfort and minimum energy consumption. However, the fact that 80% of the houses in the UK are gas heated remains a challenge to this electrification of heating. In Sweden, the infrastructure is already there because you decided to move to electrification and district heating quite a while ago.”

The UK government has established the goal that district heating should meet 20% of the country’s heat demand by 2030. Currently, the market share is only about 2%. One company that works to support the development of district energy in the UK (and other countries) is peer-to-peer advisory and pooling service Nordic Heat. “We make use of the extensive

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know-how developed in the Nordics in the past 50 years to assist in designing, installing, and operating solutions to decarbonise heating and cooling,” Peter Anderberg, Founder and CEO says.

Nordic Heat’s aim is to speed up projects while reducing costs and risks by offering access to the extensive hands-on experience developed in the Nordics. “Our main clients are municipalities in the early stages of constructing district heating,” Peter explains. “What prevents the industry from growing as fast as it wants today is the lack of people who can make it do so. In addition, we’ve therefore also founded an international training platform – the Heat Academy – which offers vocational and professional training in collaboration with a number of energy companies in the industry, as well as a number of universities in the UK,” says Peter.

“We estimate that about 100,000 people will be trained over the next 10 years in order to realise the government’s target.

A rapid change of attitude Both Phil and Peter agree that the view on sustainability has changed rapidly in the UK in the last several years. “Sweden may have come further in its sustainability work and decarbonisation but the attitude is definitely the same in both countries,” Peter explains. Phil

agrees: “When I joined the company in 2016 there was quite a large difference in the view on sustainability between the two countries.

Now, however, the UK has definitely got its act together and I dare to say that the UK is probably one of the leading European countries

Phil Hurley, Managing Director at NIBE UK. Photo: NIBE.

LINK

ABOUT NIBE Founded in Markaryd, Sweden, NIBE has manufactured energy-efficient products providing homes with cooling, heating, ventilation and hot water for almost 70 years. By combining renewable energy with smart technology, NIBE offers effective solutions contributing to creating a more sustainable future.

Smart Cities A smart city is an urban area where different types of electronic methods and sensors are used to collect data.

This data is in then used to provide a better quality of life for its inhabitants, for instance by improving resource use and urban transport networks, upgrade water supply and waste disposal facilities, and to create more efficient ways to light and heat buildings. The interest in smart cities has grown significantly in recent years due to major societal changes including climate change and pollution, urbanisation and ageing populations.

regarding carbon reduction of our electrical generating grid. Our biggest challenge now is to continue decarbonisation in our buildings, which is a major challenge as housing in the UK is not as well insulated as Swedish housing but instead very leaky.” Peter fills in: “In many cities in the UK, house heating accounts for almost 50% of CO2 emissions.”

The driving force behind this attitude change is of course the fact that adverse effects posed by climate changes have become more and more apparent. In the past few years, the UK government has established tough targets to achieve in order to mitigate such effects. “The UK is actually one of the first major economies to set a target for net-zero emissions from greenhouse gases, which is to be reached by 2050”, says Phil. “The 2020s is really going to be the decade to start that journey and, since NIBE already has the technology, we are ready to embark on that journey now”.

Perhaps the most apparent adverse effect of climate change is that the temperatures will rise. “With rising temperatures, an increasing world population and densifying urban areas, basically what is going to happen is that we’re going to have very warm summers.

We’ve seen that already in the UK over the last 10 years in densely populated areas such

Feature

ABOUT NORDIC HEAT Nordic Heat was founded in 2014 by a group of Swedish, municipality-owned energy operators.

They assist project teams in securing the swift implementation of high performing, reliable and competitive waste management solutions while minimising investment levels, operational costs and risks. By doing so, they aim to support the development of District Energy, Energy from Waste (EfW) and Waste Management solutions in Europe and beyond.

as London, so cooling is obviously going to become a big problem. “With ground-source technology, we would be able to cool buildings very cheaply, basically free”, Phil explains.

“Instead of district heating where you pump in heat around city centres, you’re pumping groundwater around the cities and then taking that low-grade heat into your house and either using that for heating, cooling or hot water.

And that’s a more economical way of cooling and heating your house.”

Decarbonisation – an essential business When bringing up the inevitable question of how their businesses have been affected by Covid-19, it becomes evident that they work in an industry moving so fast it would take more than a global pandemic to slow it down.

“So far, I would say the pandemic has been positive to our business. We’ve been able to slow down a little and focus our attention on a few projects,” Peter says. “The training that we provide through heat academy has moved online which has enabled us to hold much larger classes and thereby filling the knowledge gap in the industry faster than we normally would have been able to. While I do look forward to being able to meet people in person, we are never going to go back to the way things were before the pandemic. Some activities are simply done more efficiently online.”

Peter Anderberg, Founder and CEO of Nordic Heat.

Photo: Nordic Heat.

Phil agrees: “We were quite lucky as we were able to continue working without disruption in service to our customers and by June we were back in the office and in sales. The pandemic and COVID-19 is definitely serious, but the climate change threat is not going to go away. So, while there may be an economic decline going forward, it is evident that there is potential to grow over the next several years because of the need to reduce carbon emissions”.

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LINK

Previous Events

SWEDISH-BRITISH RECEPTION & DINNER 24 AUGUST As the first physical event in several months, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK hosted its annual Swedish-British Reception and Dinner at Stallmästaregården in Stockholm in August. The dinner gathers stakeholders from business, academia, politics and the media, and is a celebration of our business relationship. Due to the pandemic and strictly adhering to government guidelines, there were fewer guests present but the sense of community was stronger than ever.

Kindly sponsored by EF Education First.

Jan Olsson (Deutsche Bank), Micael Johansson (Saab)

Carl-Johan Westring (EF Education First)

Anders Fogel (Fogel & Partners), Martin Petersson (H&H Group)

Magdalena Gerger (Systembolaget)

Peter Högström (Cirio), Tove Lifvendahl (Svenska Dagbladet), Gabriel Mellqvist (Dagens industri)

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Steve Angus (DIT), Peter Sandberg (SCC)

Jan-Olof Jacke (Svenskt Näringsliv)

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Upcoming EVENTS

Upcoming events The SCC is continually monitoring government and health guidelines to protect our team and guests, and are planning for a mix of virtual and physical activities in the autumn. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with the SCC. Our Terms & Conditions will naturally be updated along with government recommendations on physical events, and we will keep you posted. See all upcoming events at scc.org.uk/events

Virtual Roundtable feat. Dr Kamel Hothi OBE, Non-Executive Director, TLC Lions

15 October | Virtual Unconscious biases and the ingrained, usually unintentional but automatic stereotypes that can influence one’s behaviours. But are there leadership styles that need to be challenged in relation to work environments? How can business leaders become change-makers and advocates when it comes to biases? Welcome to this Virtual Roundtable discussion with Dr Kamel Hothi OBE, Non-Executive Director at TLC Lions, on leadership styles and the unconscious bias.

Virtual Roundtable feat. Stefan Ingves, Governor of Sveriges Riksbank and Chairman of the Executive Board

1 Oct | Virtual Welcome to this roundtable discussion featuring Stefan Ingves, Governor of Sveriges Riksbank and Chairman of the Executive Board, on the state of the economy in Sweden.

Meet & Pitch: PropTech

27 Oct | TBC, London Are you interested in meeting the next generation of Swedish PropTech businesses? At this Meet & Pitch: PropTech networking event, we will be connecting Swedish start-ups and British stakeholders, in conjunction with Future PropTech, the World’s Number One Real Estate Technology Event Series. In collaboration with PropTech Sweden.

Nordic Private Equity Forum Virtual Roundtable feat. Madeleine Sjöstedt, Director-General of the Swedish Institute

20 October | Virtual Welcome to this Virtual Roundtable featuring Madeleine Sjöstedt, Director-General of the Swedish Institute as guest speaker, on the continuous work of shaping the international view of Sweden and where it is heading.

29 Oct | Virtual How will the private equity markets be affected and where do we find the future opportunities in the Nordics in light of the ongoing pandemic? Join us at the Private Equity Forum where we will be discussing the year ahead for private equity activity in the Nordics. Bringing together stakeholders from the Nordic and UK-based asset management communities, from fund managers to banks, investors and advisory firms, the forum is a great way to connect with the Nordic PE ecosystem.

Countdown to Exit: UK’s new trading relationship with the EU

15 October | Virtual Join us for a Brexit focused forum with leading Brexit customs and business advisory experts, featuring discussions on what to expect from the negotiations and how it might impact your business. Hear from businesses on their unique plans, strategies and scenario planning, and meet experts from across customs, trade and immigration. Speakers include Christian Danielsson, Head of Representation for Sweden at the European Commission, Lars Karlsson, Managing Director at KGH Customs Services, Joe Mayes, U.K. Government Reporter, Bloomberg News, Annika Nestius Brown, EU Negotiations and Strategy Coordination at Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and many more.

Young Professionals Masterclass: Personal Branding in Recruitment Processes

22 Oct | TBC, London Welcome to this Masterclass on personal branding in recruitment processes, where a panel consisting of experts from various fields will sort out the do’s and don’ts, how to become attractive in the eyes of the employer, and what different sectors actually look for when recruiting.

Nordic Chambers Business Forum 2020: Cyber risk in a digitised world

5 November | 3 More London Riverside, London Cyber attacks against businesses are hardly new, but are becoming increasingly common, and potentially impose great costs when dealt with. What do we need to do to ensure business continuity and cyber-security? This forum brings together a mix of experts, regulators, businesses having faced problems and dealt with them, and start-ups with some of the solutions.

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Vi vill dock betona att vi alla ska iaktta fšrsiktighet.

Gudstjänst söndagar 11,00

kyrkkaffe 12,00-14,00

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tisdagar 10,00-16,00

torsdagar 10,00-16,00

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Nu kan du ocksŒ kšpa och fšrbestŠlla svenska smšrgŒsar samt vŒra goda bullar. Se hemsida eller ring oss fšr mer information.

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GUEST COLUMN

“I watched firsthand how the pandemic sparked innovation”

On March 17th, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology campus closed for students and most researchers and employees were instructed to work from home. Almost overnight, our busy campus areas grew empty. As KTH and the world went digital, I watched firsthand how the pandemic sparked innovation, and how startups both struggled and grew. These are my insights from heading the innovation office at the largest technical university in Sweden during the strange spring of 2020 and what we learnt from the experience.

BY: LISA ERICSSON, CEO OF KTH INNOVATION

Lisa Ericsson, CEO of KTH Innovation. Photo: KTH Innovation.

In 2007, I was given the mission to establish a new department, KTH Innovation, that would offer support to everyone at KTH who had a idea or research with the potential to create impact.

Since then, my team and I have seen the number of ideas we support grow to over 350 per year. Thousands of students, researchers, and employees have come through our doors, starting over 200 companies that are creating impact every day. In 2019, we supported the highest number of ideas to date. In March 2020, we had just moved to new premises, providing opportunities we had dreamed about for years.

Finally, we had a physical place where people from all sectors of society—students, alumni, researchers, investors, entrepreneurs, industry, mentors and others—could meet around innovation at KTH. Then the pandemic hit.

Effects on startups As society closed down, we started seeing its effects on startups from KTH. Some that were offering solutions now in high-demand grew exponentially, like one offering last-mile delivery services, while other teams went from full order books to having no new inquiries at all. Some teams felt they got more time to develop their solutions, while others were trying not to sink as their revenue streams disappeared.

Sparking an unprecedented level of creativity At the same time, the new situation sparked an unprecedented level of creativity at KTH as the minds of our students, employees and researchers practically exploded with ideas to help society adapt to the new situation. One research team started developing antibody tests, while

another tested Stockholm sewage for traces of COVID-19 in a first step toward helping predict coming spikes of the virus. Students started digital help groups for teenagers stuck at home, developed recruitment services for hospital staff, and constructed wearable devices to help minimize physical contact between nurses and patients. Many of the early-stage startups we support pivoted and adapted their solutions to the new world. One team went from developing an app that facilitated networking at events to launching a bot that organizes short coffee breaks between colleagues on Slack. One food-tech startup launched a call to action and turned food that would have been waste into free lunch boxes for healthcare workers.

Adapting to a new normal Now, at the end of August, our campus areas have started opening up, students are back in a limited capacity, and startups from KTH have, as innovators must, adapted to the new normal.

I think the best way of describing the coming autumn is as a hybrid between the old and the new. Things have not gone back to normal, and the question is if they ever will? However, when everything turns upside down, new opportunities emerge.

Harness the power I believe it is now up to the innovation ecosystem to harness the power that has been unleashed during the pandemic, so our society can come out from the crisis stronger than before. My team at KTH Innovation needs to offer support to a growing number of new ideas, developing both advanced technology with the potential to disrupt entire industries, and

ideas that just make the world a little bit easier or more fun. We need venture funds to keep investing and dare to go for the more complex solutions that take time to reach the market.

We need our government to support the companies that will continue to keep Sweden at the top of innovation worldwide and we need to find new ways to meet cross borders to make sure that Swedish startups reach the international market.

Fastest paradigm shift in history This spring we experienced one of the fastest paradigm shifts in history. Many were and are worried for friends and family, suddenly found themselves without jobs, and our everyday life turned upside down. At the same time, the situation gave us new problems to solve and sparked innovation like never before. I firmly believe that disruptive times bring disruptive ideas, and I can think of few better places to nurture new solutions than our universities. As society’s innovation hubs, we vow to act and take lead, not react and follow.

ABOUT KTH INNOVATION Founded in 2007 as part of KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, KTH Innovation helps developing ideas and commercialising research to bring new technology to the market and to create impact in society. Learn more at kth.se/en/innovation

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LINK

IN OTHER NEWS

News from the SCC community Vattenfall appoints new CEO SCC patron and power company Vattenfall recently appointed Anna Borg as new President and CEO. Anna has many years of experience within the energy sector, and has previously served as Senior Vice President for Vattenfall’s Business Area Markets, led the Nordic Sales business, the Swedish Heat business as well as the European B2C business, among other things. Since 2017, she has held the position of CFO in Vattenfall. She succeeds current CEO Magnus Hall and will take on her new position on November 1.

IKEA team up with Spotify to create a dynamic playlist SCC Patrons Spotify and IKEA have collaborated to develop a new music service aiming to help its user to get in the right state of mind throughout the day. The collaboration is one of many projects by initiated

by IKEA aiming to improve the well-being of their customers. Using the campaign site ‘Rhythm of life’, customers who hold a Spotify account may set their music preferences. By syncing the preferences with your listening history, Spotify then generates a list which will change throughout the day.

Wastefront signs deal to build the greenest waste tyre recycling plant in the UK Recycling company and SCC Member Wastefront has signed a deal with Sunderland City Council, with the ambition to build the UK’s greenest waste tyre recycling plant in Port of Sunderland. “Our ambition is to create a new circular economy for dealing with waste issues, and a crucial element of sustainable waste handling is to be able to do so locally,” says Christian A. Hvamstad, Wastefront’s Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), Director and CoFounder, in a recent press release.

Sweden added to UK’s ‘Safe’ list VOI enters the UK market

Photo: VOI

Swedish scooter company and SCC member VOI recently launched their first fleet of e-scooters on UK streets. The company has been selected to run 12-month e-scooter trials in several cities, including Northampton and Birmingham. The trials follow the UK government decision to accelerate trials of rented e-scooter schemes as part of a strategy to explore greener and more ‘socially distanced’ methods of urban transport due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has taken a number of safety precautions in order to ensure that the scooters will not become sources of infection, including adding copper tape to the scooter handlebars, which kill 99.98% of coronavirus on contact.

Starting 12 September, individuals arriving from Sweden no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days. The self-isolation policy was introduced on 8 June with the intention of limiting the spread of COVID-19 in the UK. Following a declining infection rate in the country, Sweden was added to the exempt list established by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)

Readly goes public On 17 September, SCC member and European category leader for digital magazines Readly was listed on Nasdaq. Readly was among the companies who benefited from the pandemic, with downloads of the app increasing by 21 per cent from February to March. The company’s main shareholders and board of Directors believe the offering will support Readly to continue growing and provide the company with access to the capital markets as well as a diversified base of Swedish and international shareholders.

Adwaiz becomes Agency A SCC member Adwaiz has rebranded to Agency A - a creative agency making your physical, digital. Agency A works with ambitious brands, from start-ups to supersize, to connect and converse with their online audiences through content creation, social media management, ambassador marketing, paid social, branding and design.

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Photo: Klarna

Klarna now Europe’s most valuable fintech startup Swedish start-up and SCC member Klarna nearly doubled its valuation in a year and is now Europe’s most valuable VC-backed fintech business after raising $650 million.

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Feature

Near-live data Key to Informed business decisions With the ongoing pandemic and everything it entails, businesses are forced to adapt to a new reality and make quick decisions in order to survive and continue to thrive. “For the operational and finance executives, the challenge is now to get the right data at the right time, to make the right decision”, says Derek Morrison, Country Manager for Mercur Solutions UK. BY: JONAS EKLUND

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, SCC member Mercur Solutions has been delivering solutions for performance management and business intelligence for over 40 years.

“Simply put, we help the CFOs and the operational executives make more informed business decisions. We are a data company – we surface data within organisations, and we present it in an easy to consume form,” says Derek Morrison, Country Manager for Mercur Solutions UK. Siloed data in a single solution Looking back 20 years or so, Derek describes business intelligence as something businesses used to simply report on sales and its related costs. Today, business intelligence has evolved into a more sophisticated tool for different functions to manage their respective parts of the business. “We take the corporate performance indicators, corporate targets and plans, granular company budgets and cost centre forecasts, and consolidate them into a single data set. In other words, we have a lot of siloed data coming into a single solution. The CFO is perhaps looking at liquidity, the Sales Director is looking at sales operations and Customer Management is looking at the customer service function. Business intelligence has moved more towards what we would call corporate performance management, where the whole enterprise can have a view of their slice of the business.”

March. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time to set up the business, but as we have several clients headquartered in the UK, we have been able to support them through these last couple of months.”

Right data at the right time The pandemic has indeed posed uncertainties and challenges for everyone. For business executives, it has been all about planning and forecasting to survive and adapt to the new conditions. “It is challenging for us to travel to the office, and to engage with our customers, but for the operational executive and the finance executive, the challenge is getting the

”Simply put, we help the CFOs and the operational executives make more informed business decisions.” right data at the right time to make the right decision,” Derek says and explains that he has seen many organisations fighting since February-March. “They have multiple Excel environments and multiple data sets, with data distributed in different platforms – and they

are still not able to consolidate the data. And they’re losing so much time in pulling data together in spreadsheets.”

Agility key to forecasting With more than 20 years of experience Derek Morrison, Country Manager for Mercur Solutions and having been UK. through recessions, such as the ‘black swan event’ in 2008, Derek says that organisations have been running their businesses based on historic data for years. “They have been looking in the rearview mirror, rather than out of the windscreen and the road ahead. I’m quite amazed that organisations are still struggling with the agility to plan and forecast.”

Decisions based on near-live data According to Derek, the reason why businesses are struggling is that things are happening at an increasing pace. “The executive boardroom is now needing to make decisions based on data that is actually near-live, not from last month. It is all about taking your actual data and combining that with your forecast and your planning data – and then analysing and making your next business decision based on that.”

Establishing in the UK in the midst of the pandemic Last year, in 2019, Mercur Solutions decided to expand to the UK. Quoting the opening lines of Charles Dickens’s ‘Tale of two cities’, Derek describes it as the best of times, and the worst of times for the expansion. “We brought the business to the UK in August and started marketing in November. Then Covid-19 hit us in

Mercur Solutions offers solutions for performance management and business intelligence.

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LINK

New patrons & Members

NEW PATRONS AND MEMBERS The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK is the ultimate business platform for Swedish and UK businesses, representing some 400 companies from across all sectors and industries, and from start-ups, SMEs, unicorns to large corporations. Membership comes with a suite of benefits for you, your colleagues and your business. If you would like to find out how you can maximise your membership, or to enquire about joining, please do get in touch at membership@scc.org.uk. But first, a warm welcome to our newest members.

New patrons

EPIROC Epiroc UK provides service and sales for its surface and underground drilling and tunnelling equipment including loading and haulage, hydraulic attachment tools and rock drilling tools. With its head office in Hemel Hempstead, Epiroc has premises in Stirling, Scotland and Portlaoise, Ireland. Epiroc is a leading productivity partner for the mining, civil engineering, infrastructure and natural resources industries. With cutting-edge technology, Epiroc develops and produces innovative drill rigs, tunnelling equipment, rock excavation, hydraulic attachment tools, and provides world-class service and consumables. The company was founded in Stockholm, Sweden, and has passionate people supporting and collaborating with customers in more than 150 countries.

CEG CEG started life in 1989 as Commercial Estates Management.

Since then the business has grown to become the property group CEG, with offices in London, Leeds, Birmingham and Cornwall. CEG works on a huge range of projects – from workspace and homes to retail, industrial and mixed-use. Currently, the portfolio covers six million sq ft valued at around £800 million. The rental income is £50 million, with an estimated rental value of around £80 million.CEG is a property company with a difference, that puts people, businesses and relationships first, by working with customers, local people and authorities across all projects, to build real, sustainable communities.

New members

Essity Essity is a leading global hygiene and health company dedicated to improving well-being through its products and services. It develops, produces and sells products and solutions within the business areas personal care, consumer tissue and professional hygiene. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, it conducts sales in approximately 150 countries under leading global brands TENA and Tork and other strong brands, such as JOBST, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, Vinda and Zewa. Essity employs about 46,000 people worldwide.

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Agengy a We are a team of outgoing creatives, who make your physical, digital.

We empower ambitious brands, from start-ups to supersize, to connect and converse with their online audiences via the medium of Content Creation, Social Media Management, Ambassador Marketing, Paid Social, Branding and Design. Our partners range from supplemental wellness brands such as Altrient and Abundance & Health to the F&B sector, for brands such as CRU8 Foods and the Hyatt hotel ‘Great Scotland Yard’ to name a few. Think of us a creative extension to your team. We like to have fun, are fun to work with and pride ourselves on the ability to get fully immersed into any project to support the realisation of commercial objectives through digital activity.

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Beechbrook capital Private debt fund focused on the lower mid-market in Northern Europe.

New patrons & Members

Carpe diem beds A luxury handmade Swedish bespoke bed company, founded and developed by a Swedish chiropractor in 1995. Made with specially chosen natural materials such as slow-growth Nordic Pine, exclusive fabrics from Designers Guild and The Romo Group, holding some of the most innovative bed patents in the world, each Carpe Diem Bed is a work of art, skillfully created and finished by our expert craftsmen.

Cirio Cirio is a Swedish law firm, originally founded in 1918, based in Stockholm, working with local and international clients, navigating complex legal infrastructures. The legal disciplines cover Transactional Services, Business Strategy and Operations, Special Situations and Collaborative Innovation. We have specialized competence within renewable energy, Life sciences and AI. 90 fee earners with a focus on true collaborative partnerships.

HAUSFELD Hausfeld is a leading global law firm that clients trust with their most complex legal disputes and competition matters.

IGNITION LAW Ignition provides a unique, seamlessly integrated offering of legal services, accountancy services and CFO support. This has helped thousands of ambitious founders, seed-stage start-ups, angel-backed scale-ups, VC-backed SMEs and other high-growth enterprises secure investment, meet their governance obligations and rapidly scale. One team under one roof. All bases covered. In short, we specialise in simplifying entrepreneurs’ lives. .

PROSKAUER ROSE We are 725+ lawyers serving clients from offices located in the leading financial and business centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The world’s leading organizations, companies and corporations choose us to be their representatives in their most critical situations.

Moreover, they consider Proskauer a strategic partner to drive their business forward. We work with asset managers, private equity and venture capital firms, Fortune 500 companies, major sports leagues, entertainment industry legends and other industry-redefining companies.

ROOTS OF IROKO Roots of Iroko assists in transforming corporate capacity to deliver sustainable social impact. We help our clients expand their aspirations: think beyond traditional initiatives of CSR or corporate social impact as an integral part of their corporate and business strategies. We are proud to offer a range of services, from corporate foresight to inspiration to strategic advice and activation.

SILVERFLEET CAPITAL Silverfleet Capital is a Private Equity Partner with focus on International Growth Consulting. We work with Accelerating Organic Growth, Internationalisation, Changing Business Models and Improving Operational Performance. Consumer, healthcare, manufacturing and services are our four target sectors and we are passionate about helping local market leaders reach their full potential.

TLC Lions TLC Lions is on a mission to help organisations create empathetic, inclusive and productive workforces by sharing the real-life stories of their Lions (speakers). These are ordinary people with extraordinary lives who inspire positive change with their stories and experiences on inclusion and mental wellbeing tailored to a work environment.

white & Case White & Case is a global law firm, uniquely positioned to help our clients achieve their ambitions in today’s G20 world. White & Case services over multiple industries, practices and regions and work with some of the most respected and well-established banks and businesses, as well as start-up visionaries, governments and stateowned entities.

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LINK

Meet

Ranj Begley CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR UK AT READLY With a platform consisting of nearly 5,000 national and international magazines, Readly is one of the leading companies in digital magazine subscriptions in Europe. The Link met with Ranj Begley, Chief Content Officer and Managing Director UK at SCC member Readly, to discuss how Readly keeps up with a fast changing market and utilises technology to meet the demands of both subscribers and publishers.

BY: FREDRIKA DE GEER

When Ranj Begley received an email out of the blue, from someone in Sweden wanting to meet her with ‘a very interesting business proposition’, she deleted it. He didn’t give up, and after a few email exchanges, Ranj met this persistent Swede for a coffee. “When I discussed the concept with a few of my peers they strongly advised me not to do it.

I would be taking a huge risk,” Ranj recalls.

“This was a random Swedish company no one knew anything about. Why give up a well-paid job to run something that could fail? Reverse psychology tactics always worked on me – in January 2014, I started my new role at Readly and spent my first week at the head office in Växjö.”

Before joining Readly, Ranj worked in the media industry within publishing and RRM subscriptions management. “One thing we are passionate about at Readly is encouraging more people – especially the younger generation – to read and enjoy these fantastic magazine brands. I’ve always grown up with magazines, adopting and discovering new titles throughout the various stages of my life,” Ranj adds.

The Readly eco-system When Joel Wikell, Founder of Readly, was on vacation, he soon had read all the magazines he brought with him, but the music playlists did not end and could be played on repeat. This was when the idea of Readly was born – to have unlimited access to digital magazines directly through an app. Later the same year, Readly was launched in 2012 in the city of Växjö, and has since then expanded to international markets such as the UK, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. During 2019, Readly distributed more than 120,000 issues of magazines that have been read 83 million times.

Unlike many other businesses, Readly serves both the subscribers and the publishers. “Our job is to present the content from the publishers in the best and most interesting way to the subscribers so that they can be entertained, educated, and even find new hobbies or interests. In this way, the publishers also get to know their readers,” Ranj explains. “We call it the Readly eco-system. Our ambition and our opportunity lies in bringing the magic of magazines to the masses”.

Using best practises from around the globe Readly is now six years old and the team is well-accustomed to working across markets, Ranj explains: “I love the fact that we are now a global organisation and that we can pick

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and choose the best practices from around the globe. Agility, new concepts and ideas come in abundance from Sweden, efficiency and solid processes are best put in place by our German office, and we get creativity and excellent communication from the UK team.”

Ranj continues by highlighting the importance of the team’s wellbeing. ”At Readly, we strive to create a workplace where the teams are engaged, happy and healthy. Our culture strategy is deeply rooted within the workforce, with all employees working towards the same goal, to bring the magic of magazines into the future. We are proud of the fact that we are such a diverse team. It really lends itself to our performance and, most importantly, our ability to quickly adapt to suit our readers and our publisher clients.”

”I have trained myself to think globally, but if I zoom in on the UK market, it is to convince the last few naysayers that they are missing out by not being on Readly.”

Think globally – from a UK perspective Being a UK native, familiar with the culture and knowledge of the industry and how to navigate the market, Ranj was able to create a network and get publishers on board, as Readly was taking its first steps into the UK market. The UK market differs from other European markets because the English language is so widely spoken, and thereby enables a large group of users around the world to read content from the British publishers. “However, Readly provides an excellent selection of content from all their markets”, Ranj highlights.

“When it comes to content I have trained myself to think globally, but if I zoom in on the UK market, it is to convince the last few naysayers that they are missing out by not being on Readly. We can see from our extensive back office data that our publisher clients really do get a lot out of being on the platform, not just in terms of revenue, but also in the analytics and intelligence they gain.” Ranj explains.

More sophisticated solutions A lot has happened within the technology sector since Readly was launched and it continues to change at a rapid speed. Ranj explains how the online magazine technology has developed: “Over the last few years, the product has become more sophisticated, moving from flat, pinch-and-zoom PDF replicas of print magazines into something much more dynamic.

Consumers are wanting more things added to the core UX: more intuitive search for article topics, website hyperlinks, embedded audio, social sharing and automatic optimisation for different devices.” The consumers need services to be customised to the modern lifestyle, and since it is of great importance to keep up, Ranj highlights that Readly constantly is working on developing their product. One function is for example “Featured Articles feed”, which aims to provide content quickly and on the go for the users. Looking into the future, the developments within the industry will continue to evolve. “The technology sector will need to be fast on its feet to accommodate the needs of the increasingly sophisticated consumer,” Ranj adds.

Attitudes towards content are changing With new technologies and an increasing amount of news and content available through various platforms, it can be difficult to navigate among the wide selection online. “We are living in interesting times and attitudes towards journalism and content are changing at a phenomenal rate. We are overcome with phrases like ‘fake news’ and ‘post-truths’ and the notion that people are unwittingly putting themselves into news echo chambers on social media platforms is becoming an issue,” Ranj explains.

Enabling the discovery of content Readly continues to work towards the goal to bring their publishers’ content to the subscribers in different ways. “Our job is to enable the discovery of our publisher’s brilliant content so that our customers are engaged, entertained, educated and encouraged to explore new hobbies and passions”, Ranj explains. Ranj also highlights Readly’s purpose to present the publishers’ content in the best way, and thereby offer and enable new interests and hobbies to the readers. “One thing is for certain… the human race will always have the desire to read and learn, and as long as they continue to do this Readly will serve its purpose,” Ranj concludes.

”One thing we are passionate about at Readly is encouraging more people – especially the younger generation – to read and enjoy these fantastic magazine brands.”

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