Finnish Business & Culture in Poland 2023

FINNISH BUSINESS &CULTURE

inPoland

Introduction

DearReader,

Justasthepandemicseemedtobesubsiding,2022turnedouttobeanothercrazy yearforotherreasons.WeatSpondeoopenedanewteaminLviv,Ukrainein thebeginningofFebruary,butthreeweekslaterwefoundourselvesfocusingon mattersverydifferenttoonboardingandnormalwork.Luckilyeveryoneissafe,though nowspreadaroundtheglobe,andwenowhaveafantasticteaminplace.

WepublishedthefirstversionofFinnishBusiness&CultureinFebruary2022,slightly behindtheoriginalscheduleaswewantedtodoeverythingproperly.Wehavebeen surprisedandoverwhelmedbyallthepositivefeedback.Thatbeingsaid,wedecided tomakeabettereditionfortheendof2022-theonethatyouareabouttoreadnow. ThistimeweincludedmorenewsandarticlesfromtheFinnishcommunityinPoland. Thereisactuallysomuchgoingonthatwedon’tevenrealize,sowethoughtitwould beafunideatowrapeverythingupwithapositivetwist.Itlookslikethiswillbe anannualpublicationbyus,andasubjectofcontinuousdevelopment,aswewantto keepraisingthebarwitheverythingwedo.

Wehopethatyouenjoyreading"ourbaby".Asalways,weappreciatefeedback,ideas andnewshints,aswellasconstructivecriticismofcourse-wearewellawarethat thingsmaynotyetbecompletelyperfect,seeingasthisisonlyoursecondever publication.

Weclingtothehopethat2023willseeareturntonormality-inUkraine,withinflation, energyprices,interestratesandlifeingeneral.

Lastly,Iwouldliketogiveamassivethankyoutoour"editorialorganization"-Anna andJuliaandtherestoftheSpondeoteam,aswellasallouradvertisersandclients.

TuomasAsunmaa SpondeoCo-founder

Czeladź

Huhtamakiacquiresfullownership ofitspaperbagjointventure inPoland

Gdańsk

Wärtsiläsecuredacontractto supplysolutionsforPoland'sfirst LNG-fueledRoPaxvessels

Ostrołęka

StoraEnsoprovidesmoneyboxes forthe30thFinaleofWOŚP

FEB

Gromadka

Announcement:Valmetwilldeliver twodefibratorsystemstoSTEICO

Poland Bittiumisexpandingitspresence inPoland

Poland

Adapteoordersmodulesfrom PolishUnihouse

Poznań RekaRubberstartsconstrucion ofanewwarehouse

Poznań

Spondeopublishes"Finnish Business&CultureinPoland" Printededition Poznań/Lviv SpondeoexpandstoUkraine

Sport Joona“Serral”Sotalawins StarCraftIIWorldCup

Warszawa Announcement:Return Entertainmentwillopenanoffice inPoland

Thecompanyraised€5.3M inaroundoffundingandone oftheinvestorswasPolish SMOK Ventures

Warszawa

FinnishStreetSmartCapitalinvests inPolishstartupLinkerCloud StreetSmartCapitalisaFinnish venturecapitalfirm

Gdynia

UudenkaupunginTyövenesigned acontracttobuildadredger inPoland

Kostrzyn

Valmetreceivedanordersupply afiberfurnishanalyzertoArcticPaper

Szczecin/Lublin RentaopensnewoutletsinPoland

Warszawa

TuomasAsunmaaelectedFTG Chairman

GrodziskWielkopolski

Gdańsk

InfoPulse,partofTietoevry,opens anewofficeinPoland

Gdańsk

MacGregorreceivedanorder tosupplyRoRoequipmentforthree hybridpoweredvessels

Jedlicze

Announcement:Valmetwilldeliver aBioPowerCHPplantand apretreatmentBioTracsystem toORLENPoludnie

Poland

EstonianNortalaqcuiresSkelia toboostthegrowthinPoland andUkraine

Poznań

CodemenexpandstoPolandunder itsBestCodersbrand

BusinessMixer&FootballGame bySpondeo&FCWartaPoznań Poznań Announcement:Tietoevrywillopen 5Gtechnologydevelopmentcenter inPoland Warszawa Polish-FinnishNuclearIndustry Forum

Warszawa

Valmetwilldeliveranautomation systemtoanewwaste-to-energy plant(announcement)

TheorderwasplacedbyKorean POSCOE&C,theplantisowned byMPOWarszawa

Poland NorconsultPolandsigned acontractforthedesignofHigh VoltageSubstationinFinland Poland Oddlygoodoffersitsproducts instoresinbiggestPolishcities

APRKraków Polish-FinnishSmartManufacturing BusinessMixer Szczecin ScandinavianDays2022 Finland-strategicpartner

Warszawa FTGAfterwork-IceHockey Finland-Sweden

Warszawa

BusinessBreakfastattheEmbassy ofFinland

HostedbytheEmbassytogether withFTGandSPCC

Warszawa Efectemakesavoluntarypublic tenderofferforallsharesinPolish InteliWISE

JUN

Oborniki

Ruukkiinauguratesnewmineral woolsandwichpanelline

Poznań FinnishtrumpeterVerneriPohjola performsatEnterEneaFestival

Poznań/Warszawa RomanSchatzperforming inBusinessMixerbyBestcoders inPoznańandWarsaw

Warszawa FinnishSummerPicnicbyFinnish TradeGuild(FTG)

Warszawa Nokiawinsten-yearnetwork expansiondealwithOrangePolska

Żyrardów Ruukkiinvestsinanewrainwater systemsproductionline

Gdynia

Cristshipyardprovideshybrid AlteraferryforFinFerries

Gdynia PresidentAndrzejDudasignsalaw ratifyingFinland'saccessiontoNATO

Poland Bilot&VincitmergerinPoland

Poland

Hiab,partofCargotec,receives anorderofEUR21.7MforMOFFETT truckmountedforkliftsbyPoland’s Eko-Okna

Zabrze GórnikZabrzewelcomesRichard Jenses,newdefenderfromPorvoo

SEP

Elbląg OPENTOSCANDINAVIA Conference Łódź Finnishcompaniespresented atNewMobilityCongress

Poland

KPAUniconsignsadealtodeliver twosteamboilerstoPoland

Warsaw

BusinessroundtablewithFinnish companieshostedbythe AmbassadorPäiviLaine

NOV

Poland

Onlinematchmakingeventfor FinnishcompaniesandPolishbuyers inthechemicalindustryorganized byBusinessFinland

Poznań

TuomasAsunmaa&JuhaKarjalainen openedthefirstpadelcourtinPoznań

Poznań

KirsiKinnunen(theambassadorand translatorofFinnishcomicbooks intoFrench)hasdonatedpartofher parent’shomelibraryfromJyväskylä, Finland,toNovumPhilological LibraryofPoznanUniversity

Transportationofbooks providedbyHRX

OCTWarsaw Finnishartfrom1880–1910atthe exhibitionintheNationalMuseum inWarsaw Warsaw

SantaClausmeetingkidsatthe FinnishEmbassy Warsaw Efecte&InteliWisehostedaconctail receptionattheFinnishEmbassy

Kędzierzyn-Koźle TuomasSammelvuowillcoachPolish volleyballteamZaksaKędzierzyn-Koźle

Łódź

KuPSKuopiowinsthefirstqualifying roundoftheChampionsLeague

Rzeszów

KorpiklaaniwasthemainstaratFaine MistoFestival

Toruń

TheexhibitionofFinnishposters atthe"Wozownia"ArtGallery PostersbyPekkaLoiri&KariPiippo +inmemoriam:TapaniAartomaa

Warsaw

Gdańsk Gebwellopensanewfactory Warsaw

Warsaw

FinnishmoviesatWarsawFilm Festival

DEC

Poland

SantaClaustouringinPoland (seepage25)

Poznań

SantaClausfromFinlandvisiting PoznańChristmasmarket

Warsaw CelebrationoftheFinnish IndependenceDayhostedbyFTG

"Saunatic"exhibitionandoutdoor screeningoftheFinnishdocumentary "SteamofLife"

PäiviLaineisappointedFinnish AmbassadortoPoland Warsaw FinnishCrayfishPartyfor FTGmembers

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Finnish Trade Guild

Scandinavian-PolishChamberofCommerceisanon-profitorga-nisationcreatedbybusinesspeople.Fornearly20years,ithas supportedthedevelopmentofeconomicrelationsbetweenPoland, Scandinavia,andtheBalticStates.SPCCintegratesandinspires thePolish-Scandinavianbusinesscommunity.AsPoland'sthird largestinternationalchamber,ithas400membersrepresenting themostimportant economicsectors.SPCCcooperatesclosely withtheembassies oftheNordiccountriesinjointlysupporting investorsandworkingtodevelopPolish-Scandinavianbusiness relations.MembershipinSPCCgivesaccesstoknowledgeand information,awiderangeofbusinessmeetingsandtheopportunity toestablishcontactsandbuildlong-termrelationships,whichplay acrucialroleinScandinavianbusinessculture.

TheFinnishTradeGuild (FTG)wasestablishedin theearlyninetiesas aninformalorganization integratingandsupporting companieswithFinnish sharecapitaloperatingon thePolishmarket.Since March2004,FTGhasbeen anintegratedNational SectionoftheSPCC. Today,theFTGhasover 60corporatemembers.

FinnishSummerPicnic PhotographybyA.Jędrzejewska

FinnishTradeGuild OVERVIEW

TheFinnishTradeGuildisafocal pointforitsmemberbusinesses operatinginPoland,representing theirviewsandinterests,organizing culturalandnetworkingevents, liaisingandcooperatingwiththird partiesandprovidingbusinesssupport thataddsvalueandcomplements SPCCmembershipbenefits.

Theassociationaimstoaddvaluetoits members'operationsinPoland,providing aplatformfortheexchangeofknowledge andexperience,aFinnishbusinessand culturalcontextandabusinessedgeto theirSPCCmembership.Thankstothe vastcontactnetwork,experienceand qualifiedpersonnel,theSPCCmayalso provideservicestoPolishcompanies wishingtoobtaininformationabout theScandinavianmarkets.

ByjoiningtheFTG,companiescan additionallytakeadvantageofallthe benefitsthatSPCCmembershipoffers, including:additionalaccesstomarket andbusinessinformation;supportwith promotinglegitimatebusinessinterests andcontactswithdecisionmakers;

networkingintheformofSPCCbusiness mixers,VIPmeetingsandotherspecial eventsconnectingtheFinnishcommunity inPoland;professionaldevelopmentand informationexchangeintheformoftopical seminarsandconferences;useofthe SPCC’sofficemeetingroominWarsaw freeofcharge;thepromotionofyour businessthroughtheSPCCwebsiteand newsletter,membershipdirectoryand atvariousSPCCandFTGevents; thepossibilitytomakebusinessoffers tootherSPCCmembers;cooperation withotherbilateralChambersofCommerce inPoland aswellastheNordicandBaltic Embassies.

PhotographybyP.Dziubak

Finnish Summer Picnic

TheFinnishSummerPicnicisorganizedby FTGeachyearatthebeginningofJune. Thisyear,theFinnishcommunitywasinvited toattendthiseventonJune4thinWilanów GolfParksinWarsaw.Thenumerousguests (over300)werewelcomedbyTuomas AsunmaaandChairmanoftheSPCC Finnishsection,alongwithJuha Ottman, theAmbassadorofFinlandtoPoland.

Theparticipantsenjoyedrelaxedconver-sationsandsavoreddeliciousgrilledfoods whilelisteningtoFinnishmusicunderaclear sky.Childrenandgrown-upsalikehad ablastplayingavarietyofgames.Theadults participatedinthePolishOpenMölkky Championship,adartscompetitionand aGolfAcademy.Someofthemostpopular activitiesamongtheyoungerguests includedsoapbubbles,facepaintingand minigolfwithaninstructor.Asalways,there wasalsoanexcitingcharitylotterywithmany prizes,notonlyforkids.Thehighlightwas theopportunitytomeetandtrainwith Riitta-LiisaRoponen,theFinnishcross-country skier,Olympicmedalist,andseven-time WorldChampionshipmedalist.Onething iscertain,theFinnishSummerPicnicnever failstoprovethatfunactivitiesingood companyarethebestrecipeforawonderful summerafternoonintrueFinnishstyle.

TheFTGrecognizesandwarmlythanks theevent’smainsponsor–YIT,thegold sponsors–Ecovis,GreencarrierFreight ServicesandSuomenUnipol,thesilver sponsor–Leinonen,thespecialguest sponsorArena,andthein-kindsponsors–SandValleyGolfResortandTacticGames fortheirkindcooperationandvaluable contributionsmakingthispopularevent possible.

PhotographybyA.Jędrzejewska

PhotographybyA.Jędrzejewska

PhotographybyA.Jędrzejewska

PaulaWolski

Seven-year-old Maria'sinterview withFinnishauthorsof children'sbooks

RiinaandSamiKaarlahavewrittenandillustratedseveralinternationally

playwrightandnonfictionwriter.TheirfirstPetAgentsbookwaspublishedin 2018andnowtherearealreadysevenofthem.Anotherpartiscomingthis yearandfourmorewillbepublishedin2023.Thestorieshavebeentranslated intosevenlanguages,includingtwoofthebookscurrentlyavailableinPolish.

Interviewconductedbyseven-year-oldMariaAsunmaa,abigfanofthePetAgentsseries:

Maria:Whendidyoustarttowrite?

Riina: 15yearsago,whichisabouttwice asoldasyouarenow.SamiandIhave writtenaround30-40books,andatleast eighttogetherasthethreeofus.

Maria:Doyoualsowriteforadults?

Sami: No,wehaveneverwrittenforadults, thoughwemighthavesomeideas...But wearewritingNordicHorrorbooksfor youngadults!

Maria:Howdoyouwritethebooksas threeco-authors?

All: Theprocessofcreatingabookisa teameffort.First,thereisabrainstorming ofideas,withalotofcoffeeinvolved.Then Anderswritesthefirstdraft,Riinacomments andre-writesit. Theyworkinturnsand,after manytries,it’stimeforthefirstsketches. ThenRiinafinishesthedrawingssothat SamiandAnderscantakecareofthe coloringontheircomputers.

Maria:Doyouliveinthecityor countryside?

Anders: Weallliveinthecity,inHelsinki. IlivequiteclosetoRiinaandSami.Asyou know,thePetAgentsstoriesalsotakeplace inacity.Thisisnotverycommonforkids books,whichtendtobelocatedinthe countryside.Wethoughtitwouldbemore relatablethisway,sincemoreandmore

childrenliveinthecities.Well,atleastnow weknowwhysomanyauthorspreferthe countryside–ittakesareallylongtimeto drawskyscrapers.

Maria:Howdoyoulikeelectronicsand computers?

Riina: Idonot,Iusepensandrubber.

Sami: ItrytofixlotsofmachinesbutIdo notknowhowto.

Anders: IliketobuyelectronicsandIplay likeKati-e.

Maria:Whatbooksdidyoureadwhen youwerekids?

Riina: AstridLindgrenbooksandalso Moomins.ButIalsowrotemyownbooks likeKati-e.

Sami: Ireadalot,especiallyadultagent books,whichweremuchbetterthankids’ books.

Anders: Comics(Asterix,LuckyLukeand DonaldDuck)anddetectivebooks.Iwanted tobeadetective.Obviously,Ineverbecame one,butIdidgettowriteaboutthem. Abigpartofmywisdomcomesfrom DonaldDuck.

Maria:Whatanimalsdoyoulikethe most?

Sami: Dogs.

Riina: Dependsontheircharacter–Ilikeall animalswithagoodnature.

Anders: Mostlydogs.

All: Theanimalideasineachbookhave comeaftermeetingswithkids.Theyasked forlions,farmanimals,dinosaurs,dolphins andreindeer–andallofthemhavebeen writtenintothebooks.Onetimeadeath ofananimalwasrequested,andwe includedthattoo,asitisanatural happeningforanypetowner.

Maria:WhyisKati-e’shairpink?

Riina: Oftenincomics,thecharacters alwayshavethesameclothes,whichis howyouidentifythem.Kati-ecanhave differentclothes,butherpinkhairmakes herrecognizablefromthecrowds.

Maria:Whyistherobot’snameTi-bot?

Sami: ThewholeideaofthePetAgents seriescameuponeeveningwhenour goddaughterswerevisitingus.Theyalso cameupwiththenames,andthenRiina addedthehyphens,likeKati-eandTi-bot. Thestoriesbehindthenameswereinvented later.Forexample,thefirstideaforTi-bot wasthatitcomesfrom”teapot”.Eventually, wedecideditmeansthathisheartismade ofatitan.

Sami:Whatanimalswouldyouliketo seein PetAgents?

Maria: Birds,likeflamingosor woodpeckers.

acclaimedchildren’sbooks,includingtheMoominseriesbasedoncharacters createdbyToveJansson.AndersVacklinisanexperiencedscreenwriter,

MariaAsunmaa DaughterofWeronikaandTuomasAsunmaa

LaplandPikealaPolonaise

Lastyear,SebastianMusielak, aPolishtranslatorofFinnishliterature, translatedJuhaniKarila’sdebutnovel “FishingfortheLittlePike”(2019),and thebookwaspublishedbyMarpress. ReadersinFinlandandabroadquickly fellinlovewith“ThePike”,whichwon twoimportantFinnishliteraryprizes andwasnominatedforahandful more–includingsomeabroad.

TuomasAsunmaa:“FishingfortheLittle Pike”iswrittenintheEastLapland dialectwithverylivelyvocabulary. Howdidyoumanagetotranslateit?

SebastianMusielak: Theproblemwith thisbookisnotwhetheritstranslationis manageable,buthowtogoaboutthe wholetranslationthing.Youcanalwaysgo theeasiestway(“jumpoverthefence whereitislowest”,asyousayinFinland) andmakethisveryvividandrichtext, jumpingaroundwildlybetweendifferent registers,intosomethingjustboringly “standard”:dullandeasytoread–soas tonotdisturbreadersintheircomfort zone.Butyoucanalsogoandtrytomake it,atleasttosomeextent,justasfunny, wildandrichinPolish.Idecidedtodojust that,andthenofcourseIhadsome managementissuestosolve,thatisfor sure!Thelanguageoftheoriginal,ofwhich maybeaquarteriswritteninoneofthe FinnishdialectsofLapland,presentsahuge problemtoatranslatorwantingtofind someworkingequivalentofit.Thisiswhy thisbookbyJuhaniKarilawasthegreatest challengeinmycareerasatranslator,and Ihavebeentranslatingliteratureformore thantwenty-fiveyearsnow.

TuomasAsunmaa:Didyouknowthe dialectbeforehandordidyouhave tostudyit?

SebastianMusielak: No,Ididnotknowit, butitisnotthatdifficult,atleasttoread–aslongasyouhavesomeknowledgeof themostcommondeviationsfrom “commonFinnish”indifferentdialects. Iwasfamiliarwiththem,asdialectshave beeninvogueinliteratureforsometime now,soIkeepencounteringthemin FinnishnovelsIread.IalsohaveFinnish friendswhospeakwithsomekindof dialectalaccent,sono–Karila’slanguage wasnotastumblingblocktome,butof courseitdidrequiremoredictionaryand internetresearchthanusual.

TuomasAsunmaa:Didyouusesome

Polishdialecttogivethesamefeeling forPolishreaders?

SebastianMusielak: Idid,yes.Generally wedonotdothatintranslation,wedon’t substituteadialectfromtheoriginalwith oneofourPolishones;infact,itisnotreally acceptableinothercountries,either. Ithas beendoneandtried,tosomeextent, butit justdoesnotfeelright.Itdisturbsthereader toomuchwhenacharacterfromFinland (oranyotherforeigncountry)suddenlystarts tospeakintheheavyaccent ofSilesia,in theGreaterPolanddialect,orlikeahigh-landerfromPodhale.Soweare afraidof dialectsinbooksthatwetranslate,asthere’s notmuchyoucandoaboutit. Whenyou haveoneortwosentencesspokenbysomeone whoisnotvery importanttothestory,you canjustsuggesttheoddnessofthecharacter’s languagebydroppingoneortwowords generallyconsidered“redneck”orsubstan-dard–andthatwould beit.Butwhenyou haveabookinwhichaquarterofthetext iswritteninaspokendialectandvirtually allthecharactersbutonespeakit,youhave todosomethingspecial.WhatIdidwas tocompilean“artificialdialect”ofsorts, amixofafewstrongdialectalfeatures fromvariouspartsofPolandthatmakeup alanguagewhich–atleasttomyknowledge –isnotspokenanywhere,soitcannotbe pinneddowntoonespecificplaceinthis country.ItdoessoundalotlikeaPolish dialect,soitdoes givethereaderafeeling ofbeingsomewhereinaGod-forsaken province,butitcannotbelocalized.Inthis sense,itfitsperfectlyintothebook,which presentsLaplandasamythicallandfullof monstersandghostslivingsidebyside, withthelocalpeoplewhospeaktheirown lingo,vastlydifferentfromthelanguageof therestof“normal”Finland.

TuomasAsunmaa: Howdidyoutranslate themaincharacter“Peijooni”intoPolish?

SebastianMusielak: Idecidedtousethe word“chyłek”,whichIinventedyearsago

whenIwastranslatingJohannaSinisalo’s Finlandia-winningnovel“Ennenpäivänlaskua eivoi”(“NotBeforeSundown”,“Nieprzed zachodemsłońca”).Ididso,becausethe bookwasthesourceofearlyinspiration forJuhaniKarila,andSinisalo’strollPessi isverymuchlikeKarila’s“peijooni”.Ialso wantedtolinkthosetwogreatnovelson ourPolishliteraryplayground.

TuomasAsunmaa:Didyouworktogether withtheauthorwhiletranslating,i.e.did hehelpyouinsomeplaces?

SebastianMusielak: Yes,Juhaniwasof greathelp,aswellasthetranslatorswho haddonetheworkbeforeme,orwere doingitatthesametime,especiallythe DaneReneSemberlundJensen,theFrench ClaireSaintGermain,theDutchAnnemarie RaasandtheRussianIvanPrilezhayev. Alltheideasandchanges(likekillingthe allusiontothecomputergameTheWitcher, whichevolvedfromthestorybythePolish fantasywriterAndrzejSapkowski)were consultedwithandagreedtobyJuhani.

TuomasAsunmaa:Howwasthebook receivedinPoland?Didyoureceiveany feedback?

SebastianMusielak: Ihavehadlotsof feedbackandIcansaythatthebookwas mostlyverywellreceived,includingamong myfellowtranslators,whoseopinionsIvalue verymuch.Ievenheardthatonegroupof readersfromGdańskwasveryupsetwhen thetranslationwasnotnominatedforthe GdyniaLiteraryPrize,butwell–Itreatthat asaniceanecdote.

TuomasAsunmaa: Whatbookareyou currentlyworkingon?

SebastianMusielak: Mynextbigproject isMikiLiukkonen’sgigantic860-page-long “O”,whichissupposedtobe“atreatise onwhythingsareastheyare.”Thisisa magnificentbookthatIhavebeenworking onsinceFebruary.Ishouldbereadywith thetranslationbynextautumn.

TheFinnishSchoolofWarsaw

VarsovanSuomi-koulu

ComplementingknowledgeonFinnish languageandculture

TheteachingattheFinnishSchoolis complementarytoregularschooling. Itdoesnotreplacekindergartenorbasicleveleducation,butisallaboutoffering kidswithaFinnishbackgroundthe possibilitytospendtimewitheach otherandcommunicate.

Reactivationafterthepandemic

DespiteitslongtraditioninWarsaw,like somanyotheractivities,theCOVID-19 pandemicbroughttheschooltoahalt. Luckily,thankstoactiveparentsandthe interestofthelocalFinnishcommunity, in-personclasseswereresumedinAutumn 2022.Theschoolisnowactiveagainand meetsregularly.

TheFinnishSchoolofWarsaw (VarsovanSuomi-koulu)promotes Finnishcultureandlanguageamong childrenwithFinnishbackground wholiveinthePolishcapital.Itis partofanetworkofFinnishschools aroundtheworld.Theschool supportsbothchildrenofexpatriate FinnsinmaintainingtheirFinnish skillswhiletheyareaway,aswellas helpingFinnishchildrenliving permanentlyabroadkeepintouch withtheirroots.

Lessonsconsistofacoupleofhourson Sundays.Meetingstakeplacemainlyin theEmbassyofFinland(orothersuitable locations).

Duringtheclasses,childrenareencouraged toworktogetheringroupsandconverse inFinnish.Theactivitiesincludevarious handcrafts,oralandwrittenassignments, playingboardgames,aswellaslearning variousFinnishsongsandtraditions.

Childrenoverthreeyearsoldmaypartici-pate,andtheteachingisadaptedtotwo agegroups:kindergarten/preschoolpartici-pantsandkidsalreadyattendingschool. Witholderchildren,thefocusismoreon writingandspeaking.

NewvolunteerswithgoodFinnishskills, interestedparents,andmostimportantly –children–arewarmlywelcomed.

Contact: suomikoulu.varsova@gmail.com

Text:LassiVainio

Finhome

FinhomeLtd.isaFinnish-Polishfamilybusiness,establishedin2016and atruly100%FinnishplaceinPoland.Itislocatedinthepeacefulvillageof Kliny,15kmfromPoznań.ThecomplexofFinnishwoodenlog-buildings situatedina3000m²gardenandrunbyFinhomeiscalled“FinlandiaSPOT”. ItcanberentedviatheAirbnb.comwebsite.

Thecomplexconsistsof:

•a120m²woodenlog-house, •a40m²saunabuildingwithseparate changingroomandhottubeonthe terrace, •a25m²grilling-hut.

FinlandiaSPOToffersalargemeetingroom, eightsleepingplaces,twotoilets,bathroom, kitchen,accesstothesaunabuilding, ahot-tub,grillhouseandfireplace.Allthe buildingsarewellequippedandhave accesstofreeWifi.

FinlandiaSPOTbyFinhomeisaperfect

networkofexpertsandbusinesssupport organizationsinFinlandandinPoland. Theteamhasover15yearsofexperience inrunninginternationalprojects,matchmaking eventsforvarioussectors,aswellasin boostinginternationalmarketing andPRprojects.

AtFinlandiaSPOT,allthevisitorscanfeel relaxedandathomeamongnature.

TheFinlandiaSPOTteamrepresents agoodunderstandingofFinnishand Polishbusiness,educationalandcultural needsandcollaborationwithamultilevel

Kliny,ul.Miła14,62-004Czerwonak www.finlandiaspot.com www.facebook.com/finlandiaspot tero.jamsa@finhome.pl finlandiaspot@gmail.com

PhotographybyVarsovanSuomi-koulu

Open Jazdów

OtwartyJazdów(OpenJazdów)inWarsaw isanintimate,greensettlementofwooden Finnishhouses.Itwasbuiltrightafterthe endofWorldWarIIonJazdówStreet, nearthePolishparliament.Nowitisalso acommunityofNGOs,offeringasocial, culturalandecologicalpublicprogram.

In2021,thePartnershipOpenJazdów (establishedin2015)wasdistinguishedby theEuropeanCommissionforitsexceptional commitmenttotheprotectionand developmentofthecommonEuropean heritage.Attheendofthatyear,asaresult ofnegotiationsbetweenthePartnership andWarsawMunicipality,PLN10million wassecuredfortherenovationofhouses inthelong-termfinancialperspectiveof thecity.

Asapartofcivilsociety,OpenJazdówis onthefrontlineofhelpingrefugees–and notonlyfromUkraine.FromMarchuntil June2022,helpinmostofthehouseswas providedonanongoingbasis,fromshelters tomeals,alongwithpsychologicaland legalsupport.

Inaddition,achievingthesenumerousand diverseinitiativesispossibleonthebasis ofgrants,competitionsanddonations. OpenJazdówisopentocooperationwith Finnishcompanies.

KalevalaisaFinnishvillagelocatedin BorowicenearKarpacz.Theideaforthis

Bookstranslated fromFinnishtoPolish in 2022

TheFinnish-Polish LiteraryTranslators’ CollectiveKIRJA (Finnishfor“book”)was establishedatthe beginningof2019and consistsofninePolish professionals.KIRJA’s aimsaresetoutinthe Collective’sslogan: Weread,wereview, wetranslate.KIRJA activelypromotes Finnishliterature throughitssocial mediachannelsand webpage.KIRJA’s activitiesarededicated toeverybodywhois interestedinFinland andFinnishculture. ItalsosupportsPolish publishinghousesby promotingtheirnewly publishedFinnish books

Foracoupleof years,Finnish literatureinPoland hasbeenon asharprise.While in2019therewere onlysevenFinnish translations publishedin Poland,in2022 therearealready 25!Theseareof allkinds:fiction shortstories, youngadults’and children'sliterature, romancesand evenapicture book...

ROMANCE

NON-FICTION

Iceman-Kimi'sjourney

Iceman-Kiminmatkassa (2021),HeikkiKulta KimiRäikkönen Publisher:SQN,Kraków

Translator:Laskowska,Marta

Formula1fanshavenowaperfect occasionforbehind-the-scenes glimpses.HeikkiKultaisanexperienced Formula1journalistwhofollowed KimiRäikkönen’scareerforover20 years.Justbeforethedriver’s retirementKultareleasedabook, whichisactuallyfarfromatraditional sportsmanbiography:itconsistsof thejournalist’smemories,selection ofhisarticlesaswellassometexts whichhadneverbeenpublished before.Kultaisoneofthefewin Formula1whomtheIcemanletinto hisworld.

Poszukiwaczkaprzygód Publisher:RiskyRomance

Translator:Szalast,Agata

Sallaisasalesmanager,incurable partyanimalandaloverofwild adventures.Herlifeshakesupas shehitshereyesonthegrim,illdressed–andbreathtakingly desirablepsychiatristKonstantin Kankaanpää.Konstantinjusthappens tobeaseriousmanwhodoesn’t warmuptowomenlikeSalla.Who willwin,themanwithprinciplesor thepassionatewoman?Orcouldit bethattheybothwin?

MementoMori

Mementomori(2020), TiituTakalo Mementomori Publisher: Timoficisiwspólnicy, Warszawa Translator:Paczkowski,Piotr

Mementomoriisaraw,intimate autobiographicalgraphicnovelby oneofthemostfamousFinnish creatorsofthegenre.At38yearsold, TiituTakaloexperiencedasudden cerebralhemorrhage.Thelongprocess ofrecoveryforced hertoreflectand reconsiderherownpastandpresent. It’sastoryofhowoneshortevent canforeverchangeone’swholelife.

SHORTSTORIES GRAPHICNOVEL

Angel

Enkeli(2021),Lilith

Anioł Publisher:RiskyRomance

Translator:Szalast,Agata

BirgittaLinnalaaksohasaproblem. Hisfatherhasleftafamilybusiness inabadmess.Sheneedshelpwith marketingandsuddenlythereisLeo, ayoungermanwithangelic features butnot-so-angelic-behaviour. Birgitta isnearly40andshouldbeableto dealwiththis.ButLeohassomenew, riskyideasthatseemveryappealing. (tobepublishedin2023)

ThelistofJanneAhonen’smeritsin sportisexeptionallylong.However, duringhislongcareerheexperienced manyupsanddowns.Inhisbiography, whichfinallyhasbeentranslatedinto Polishandupdatedaswell,henot onlytellsthereaderabouthisstruggles forthetopinskijumping,butalso revealsdisturbingsecretsabouthis privatelife.

PekkaHolopainenisanawarded Finnishsportjournalist.

TheWeatherthatChanged theWorld

Vädersomförändrade världen...(2018), MarcusRosenlund

Gdypogodazmieniabieg historii Publisher:Bo.wiem,Kraków

Translator:Teperek,Agata

Rosenlund’sbooktackleshistorical eventsfromaperspectivewedon’t oftenthinkabout–weatherconditions. Inafascinatingway,theexcellent sciencejournalistexplainshowclimate andweathercanshapethehistorical andsociologicallandscapeofthe world,influencewholecivilizations andhindercarefullyplannedwar operations.Fromhugecataclysms toseeminglyminorweatheranomalies whichturnedouttohavesignificant consequences,Rosenlundshows howpowerlesshumanscanbe againstnature’swhims.

Bishop

Mistrzowieopowieściskandynawskielato 1.Ostatnidzieńlata 2.Białyzając 3.XVI 4.MidsommarzpanemLaakso 5.Dużaplastikowakiełbasa Publisher:WielkaLitera

RaijaSiekkinen, Juha-PekkaKoskinen RosaLiksom, KjellWestö, ToveJansson, Translators: Musielak,Sebastian Kyntäjä,Dorota Homanowska,Anna Teperek,Agata Czechowska,Justyna

FivestoriesofFinnishauthors–both Finnish-andSwedish-speaking–appearinthisshortstorycollection centeredaroundScandinavian summer.Thecollectionisdivided intofourthematicparts:City,Road, VacationandKiss.

Piispa(2021),Lilith

Biskup Publisher:RiskyRomance

Translator: Homanowska,Anna

Dorisiswritingamaster’sthesis aboutthesexuallifeofunmarried priests.VolterHelakorpihasjustbeen appointedtheyoungestbishopin Finland,andDorisaskswhetherhe wouldliketobeinterviewedforher thesis.Volteragrees.Itsoonturns outthattheyoungbishopisvery attractive,andDorisfindsherself enamoredofhim.Unfortunately, itdoesn’ttakelongbeforeVolter discoverssomedisturbinginformation aboutthegirl.

FICTION YOUTH

Adventuress

KingEagle

CRIME

DoctorNovel

Lääkäriromaani(2007), RikuKorhonen Powieśćlekarska Publisher:Marpress

Translator: Musielak,Sebastian

Middle-agedNiklasisdeeplyunhappy withhislifeandrelationship.Insearch ofhisownvoice,hestartswriting anovel,whileseekingcomfortincasual sexandalcohol.Itquicklyturnsout thatthepathhehaschosenwillbring himmorepainthanrelief.Unfortunately, Niklasfindshimselftrappedinavicious circlethatonlycausesmoredestruction alongtheway.Itseemsthatevery choicehemakesisalwaysthewrongone. In2010,Korhonen’snovelreceived theEuropeanUnionPrizeforLiterature.

Challenge

Haaste(2021),Lilith

Wyzwanie Publisher:RiskyRomance

Translator:Szlęk,Zuzanna

Afterabreakup,Pihlawantstoput datingasideforawhileandfocus onhercareerandstudies.Herbest friendHenriikkadecidestointervene anddaresPihlatohavesexwithfive differentmenbeforethedeadline: ifshesucceeds,Henriikkawillhelp hergetthedreamsummerjob. Pihla’sfirstdateisamucholderman, forwhomthegirlquicklyfalls. Theunexpectedrelationshipwill pushPihla’sboundariesandhelp herdiscovernewaspectsofherself.

Kontti(2021),A.M.Ollikainen

Kontener Publisher: CzarnaOwca,Warszawa

Translator:Kojro,Bożena

A.M.Ollikainenisactuallytwo writers–AkaandMillaOllikainen.

Whiletheybothhadalreadypublished crimefictionontheirown,thiswas theirfirstcollaboration,andalsothe firstbookintheseriesstarringPolice CommissionerPaulaPihaja.

InHelsinki,adeadbodyisfoundin acargocontaineronaproperty belongingtoanotoriousbusinessman. TheinvestigationisbeingledbyPaula Pihlaja,whofocusesonuncovering darksecretsofthebusinessman’sfamily, whilesimultaneouslystruggling with difficultiesinherownpersonallife.

DogPark

LittleSiberia

StillWatersRunDeep (A.K.ATheIsleofSheep)

PikkuSiperia(2018) AnttiTuomainen

MałaSyberia

Publisher:Albatros

Translator:Kojro,Bożena

PikkuSiperiaisacrimenovelwith strongcomedicelements.Aman findshimselfinabizarreaccident: ameteoritefallsfromtheskystraight ontohiscar.Thelocalsrealizethe hugevalueofthemeteorite,and decidetotemporarilyplaceitinthe neighbourhoodmuseum,whereJoel, thepriest,issupposedtowatchit. Someoneattemptstostealthetreasure, andeventhoughtheburglarfails, Joelstillwantstodiscoverhisidentity. Atthesametime,hiswifeannounces herpregnancybutJoelhasstrong suspicionsthatthechildcannotbehis.

Ice

Koirapuisto(2019), SofiOksanen

Psipark Publisher: ZnakLiteranova,Kraków

Translator: Aniszewska,Katarzyna

Oksanen’shighlyacclaimednoveltells thetaleoftwowomenandtwovery differentrealities.Theplotswitches betweenmodern-dayHelsinkiandthe earlyyearsofpost-SovietUkraine. Classifiedbysomeasapsychological thriller,Koirapuistoleadsthereader downthedarkpathsofmother’sgrief afteralostchild,butalsotacklesthe grimrealityofthefertilityindustry. ThenovelmadeOprah’slistofBest TranslatedBooksof2021.

Is(2012),Ulla-LeenaLundberg Lód

Publisher:Marpress

Translator: Czechowska,Justyna

YoungpastorPetter,hiswifeMonaand theirbabydaughterarrivedintheÅland Islandsinthesummerof1946.They fallinlovewiththetinywindswept islandanditssmall,resourceful community offisherfolkandfarmers whostruggleeverydaytocreate abetterfutureforthemselves.But thenwinterarrives,bringingwithher the omnipresentice… Lundberg’snovelisslowandfullof intricatedetails.Itisalongreadbutat thesametime,atrueliteraryfeast.

Friend

Ystävä(2020),Lilith

Najlepszyprzyjaciel Publisher:RiskyRomance

Translator:Bobotek,Artur

SofiaandSanteriusedtobebest friends–untilSanterileftforthe UnitedStatestopursueacareerin film.Yearslater,afterthedeathof hisfather,Santericomesbackto Finland.Sofiaoffershimaplaceto stay.Itturnsoutthatthemanwhom shewelcomesattheairportdoes nothavemuchincommonwiththe boywhomsheremembersfromher youth.Theirfriendshipisindanger butsomethingmuchmoreexciting seemstobeinthecards.

Ellajalopettaja(1998), TimoParvela

Ellaiwykończyciel

Publisher:Dwukropek,Kielce

Translator:Kiuru,Iwona

Ellaandherfriendsaregoingto asummercamp.Whentheyarrive, itturnsoutthattheirteacherfrom schoolwillbetheonetakingcareof them.Thechildrenarehappyuntil theyrealizethatamysteriousstranger isthreateningtheirfavouriteprofessor. Theydecidetoconductanelaborate rescueoperation. Ellajalopettajaisthefourthbook fromParvela’sElla-seriespublished inPoland.

EllaonaSchooltrip

Ellaluokkaretkellä (1997), TimoParvela

Ellanawycieczceklasowej Publisher:Dwukropek,Kielce

Translator:Kiuru,Iwona

Ellaluokkaretkelläisafunbookfor youngerschoolchildren.It’sthethird bookfromtheiconicFinnishseries EllajakaveritpublishedinPoland. Ellaisahappy,energeticschoolgirl, veryexcitedaboutgoingonatripwith herclassmates.Thetripisgoinggreat, ifonlytheteacherhadn’tleftallthe moneyintheschoolparkinglot… Ella’sclassvisitsarestaurant,amuseum andevenazoo,showingagreatdeal ofresourcefulnessalongtheway.

Goddess

Jumalatar(2020),Lilith

Bogini Publisher:RiskyRomance

Translator:Szalast,Agata

KonradvonHolsteinisanaristocrat whoownsanumberofluxurious nightclubsaroundtheworld.He’s knownforhiswildlifestyleandbeing thetabloid’sfavorite.Minervaisan uptightandwelleducatedworkerin acharityandshehatesnightclubs. Whenthecharityneedsafundfrom Kondrad,Minervasuddenlyfinds herselfinaweirdsituationfullof passionategamesandanalarmingly hotbattleofwills…

EllaintheTheatre

Ellateatterissa(1996), TimoParvela

Ellawteatrze Publisher:Dwukropek,Kielce

Translator:Kiuru,Iwona

Ellateatterissaisthesecondbook fromParvela’sbelovedseriesEllaja kaverittranslatedintoPolish.

Ellaandherclassmatesgettoorganize aChristmasschoolplay.Toprovide themwithinspiration,theirteacher takesthemtoatheater.Butofcourse, nothinggoesassmoothlyasplanned. Fortunately,thechildrencanfindfun andimportantlifelessonsinevery situation!

Kunjäljetkatoavat(2021) ElinaBackman

Kiedyznikająślady Publisher: CzarnaOwca,Warszawa

Translator:Kojro,Bożena

Thebookisanindependentsequel toBackman’swidelyacclaimed crimenovelKunkuningaskuolee. Threeyoungmendecidetomake adocumentaryaboutahermitwho livesontheislandofLammassaari inHelsinki.Twoofthethreedisappear, andwhenoneofthemisdiscovered dead,thepolicestartaninvestigation. Meanwhile,Saana,ajournalistwith arelativelynewfoundpassionfor solvingmysteries,setsupatrue crimepodcasttohelplocateher colleague’sbrother.

TheWomanWhoLoved Insects

Nainenjokarakastihyönteisiä (2020),SeijaAhava Kobieta,którakochałaowady

Publisher:Relacja Translator: Polanowska,Justyna

Maria,whosecharacterisbasedon ahistoricalfigure,theGerman naturalistMariaSybillaMerian,has beenfascinatedbyinsectssince childhood,eventhoughshewas bornataveryunfortunatetimefor femalescientists–theageofwitch trials.Shetakestodrawingmeta-morphiccycles.Throughoutthenovel, wecanobserveMaria’sownmeta-morphosisduringthe370yearsof herstrangelylonglife. Ahava’s protagonistisanextraordinarywoman, intentonfollowingherpassions and transcendingtherolesandlimitations assignedbyhercontemporaries.

Hotwife

Hotwife(2021),Lilith

Niewiernażona Publisher:RiskyRomance

Translator: Wojciechowska,Karolina

Raakelisquitehappywithhermarriage, theyhavealovelylittlechildand everythingisjustfine.That’swhy Rachelisshockedwhenherhusband suggestssomethingcompletely unheardof.Sakarihasalwaysdreamed ofa”hotwife"arrangementmeaning thathiswifeshouldbewithothers. Rachelslowlywarmsuptotheidea. Butcansuchanarrangementbecome dangerous?EspeciallywhenRaakel can’tstopthinkingaboutoneofher ”acquaintances”,Manuel?

TheMastersofIllusion

Tinasotamiehet(2020), AnniinaMikama

Władcyiluzji Publisher:Dwukropek,Kielce

Translator: Musielak,Sebastian

Tinasotamiehetisthefinalpartof Mikama’sIllusionisttrilogy.Themain characters,TomandMina,prepare fortheirupcomingmagicshowin London,butTomalsohasothergoals toaccomplishduringtheirtrip:he wantstodiscoverthemysteriesofhis ownpast.Anoldenemyfindsoutabout thequest,andTomandMina have touniteinordertovanquishtheir foe, supportedbytheirtrustymechanical companion,theTinSoldier.

Pahanverkko(2020) MaxSeeck

Wsiecizła Publisher: SoniaDraga,Katowice

Translator: Wojciechowska,Karolina

Pahanverkkoisthesecondnovelin theworld-famousJessicaNiemiseries. ThebodyofayoungSlavicwoman hasbeenfoundonabeachinHelsinki. Atthesametime,twofamousFinnish influencersdisappearinwhatcould seemlikeapublicitystunt,ifitwasn’t fortheunsettlingfarewellpostonone oftheirsocialmediaprofiles.Jessica Niemi’steamissupposedtoexamine bothcases,buttheinvestigator findsherselfspiralingintoamental healthcrisis.

WhiteHunger

Nälkävuosi(2012), AkiOllikainen

Białygłód Publisher:Art.Rage

Translator: Polanowska,Justyna

Ollikainen’sdebutnoveltellsatale ofafamilystrugglingtosurvive duringthelastnaturallyoccurring famineinEurope,whichhappened inFinlandin1866-1868.Marja, afarmer’swifefromthenorth,takes hertwochildrenonajourneyto StPetersburg,wheretheymayfinally findsomebread.Theyarenotthe onlyonesattemptingtofleethe desperatesituation.

Ollikainenhasreceivedsomeofthe mostprestigiousFinnishliteraryawards inrecognitionofhisextraordinary storytelling.

ValentinaandtheStolen Paintings

Valentinajavarastetut taulut(2021),Lilith

Valentinaiskradzioneobrazy Publisher:RiskyRomance

Translator: Wojciechowska,Karolina

Valentinainheritedaprestigious eroticclubinBerlin.Shehasbeen managingtheclubforsevenyears andshepridesherselfonherwork. Theonlythingmissingfromherlife isanykindofromanticorsexual relationship,whichistheeffectof herconsciouschoiceratherthan lackofinterestedpotentialpartners. Oneevening,amysteriousstranger comestotheclub,claimingthat manyyearsagoValentina’slate husbandtookpossessionofafew pricelesspaintings.Themanasks Valentinatohelphimretrievethem.

ThePearlWhisperer

Pärlfiskaren(2017), KarinErlandsson

Poławiaczkapereł Publisher:Dwukropek,Kielce

Translator:Czernow,Anna

Pärlfiskarenisthefirstnovelinthe SongoftheEyeStoneseries. Mirandaisthemostskilledpearlfisher intheworldwherepearlsarethemost importantcurrency.Itisalsotheworld where“pearlwhisperers”exist–people whocanhearthepearlssingandwho cansimplylurepearlstocometothem. Mirandawantstogatherthemythical pearldesiredbyallbutevendespite herskillsandexperience,thisisnoeasy task.InDecember2022,Dwukropek willpublishthesecondpartofKarin Erlandsson’scycle,TheBirdMaster (Fågeltämjaren,2018).

Darkautumn

TuomasAsunmaa:Todayisyour14th giginarow–doyoufeelityet?

NiiloSevänen: Yes,18gigsinarow without adayoff,wehaveneverdonethis before.Itstartstofeelabittoughforour kindof40+yearoldmenatthisstage.

WhenwereyouinPolandforthefirst timeandwhatmemoriesdoyouhave fromhere?

Wecameforthefirsttimein2006andsince thenwehavebeenhereabout20times becauseallourtoursincludePoland.We haveplayedinWarsaw,KrakówandWrocław.

Usuallywetrytodosometouriststufftoo ifpossible.TodayIhadawalkinthecity, therearemanybeautifulplaceshere.We havealsofilmedmusicvideosinPoland, e.g.”Whilewesleep”,whichisourmost viewedvideo(12.7millionviews),was filmedhereinWrocław.

Havingabandlikeyoursiskindoflike runningacompany.Howdoyouplan yourworkandprepareschedules?

Basiccycleis2-3years.Afteranalbum comes,wegoontours–Europeeventwice, Americasandsoonplussummerfestivals. Thenwetakeasmallbreak,oractually acomposingbreakbecauseIdonotreally standstill.Toursareplannedoneyearin advancesinceitisaprettybigcrowdto move-fiveotherpeoplebesidesusplus theotherbands.

Ihaveaquestionaboutteamworkfrom ourteammemberTania,whoisalsoafan ofyours:Throughouttheyearspeople change,andtheirviewontheirownmusic mayshift–newalbumsmightfeelcloser totheauthor’sheartcomparedtoold ones,orviceversa.Ialwayswonderhow severalpeopleinabandmaintainthe sameviewandideasandareagreeable witheachother?

Itisverycollective,weaimtohavedemocracy inthesematters.Everyonecansharetheir viewsonmusic,andthecommonway usuallycomeseasily.Thebandhaschanged andthestylehasdeveloped,andwewant todevelopanddodifferentthings,notto repeatthefirstalbumforever.Newmembers havebroughtnaturaldevelopmentandgrowth.

Howdoyouhandledisagreements?

Bywrestling…Well,usuallywevote,itis fiveofussoitisdifficulttomakethevoting resultatie.Itisusuallythreeagainsttwo andwecanfighttherest.Fortheupcoming albumitwenteasily,therewasnoone wantingtodoacompletelydifferentrecord

andalsonoonewantstochangethisband toacompletelydifferentone.

Thepandemicseemstohaveaffected youalot,youhadtheAmericantour plannedinMarch2020anditnever happened…

Yes,itwasatotaldisaster.Tourswere canceledrightawayandwehadthewhole crew,theirworkpermitsandeverythingdone. Luckily,wehavegreatfans-theywanted tohelpusbybuyingmerchandise,wehad crowdfundingandfourlivestreamgigs. Wemanagedtosurvivewithout endingup indebtandgotbacktonormalityprettyfast. Wealsoappliedtopersonalpandemic supportforartistsandwerefortunate enoughtoreceiveit,itwashelpfultoo.

Andnowwearedealingwiththewar. Hasitaffectedyourupcomingalbum? Notatall.Ihadthestoryforthealbumon mymindbeforethewarstarted.Although thewaraffectsallofourmoods,itisnot visibleinourart.Ithasalwaysbeendark anyway.

Butwithsomesmalllightsthere… Yes,andtherearesomesmallblinksof lightsintheupcomingalbumtoo.

DopeopleoutsideFinlandseethelyrics differently?

Finnsunderstandtheagonywearesinging about.ButitfeelsgoodwhennativeEnglish speakersareendorsingthelyrics,then I knowthatIhavesucceededonsome level. Iwriteinalanguagewhichisnotmy mother tongueandifImanagetotouch them,itisalwaysgreat.

NobodyknowshowoldSantaClausis–MikołajinPolishandJoulupukkiinFinnish. Evenhehimselfdoesnotknow.Mysteryis anessentialpartofhisstory.However,one thingiscertain…

HecomesfromFinnishLapland,from Rovaniemi.Somepeopleareoftheopinion thathecomesfromGreenland,orKiruna inNorthernSwedenorevenfromtheNorth Pole…ButSantaisnotcomplaining.There isnothingwrongiftheywouldliketobe apartoftheSantalegendtoo.Inany case,afewyearsagotheEUadmittedthat RovaniemiCityisthecapitalofSantaClaus land.There,inSanta’sVillage,verynearthe ArcticCircle,Santaisavailableevery day forvisitors,whocometoseehimtherefrom allovertheworld–almosthalfamillionguests annually.Butwheredoeshereallylive?

LegendsaysthatSantalivesinKorvatunturi, (theMountainoftheEar)totheeastof Rovaniemi,thoughnomapcanshowthe way.There,hehasacozyloghutand ahostofmischievouselves,Santa’shelpers whosemaindutyistomakesurethatno childintheworldisleftwithoutapresent atChristmas.

TheselaboriousElvesenjoyavacationonly onceayear,afterChristmasEve,whenall thepresentshavebeendistributed.Then, onChristmasDay,Santaandtheelves celebrateChristmaswithasauna,riceporridge,gingerbreadsandothertreats attheirChristmastable.

Inancienttimes,peopleinFinlandbelieved thatelveslivedeverywhere,everyhouse-holdhadits“homeelf”andpeopleused toleavelittletreatsoutfortheirelves. Withtime,itseemsthatmostofthem havegatheredaroundSanta.Nowadays, theytravelaroundtheworldtomakesure thatkidsarehappy.Adultscannotsee them,butsometimeschildrendo.Then

SANTA ISON HIS WAY...

theycanconfesstheirdreamsandwaitfor Santatomakethemtrue.

Santaisoftenaskedhowhemanagesto deliverallthepresentsontime.Theanswer islogicalandsimple.Indifferentpartsof theworld,presentsareexpectedatdifferent timesoftheday,ChristmasEve,Christmas Daymorning…Andyouhavetoremember thattimediffersinallpartsoftheworld basedonthetimezones.Ifyoutravelthe rightway,youcansavehours.Ontopof that,thosecleverelveshaveconstructed amagicaltimemachinethatcanstretch timeasmuchasSantaneedstosuccessfully completehisChristmasmission.

Santareceivesaroundhalfamillionletters eachyear,comingfromallthecountriesof theworld.Polishchildrenhavealwaysbeen attheforefrontofthosewritingtoSanta, alongwithkidsfromChina,Japanand GreatBritain.

ApartfromhismagicalChristmasEvetrip, Santalikestomakeofficialvisits.InDecember, healsovisitsPoland,whereheismetby enthusiasticcrowdsofkidsandadults. Onceheadmittedtousthat,ifheever declaredanindependentSantaClausLand, thefirstletterofrecognitionwouldsurely comefromPoland.Soitisnosurprisethat SantalovescomingallthewayfromFinland tovisithisfriendsinPolandeachyear.This year,SantahasbeeninvitedtoBiałystok, Bielsk,MińskMazowiecki,Poznań,Buk andGniezno,aswellastoauniqueplace onthePolishmap–toKalevalaVillage (LapońskaWioskaKALEVALA)inBorowice. Asalways,hisprogramisfullofopen-air meetingswithpeoplefromdifferenttowns, oftenconnectedwiththeceremonyof switchingontheChristmaslights,butalso veryspecialvisitsbySantatointegration schools,hospitalsandotherplaceswhere hecanbringjoyandsmilestoless fortunatekids.

HonoraryConsulateofFinlandinToruń

TheinstitutionofHonoraryConsulis anexcellenttoolformaintainingbilateral relationsbetweencountries.Toalarge extent,thedutiesofaconsulinclude actingasacivilregistrar,issuingdocuments andperformingothercivillawactions. Forme,itisequallyimportanttopromote anddeveloprelationsbetweenPoland andFinland,andabovealltopromote culture.EveryyearIorganizemanyevents thatbringFinnisheducation,economy and cultureclosertotheresidentsofthe region. Concertsbyworldfamousartists suchasIroRantala,IdaElinaandBelCanto Choir fromJakobstadgatheredahuge audience.Theyear2022wasveryturbulent duetoRussia’sinvasionofUkraine. IreceivedalotofenquiriesfromUkrainian citizenswithrequestsforhelpandinfor-mationabouttransitthroughPolandto Finland. Itriedtohelpineverysuchcase bymaking up-to-dateinformationalways availableontheConsulate’swebsite. Despitethetensesituation,Imanaged tomaintainthecontinuityofmystandard promotionalactivities.Myflagshipendeavor. IncooperationwiththeForeignLanguage DepartmentofNicolausCopernicusUniversity, Iorganize aFinnishlanguagecourse.This isthefirsteverFinnishlanguagecourseto beheldintheregion.Iamresponsiblefor recruiting studentsandorganizinglanguage textbooks. SincetheCOVID-19pandemic, thecourseundertheuniversity’spatronage hasbeenheldonline.Moreandmore peopleare signingupfortheclasses,and thewonderful lecturermakessurethatthe languageisnotasdifficultasitseems atfirstglance.

EveryyearIorganizeapaintingcompetition forchildren.Thethemeisalwaysrelated to Finland.InFebruary2022,thecompetition wasentitled“WondersofFinland’sNature”. Atthemomentwearewaitingforartworks fromthechildrenentitled“Myfriendfrom MoominValley”inthenextedition. Theinterestisalwaysoverwhelming,and eachtimeIamamazedbythecreativity oftheyoungartists.

Animportantpartofmyactivitiesis supportingFinnishcitizens.Thisyear,for example,Iorganizedameetingbetween theauthorsofthebook“Mannerheim PuolanVuodet”,AnnaandJukkaSoisalonSoininen,andthemanagementof theAdamMarszałekpublishinghouse.

Culturaleventshavealwaysbeenmypriority. Ihavehelpedorganizeseveralofthemthis year.OnMay28,weheldaconcertbythe KardemimmitkantelequartetfromFinland, aspartofthe29thProbalticaFestivalof MusicandArtoftheBalticCountries. InJuly,duringtheFinnishcinemastrand ofthe20thTofifestInternationalFilm Festival,therewasapresentationof documentariesandfictionfilmsbyFinnish filmmakers,including“Girls”byAlli Haapasalo,whichwontheAudience AwardattheSundanceFilmFestival.

Iamproudtohavebeenabletomake acontributioninstrengtheningtherelations betweenPolandandFinland.

TadeuszPająk

HonoraryConsulofFinlandinToruń

Saunatic: Sharingthepassion

Whatstartedasapersonalpassion forthehotandcoldsessionsofsauna transformedintocreatinganopen-air educationalexhibitionaboutthebigger senseofsauna,tobesharedwiththe public.And“Saunatic”, astheproject iscalled,keepsevolving.

In2018,JacobDammasfromDenmark andJózefinaJarmużewskafromPoland werevisitingtheJazdówcolonyofFinnish woodenhousesinWarsaw.Itfeltlikethe perfectspotforexpandingtheconcept andknowledgeofsauna.Thisbecame thebeginningofalonglearningprocess (whichisstillgoingon)aboutwhatis commonlyknownas sauna,butinfacthas manyothernames,dependingonwhich regionintheworldandinwhatera:itis sweatlodgeinAfricaandNativeAmerica, theRomanbaths,theIslamichammam, theMayantemazcal,theSlavicbanya, theScandinavianbastu,andmore. ItturnedoutfortheDanish-Polishcouple thatsaunacontainssomanyotheraspects thanthesweatingitself.

Manymonthsandhundredsofemails later,inApril2019,“Saunatic”sawthe lightofday;aneducationalnon-profit open-airexhibitionaboutthehistorical, social,architectural,andhealthaspects ofsaunaculturethathasexistedaround

theworldforseveralthousandyears. TheSaunaticexhibitionconsistsof informationboardsandphotographs ofthemanyformsandpracticesofthe sweatbath,hands-onaccessories,afullscaleexampleofahotroom,andregular accompanyingevents,suchasvisiting hourswiththecreators,experttalks, artistichappenings,workshops,etc.

Theprojectwasmadethankstothe generousproductsupportfromprivate FinnishcompaniessuchasNarviand Tammisto,financialcontributionand patronagefromtheFinnishandGerman Embassies,andthehelpfromJazdów NGOs,volunteeringlocalcitizens,and familymembers.

SaunaticwaslocatedinthegreenJazdów settlementinWarsawforalmosttwoyears, untilonefreezingwinterdayinFebruary 2021itwastransportedtotheotherside ofthecity’sVistulaRiver,tothecourtyard oftheCreativityCenterTargowainthe

PragadistrictwhereJacobandJózefina runtheircreativecompanyStudioJOT.

Here,atthebackdropofhistoricWarsaw tenementbrickhousesandthemodern glasscladdedCreativityCenter,thesmall woodenpavilionSaunatickeepsevolving. Newelementsareimplementedand activitiesareorganized,forexampleamini saunafashionshow,and,recently,supported bySpondeo,athematicfilmscreeningof “SteamofLife”byJoonasBerghälland MikaHotakainen.

Thenexteventisaphotographicwallwith thefacesofsomeofthepeoplewhohave visitedtheexhibitionovertheyears,making thestatementthatonthesaunabenchall ourdifferencesbecomelessimportantand weareallequal.Inthebeginningof2023, aneoninstallationwillbecreatedon Saunatic,includingameetingwiththe designer,andlaterintheyearascientific conferenceaboutsaunacultureisplanned.

CreatorsofSaunatic:JacobDammas&JózefinaJarmużewska/PhotographybyJ.Delbar

EmbassyofFinlandinPoland

TheEmbassyofFinlandinPolandisone ofninety-fourofficialrepresentationsof Finlandlocatedaroundtheworld. TheFinnishEmbassiesandConsulates GeneralpromotetheinterestsofFinland andFinnsabroadinmanyvariousways. Themissionsdealwithforeignpolicy,trade policy,developmentcooperationand exportpromotion,publicdiplomacyand countrybranding,aswellasconsularand citizens’services.DuetothewarinUkraine, andFinland’saimtojoinNATO,thesecurity policyisveryprominentonbothglobal andtheFinnishEmbassies’agendas.

TheteamoftheEmbassyofFinlandin Warsawcurrentlyconsistsofthirteen employeesledbythenewlyappointed AmbassadorofFinland,PäiviLaine. Theteamwasalsorecentlystrengthened byanewFirstSecretaryandtheTeam FinlandCoordinator,MariannePurojärvi. TheEmbassycooperatescloselywiththe DefenceAttaché’sOfficeandBusiness Finland’sOfficeinPoland.TheEmbassy’s workisalsosupportedbyeightHonorary ConsulatesofFinlandlocatedinBiałystok, Gdynia,Kielce,Kraków,Poznań,Szczecin, ToruńandWrocław.

Inrecentyears,Finland-relatedactivitiesin Polandhavefocusedonclimateandenergy solutions,natureandsustainabledevelop-ment,digitalizationandinnovations, aswellasFinnishvaluessuchasequality, inclusivenessandpersonalfreedom.This directionwillbecontinuedinthecoming years.TheEmbassyplanstostrengthen andrefreshtheimageofFinlandinPoland byevenclosercooperationwithPolish stakeholders,mediaandinfluencers,as wellasFinnishbusinessrepresentatives andculturalpatrons.ThePolish-speaking HeadofMissionisagreatassetthatcan broadentheEmbassy’scontacts. TheEmbassyteamislookingforwardto startinganewchapterinitsactivities. InordertokeeptrackoftheEmbassy’s plansandactions,follow @SuomenSuurlahetystoVarsovaand @FinlandinPolandsocialmediachannels.

Today,therelationshipbetweenFinland andPolandisdeterminedbyEUmember-ship,whichwillhopefullysoonbe deepenedbyaNatoconnectionwhen Finlandjoinsthealliance.Wehavehad periodsinhistorywhenFinlandandPoland werepartsofthesamecountry:Attheend ofthe16thcentury,SigismundVasawas brieflykingofPolandandSweden,which ruledFinlandatthetime.Inthe19th century,ourcountriesbothbelongedto theRussianEmpire.Itisfascinatingto dwelluponthesimilaritiesanddifferences ofFinlandandPolandthroughouthistory.

Manythingshavechangedfundamentally inEuropeandintheworldafterRussia attackedUkraineinFebruary2022.Ukraine andtheUkrainiansarepayingthehighest pricewiththelossoflifeandthedestruction oftheircountry.Theinternationalorderis indisarrayandweneedtoadjusttothe newreality.TheNordStreamgaspipelines weresupposedtosatisfyalargepartof Europe’senergyneeds.However,therisks –whichPolandandtheBalticswere warningusabout–havenowmanifested andnowwearefacingahugeproblem withsecuringtheenergysupplytoEurope.

Mypreviousposting,from2019,wasKyiv. AlthoughIhadalwaysdreamedofbecoming theAmbassadortoPoland,itwasreally hardtoleaveUkraineatthisdifficulttime. ItisgreatthatIcancontinuesupporting Ukrainefrommynewpost,sincePoland hasbecomeoneofthemostimportant contributorsinhelpingUkraine’swareffort.

Finlandisacountrythatlivesonexports, soitisoneofourmaintasksintheEmbassy tosupportFinnishbusiness.Competition inPolandistough,butwithFinnish“sisu” anddetermination,wedoourbesttohelp Finnishcompaniessucceed.Thisjobis madeeasierbythefactthatFinnish businessisaboutquality,innovation andnew,sustainablesolutions.

IhavealonghistorywithPoland.Already asachild,IbecameveryfondofPolish serialsshownonFinnishTV:FourTankers andaDog,KarinoandJanosik.Inthe mid-1980s,Ispentmyfirstsummerat theWarsawRaceTrackridinghorses,and totallylostmyhearttoPoland.Ilearned thelanguage,wrotemanyofmyacademic worksonPoland,managedtowinsixraces attheWarsawracetrackandreturnedto Polandtimeaftertime.

AndhereIamagain.Eveniftimesare difficult,Iaminthejobofmydreams. Myaimistostrengthenthetiesbetween FinlandandPolandasmuchasIcan. Thebestresultsaremadethrough cooperation,soIwelcometheFinnish companiesinPolandtobecomepartof TeamFinlandandworktogetherwith theEmbassy.

PäiviLaine Twitter:@PLpaivi

Summaryoftheterm

JuliaMorta: Thankyouforagreeingto thisinterview.First,Iwouldliketo congratulateyou–youarenowatthe endofyourfour-year-longserviceas Finland’sAmbassadortoPoland.Could youtellmewhatkindofexperienceit wasforyou?Arethereanyprofessional highlightsandpersonalobservationsyou wouldliketoshare?

JuhaOttman: Thankyouforinterviewing me.ItisverynicetocontributetoSpondeo's publication.ThesefouryearsinPolandhave beenagreatexperienceforme.Ofcourse, alothashappened.Ifirstarrivedhereinearly September2018.Initially,Ifocusedon gettingtoknowpeopleandbuilding anetworkofconnections.Inthesecond halfof2019,wewerebusywithFinland's PresidencyoftheCounciloftheEuropean Union.Thepresidencyitselfanditsprepara-tionsgavemeanopportunitytomeetwith alotofpeoplefromtheadministration, includinganumberofministers. Thenof course,whatmadethistermunusual isthe COVID-19pandemic.Fortunately, wehave beenabletocatchupabitbynow. Lastfall andthisyearwehadalotofhigh-level visits,includingavisitfromPrimeMinister SannaMarintoWarsaw. ThePresidentof Finland,Mr.SauliNiinistö, didnotmakea bilateralvisitduringmyterm,butdidattend theCOP24inKatowiceinDecember2018. In2020,healsotookpartinthecommemo-rationofthe75thanniversaryofthelibera-tionofAuschwitz-Birkenau,whichwasone ofthemost memorablemomentsforme. Theceremony wasverytouching.Iwould sayitwasoneofthehighlights.

JuhaOttman

theAmbassadorofFinlandtoPoland 2018-2022

JuhaOttmangraduatedfromtheHelsinkiSchoolofEconomics withaMaster’sofScience(Economics).In2006,hetookaposition asDirectorintheMinistryforForeignAffairsofFinland.From 2010to2013,heservedastheAmbassadorofFinlandinZagreb, Croatia.In2013-2018,heworkedasDeputyDirector Generalin theDepartmentforEuropebeforebeingappointedtheFinnish AmbassadortoPoland,wherehecarriedouthisdutiesuntil 2022.InSeptember,hestartedastheFinnishRepresentative intheEU’sPolitical&SecurityCommitteeinBrussels.

InterviewconductedbyJuliaMortaonJuly19,2022,intheEmbassyofFinlandinWarsaw

JuliaMorta: Whatconvincedyouto becomethe AmbassadortoPoland? Wasitacarefully plannedstepinyour career,ormoreofasuddenopportunity youdecidedtotake?

JuhaOttman: Ithinkthatitwasboth.Before comingtoPoland,IwastheDeputyDirector GeneralattheDepartmentforEurope.That meantIwasalreadydealingwiththeEmbassy, becauseweoverseealltheembassiesin Europe,apartfromthoseinRussiaand EasternEurope.Also,whenyouareina managerialpositionintheministry,after fouryearsyouhavetostartlookingfora newassignment,eitherintheministryor abroad.Iwasawarethatthispositionin theEmbassyofWarsawwas goingtobe openandIwasveryinterested incoming here.Ofcourse,italwaysdepends onwhat opensupandwhetheryouareselected. Butyes,itwasadeliberatemovebecause Warsawwasontopofthelistofembassies Iappliedto.

JuliaMorta: Wasthisexperiencemostly likeyouhadexpectedittobe,orwere thereanyelementsthatcameasasurprise orwereparticularlychallenging?

JuhaOttman: IthinkIcanreferbackto thefirstquestion.Nobodyexpectedthe COVID-19pandemic.Itseriouslyaffected ouractivitiesbecausenophysicalmeetings werepossible.TheworkoftheEmbassyis limitedwhenyouarenotabletomeetwith peopleandexchangeinformation.Onthe positiveside,welearnedalotfromthis situation,forexampletorelymoreononline meetingsandbecome,tosomeextent, moreefficientbecauseyoudonothaveto

physicallytraveleverywhere.However,our jobobviouslyinvolvesbuildingconfidential relationsandtalkingtopeopleinprivate, whichisnotfeasibleonline.Therearealso issuesthatyoudonotwanttodiscuss onlinebecauseofsecurityconcerns.Now thatIamcomingtotheendofmyterm, thewarinUkrainecameasashock.Atthe sametime,itisremarkabletoseehow muchPolandhasbeenhelpingUkrainians andUkraineitself.

JuliaMorta: Whatlessonshaveyou learnedasadiplomatinPoland?

JuhaOttman: Iwouldsaythatyouneed tohaveagenuineinterestinyourhost countryandfindsomethingthatyoulike inordertopromotebilateralrelations.Itis importanttobepassionateaboutwhat youaredoing,butatthesametime,you havetostayhumble.Wearenothere toteachorpreach,buttolistentoother peopleandlearn.Ontheotherhand,you needtobeabletolookatthingsalittle bitfromanoutsideperspective. Ambassadorssometimesfallinlovewith theirhostcountry,butitisimportantto maintainthiskindofobjectivity. Adiplomat’sjobisnotonlytoobserve things,butalsotoinfluence.Ihavealso discoveredhowimportanthistoryisin Poland.InFinland,weoftenforgetabout it,especiallyinbusiness,andhereIthink historyisverypresent.WhenIthinkabout thestartingpointofPolandaftertheSecond WorldWar,howyouhavereconstructed yourcountryfromruinstowhatitisnow, Ihavereallytremendousrespectforthe PolesandPoland.

JuliaMorta:Whathaveyouenjoyed aboutlivinginWarsaw?Isthere anythingyouaregoingtomiss?

JuhaOttman: WhatIhaveenjoyedvery muchisthecityitself.Ofcourse,Iamvery privilegedtoliveintheEmbassycompound inthemiddleofthecitywhereIcanwalk everywhere.Ihavecherishedthegreen parksofthecity.Youalsohaveverygood restaurantsataffordableprices,especially comparedtoFinland.Ingeneral,what Ilikeisthevarietyofthecountry.Youhave somuchhistorypresenteverywhereand somanybeautifulcities.WhatIregretis thatIdidnotlearnPolish.Becauseofthat, Iamlivinginthisexpatriatebubble,which makesyoufeelkindofanoutsiderallthe time.Youcannotdigdeepinsociety,in theculturalsceneinparticular.Forexample, Ihavebeenmissingthetheater,which Ireallyenjoy.

Finnish-Polishrelations

JuliaMorta:AstheAmbassador,you havetakenpartinmanyeventspromoting FinnishcultureinPoland.Whatdoyou thinkPolescouldlearnfromFinnsinterms oftheapproachtolifeandbusiness?

JuhaOttman: Idon‘tknowifPolescould learnmuchabouttheapproachtolife becauseIthinkthatweareverysimilar, down-to-earthandnature-lovingpeople. Butperhaps,intermsofbusiness,wetend tohaveflatterhierarchiesinFinland. CommunicationinFinlandisalsomuch moreinformal.WhatPolishemployerscould perhapslearnistotrustpeoplemoreand givethemmoreliberty.Besides that, IbelievePolescouldworkonreducing bureaucracy.AnotherthingImisshereis ahigherleveloftransparency.Forinstance, inthepublicsectoryourcontactsdonot sharetheirmobilephonenumberssoeasily. InFinland,everythingisontheministries’ websites.Youcanfindeachministry’s organizationalchartwithphonenumbers startingfromthedeskofficersuptothe ministers.Tosumup,IwouldsayPoles couldgiveemployeesgreaterresponsibility, applyflatterhierarchiesandincrease transparency.Tosomeextent,Polesare alsolesssystematicinorganizingvenues; thereismoreimprovisation,lastminute changesandalackofcommunication.

JuliaMorta:Finlandhasbeennamedthe happiestcountryintheworldbythe UnitedNations-sponsoredWorldHappi-nessReportforthefifthyearinarow. Couldyoudescribeinjustthreewords whatisthesecrettoFinns'happiness?

JuhaOttman: Iwouldchoosenature,trust, andequality.Nature,becauseIthinkthat wehaveeasyaccesstoit.Evenifyoulive

inbigcities,therearemanygreenareas. Finnsareverydown-to-earthpeopleand trulycherishnature.Trust,inthewaythat wetrusteachotherandhaveahighlevel oftrustinpublicinstitutions.Contraryto manyotherEuropeancountries,Finnstrust ournationalinstitutionsmorethantheEU institutions.IwouldalsosaythatFinnish peoplearequitehonest.Thethirdword, equality,becauseFinlandisquiteanegali-tariansociety.Agoodandfree-of-charge educationsystemisapartofthis.Gender equalityisalsoataveryhighlevelinFinland. Ifindequalopportunitiesveryimportant forthefeelingofhappiness. Thehigh standardoflivingisalsoimportant, butitis notallaboutthemoney.

JuliaMorta:Ontheotherhand,whatdo FinnsthinkaboutPoland?Doyoubelieve thereareanycommonmisconceptions?

JuhaOttman: Yes,therearestillsome old-fashionedperceptionsofPoland. Asgoodnewsoftenmeansnonews, theFinnishmediatendedtoreporting negativeissues,suchasaimstolimit women’srightstosexualandreproductive health,demonstrationsinsupportof women’srights,abusecasesinthePolish CatholicChurch,theruleoflawdispute withtheEuropeanUnionandattackson therightsofsexualminorities.However, thewarinUkraineandnewsabouthow PolandhasbeenhelpingUkraineand Ukrainianshasgonealongwaytochanging theperceptionofthecountrytobemuch morepositive.Tourism,whichispickingup againafterthepandemic,hasalsochanged Poland’simagealot.Everybodywhohas visitedusuallylikesPolandforthereasons Idescribed–youhavewonderfulcities, greatplacestovisit,friendlypeopleand goodqualitypriceratioofservices.Itis alsosafeherecomparedwithmanyother countries.Fromthebusinessside,Poland isalsoexperiencingveryrapideconomic growthandenjoyingthestatusofaneco-nomictigerinEurope.Thishasbeen noticedbytheFinnishmedia.

JuliaMorta: WouldyouencourageFinns tovisitPoland,eitherfortourismorto explorebusinessopportunities?

JuhaOttman: Definitely,Irecommendit. IthinkthatPolandisaverylucrativemarket. Atthesametime,smallcompaniesplanning toenterthePolishmarketsometimes underestimatehowcompetitiveand internationalitis.Youhavetodoyour homeworkproperly.Polandisafast-growing marketandIstronglyrecommendthat Finnishcompaniescomehere.Polandis alsoanexcellenttouristdestination. Havingsaidthat,asanEmbassywewould liketoseemorePolesinFinlandandnot justtheotherwayaround.

JuliaMorta: Howhavepolitical,cultural andeconomic relationsbetweenPoland andFinlandimprovedduringyourterm?

JuhaOttman:Iwouldsaythatpolitical andeconomicrelationshavebeenstable andarepickingupafterthepandemic. Wehadseveralhighlevelpoliticalvisits toPolandlastyear,thoughIdonotsee asubstantialincreaseinFinnish-Polish culturalrelations.TheEmbassyisnotso involvedinculturalpromotionandthereis noFinnishculturalcenterinPoland,because wedonothaveanyfundingforthat.There areotherthingsbringinguscloser,especially thefactthatFinlanddecidedtojoinNATO. Inoticedthat,whenitcomestotheapproach toUkraineandRussia,wearemoreorless inthesameboatasPoland.Beforethewar, Finlandmaintainedhigh-levelbilateral relationswithRussia,whichwasnotalways wellperceivedbyPoland.Ialsobelieve thatourfutureNATOmembershipwill enhanceFinnish-Polishcooperationinthe areasofsecurityanddefense.Wehave noticedhowsupportivePolandhasbeen withregardtoourNATOaccessionand IfeelthatPolandistrulyhappythatwe havefinallydecidedtojointhealliance.

JuliaMorta:Doyouexpectthat Finnish-Polishcooperationwilllikely strengthenduringthenextfewyears?

JuhaOttman: Definitelyintheforeignand securitypolicysectors,butalsoinbusiness. ThefactthatFinlandwilleventuallyjoin NATObringsmanyopportunities,also bilateralones.

Plansforthefuture

JuliaMorta: Wouldyouliketovisit Polandagaininthefuture?

JuhaOttman: Yes,certainly,inaprivate capacityasatourist.ButIamalsoconfident thatatsomepointmyprofessionwillbring mebacktoPoland.

JuliaMorta: Whatareyourotherplans forthefollowingyears?

JuhaOttman: FromWarsawIamgoing toBrussels,whereIwillbeworkinginthe PermanentRepresentationofFinlandto theEuropeanUnionforthenextfouryears. Iwillbedealingwiththeexternalrelations oftheEuropeanUnionastheFinnish representativeinthePoliticalandSecurity CommitteeoftheCounciloftheEuropean Union.Afterthat,IwillgobacktoFinland.

JuliaMorta: Thankyouverymuch, itwasapleasuretalkingtoyou.

JuhaOttman: Thankyou.

Mannerheim andhis Polish connections

AnnaandJukkaSoisalon-Soininenmetin 1989inWarsaw,atthetimewhenthe Berlinwallwasbeingbroughtdown. She,asajournalist,wasplanningtofollow perestroikainRussia;he,asalawyer,was juststartingtohelpFinnishcompaniesfind theirwayinPoland.Thingschangedwhen theydecidedtostarttheirlifetogether. Throughouttheyears,theyhavebeen involvedinavarietyofbusiness,education, tourismandmediaprojects.ManyFinnish companies,includingNokia,Nordea,Partek, LemminkäinenandPanda,haveatsome pointusedtheirservices,eitherinmaking theirfirstcontactsinPolandorinpromoting theirbrands.AnnaandJukka’sactivitiesin recentyearshaveconcentratedonmedia workandtourisminwhichJukka’sdream hasbeenatrip“Followingthestepsof MannerheiminPoland.”Finallyithas happened.Thistripledtoaphotoexhibitionthatwaspresentedinseveral Polishcitiesin2017,asapartofthe “Suomi100”project.Thematerialcollected fortheexhibitionprovedtobesoabundant thatitformedthebackgroundofthebook “MannerheimPuolanvuodet”publishedin 2020inHelsinkibyReadme.fi.Nowcame thetimeforthePolishversion.

MannerheimStatueinHelsinki

PhotographybyA.Jędrzejewska

PolesknowC.G.Mannerheimmainlyas thearchitectofFinnishIndependenceand theherooftheWinterWar,butmanyof themhaveneverheardabouttheyears 1909-1916whichhespentinPolandas anofficerintheRussianArmy.

Thebookcoversnotonlythesevenyears thatMannerheimactuallyspentinPoland, butalsorevealshisfriendshipsandcontacts withPolandandPoles,whichcontinued untilhisdeathin1951.

Theauthorsofthebookshednewlighton theimportanceoftheyearsMannerheim spentinPoland.Hisexperienceinthattime influencedhiswayofthinking.Thearticles inthebookrevealhowwideanddeephis Polishconnectionswere.Indeed,hewrites inhismemoirsthattheyearshespentin Polandwerethehappiestyearsofhislife.

Happiest–ok,butwhy?

ForsomeFinnsreadingthisbook,itwas arevelationtounderstandhowPolish patriotismandPolishtraditionswere cultivatedinthehomesandpalacesin spiteofsevererepressions.Howdifferent wasthestatusoftheGrandDuchyof FinlandandthePolishKingdomunderthe ruleoftheTsars.Forsome,itwasasurprise toseehowrichPolisharistocracywas,and howwidelyconnectedwiththeEuropean royalcourts.

Ontheotherhand–anoftenaskedquestion is–howwasitthatMannerheim,anofficer ofthehatedRussianArmy,managedto becomeamostwelcomeguestofPolish aristocrats.Mannerheimbeingapatriot andFinnishbaronwassimplyoneofthem.

Intheinter-warperiodhewasaskingabout thenewsofhisfriendsoneveryoccasion whenreceivingvisitorsfromPoland. Healsomaintainedcloserelationswith Polishenvoys,whichsetthescenefor Polish-Finnishdiplomaticrelations.During WWII,MannerheimusedtheRedCrossto investigatehowhisfriendsweredoing andusedeveryefforttohelpthemwhen arrestedbytheGestapoandthrownin Germancamps.

FormanyPoles,whorememberaboutthe FinnishstrategicalliancewithGermany duringWWII,itisrevealingtofindoutin thebookthefactsaboutMannerheim’s strongpositiontowardsGermanyandhis refusaltofollowGermanwishes.Wecannot forgetthatHimmlerreceivedanegative answertohisrequesttodeliverFinnish JewstoGermanybythebluntcomment: ”WirhabenkeineJudenfrage.”

PolandinMannerheim’sEyes

ThebookpresentsPolandasitwasseen throughMannerheim’seyes.Wereadabout lifeattheturnofthecenturyintheremote bordertownofKalisz,whichwasamelting potofPolish,German,JewishandRussian culture;wevisitNovominsk,whichwasso proudofitshistoricaltradition;andfinally wecometoWarsaw,atthetimeconsidered tobethemostEuropeancityoftheentire RussianEmpire.Thiswasa“LittleParis”, whichevenMannerheim’ssisterSophie mentionedinherletteraftervisitinghim.

Thememoriesofdescendantsof Mannerheim’sfriendsbringbackthe atmosphereoflifeinthearistocratic palaces,withtheirgrandiosereceptions andtheirloveforhorsesandhunting,which Mannerheimsharedenthusiastically.Heis recalledwarmlyintheirfamiliesstilltoday. Howclosetherelationsmusthavebeenif, eveninthemiddleoftheFirstWorldWar, Mannerheimisnotforgottentobeinvited tosuchaprivate,familyeventasthe weddingofoneofhisPolishofficers.

TheloveandrespectMannerheim experiencedfromhissubordinatesisalso shownwhen,in1942,Mannerheimreceived averypersonalletterfromhisformeruhlan, theconductorofhisregiment’sorchestra, whoaddresseshimlikeafatherandbrings tolightthemostprivatememoriesofthe timeinWarsaw.

FewpeoplenowrememberaboutthePolish LegioninFinland,whichplayedanimportant rolein1917-18inWiborg,duringthetime oftheFinnishWarforFreedom.Many interestingdetailscometolightwhenwe learnthatMaria,thewifeofMannerheim’s bestfriend,CountAdamZamoyski,was involvedinthelegion’sactivities,andwas evenawardedforthis.

Manylittlefactsfoundduringtheauthors’ researchinpublicandprivatearchivesfind someconnectionwiththehistoryofEurope andaddtothepersonalbiographyofthe biggestFinnishheroofthemall–Marshal Mannerheim.

Theauthorsadmitthattheywereluckyto havehighclassspecialists,historians,writers andjournalistscontributearticlestothis publication,andthattheywereableto obtainaccesstoprivatesourcesof information.Contemporarymembersof aristocraticfamiliesagreedtowriteaccounts basedontheirpersonalmemoriesabout howMannerheimwasreceivedbytheir ancestors.Thustheaccesstounique sourcesofinformationinPolandand Finlandmadeitpossibletomakethis booksomethingtrulyspecial.

Thebookhasreceivedmanypositive opinionsinFinland,includingfromthe worldofacademia.”Thefirstremarkable bookaboutMannerheiminseveral decades,”writesProfessorofHistory, MarttiTurtola.

MannerheiminPolandToday

EvenifknowledgeaboutMarshal Mannerheimisnotsufficientlywidespread inPoland,therearemanysignsofrespect towardshim.Thefirstplacetomeet MannerheimisonthefenceoftheFinnish EmbassyinWarsaw,wherethereis apermanentexhibitiondisplayedon severalplateswithinformationabouthim.

InWarsaw,thereisamemorialstone erectedinthecourtyardoftheformer garrisonorthodoxchurchofSt.Olga, whereMannerheim’sUhlanregimentwas stationed.Aftertheindependence,itwas turnedintotheCatholicgarrisonchurch ofMarshalPilsudski’ssoldiers.

Mannerheimhasbeenhonoredwith amemorialplaqueinKaliszwherehe served,aswellasamemorialstoneinSpała, whereTsarNicholasIIhadhishuntingpalace. ThereareMannerheimmemorialroomsin thePalaceofUniejówaswellasinthe PalaceofDernałowiczinMińskMazowiecki. Inaddition,adecorativelycarvedwooden pillarhasbeenerectedinhismemoryin thecourtyardoftheUhlanMuseum.

Thepublicationof“Mannerheim-polskie lata”isscheduledforthe156thanniversary ofMannerheim’sbirth,June4th,2023.

Wearepleasedtoannouncethat, incooperationwiththeFinnishTradeGuild inPoland,wearepreparingaspecialoffer ofpre-ordersforthemembersofthe guild.Theofferwillbeavailablesoon.

JukkaandAnnaSoisalon-Soininen

JukkaSoisalon-Soininen jukka.soisalonsoininen@gmail.com +358505015450

ObeliskinmemoryofMarshalCarlMannerheim attheCathedralofHolySpiritinWarsaw

Mannerheim–UnknownPolishYears

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Withapopulationof38M,atalented laborpoolandastableeconomy,Poland isattractinginvestorsfromalloverthe world.Therearecurrentlyasmanyas500 Finnishcompaniesoperatinginthecountry, includingaround80withproductionsites there.Ifyouhavebeenwonderingwhich Finnishbusinesseshaveexpandedto Polandjustthisyear,herearesomestories abouttheirjourneys,lessonslearned andplansforthefuture. Warsaw,June2022 PhotographybyA.Jędrzejewska

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Thedriversofsuccessfulintegration

Oneofthemaincriteriadrivingthe acquisitionprocesswastheculturalfit betweenthetwocompanies.Theteam, leadership,andkeystakeholdersfrom bothcompaniesmetseveraltimesto ensureaunifiedambition.Akeyelement insolidifyingacommoncultureand strengtheningthetogethernesswas bringingtheteamstogether,both physically,atatownhalleventinPoland andinEfecte’sHQ,aswellasvirtually, onajointSlackchannel.

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Efectealsosetcommoncleartargetsfor theprocess.Thefirstremarkablemilestone reachedwasthelaunchofthefirstjoint productatarecordspeedoflessthanthree monthsatDigitalize&Automate2022.

ThroughtheInteliWISEacquisition,Efecte establishedPolandasoneofitsdirect markets.Sincetheacquisition,Spondeo hasbeenagreathelpinguidingthe companythroughthepracticesand policiesofthePolishmarket.

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WhenKarlFazeropenedhisfirstcafé inKluuvikatu,Helsinkiin1891,his goalwasclear:tomakefoodwith apurposeandtobringmomentsof joytopeople.Atthattime,noone wouldhavebelievedthatyoung Karlwascreatingsomethingthat todayisoneofFinland’smost successfulandiconiccompanies. Overtime,thatfirstcaféinKluuvikatu grewintoaconfectionerybusiness andeventuallyaninternationalfood company.Fazerhasalsorecently startedtoexpandinPoland.

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Bakery,ConfectionaryandLifestyleFoods

FazerisFinland’sleadingproducerof chocolates,sweets,andbiscuits.ThebestknownbrandsincludeKismet,TuttiFrutti, Dumle,Geisha,andKarlFazerMilkChocolate. Everyyear,thecompanyproduces13million KarlFazerMilkChocolatetablets.Fazer LifestyleFoodsoffersmodernconsumers avarietyofnon-dairyproducts,breakfast products,andsmoothies.

Fazeralsooperates130(asoftheendof 2021)shop-in-shopbakeriesinFinland andinEstonia.Shop-in-shopbakeriesare realbakeriesinsidegrocerystores,where freshbreadisbakedbyhandeveryday.

Aforerunnerofinnovationand sustainability

Sustainabilityisatthecoreofthecompany. Fazer’smainpriorityisensuringthesustain-ablemanagementofcocoasourcing, securingprofitablefarmingandimproving thecocoacommunity’swell-being.

TostrengthenFazer’spresenceonthe Polishmarketandtofurtheritsstrategic priorityofgrowinginNorthernEurope, thecompanyhasdecidedtoestablishits ownsalesorganizationinPolandthrough anewcommercialunit.

PolandisoneofFazer’sprioritizedmarkets andinlinewiththecompany’sstrategy. Fazerhasnowdecidedtostrengthenits localoperationsinthecountry.Fromthe beginningofAugust2022,Fazerwillserve Polishretailthroughitsownsalesorganization –FazerPoland.FazerPolandisaOneFazer unitthatwillespeciallysupportthedevelop-mentofFazer’spresenceonthePolish

market.ItwillbeledbyMichałWójcikand theofficewillbeinWarsaw.

FazerhasalonghistoryinPoland. Thecompanyhasbeenpresentonthe marketsincethebeginningofthe1990s anditshigh-qualitychocolates,sweets, biscuits,oatproductsandbreadare renownedandcherishedbycustomers. BrandslikeKarlFazer,Dumle,Geisha, Fazermint,LiqueurFillsandFazerWillja areespeciallyvaluedbyPolishconsumers. Fazerwilldoitsverybesttogrowand cherishthesebrandsinthefuture.With FazerPoland,thecompanyisaddingan eighthcountrytoitsoperatingmarkets.

Contact: contact.fazerpoland@fazer.com

Astepintothefuture:Fazertostrengthen itsoperationsinPoland

FazerCaféKluuvikatuinHelsinki

FazerCaféKluuvikatuinHelsinki

individual.Norwillitbechangedbywords alone.Toachieveacleanerfuture,weneed toworktogetherandtackleandsolveone challengeatatime.Gebwellisknownas acompanywhoseheatpumpanddistrict heatingproductscanbeenjoyedwithaclear conscience.Forus,usingcleanheatisaway oftakingastandandadoptingapositive approachtocombatingclimatechange.

Weunderstandthattoday’sworldprovides uswithunparalleledopportunities. Theenergysectorisundergoing atransformation,whilepeopleare becomingincreasinglyinterestedinthe well-beingoftheenvironmentandways ofcontributingtoabettertomorrow.

GebwellLtd.,foundedin2006,isaFinnish companyspecializinginenvironmentally friendlyheatingandcoolingsolutionsfor buildings.Wedesignandmanufacture devicesforconnectingbuildingstodistrict heatingaswellasutilizinggroundsource heatintheheatingandcoolingofbuildings. Ourproductselectioncomprisesdistrict heatingandcoolingsubstations,heat pumpsandenergyaccumulatortanks.

Ourheadquartersandproductionfacilities coveranareaof20,000squaremeters, locatedinthe‘heatingcapitalofFinland’–LeppävirtainNorthernSavolax. Thecompany’sadministration,sales, procurementandproductdevelopment arelocatedthere.InadditiontoLeppävirta, wealsohavesalesofficesintwobigcities: TampereandVantaa.

WehavesubsidiariesinSwedenand inPoland.InSwedenthereisasales organizationofsometenpeople,while inPolandwealsohaveproduction.

GebwellSp.zo.o.wasfoundedin2009and hassinceestablishedastrongpresenceon thePolishdistrictheatingsubstationmarket.

TenyearsafterstartingoperationsinPoland ithasbecomeclearthatGebwellbecame oneofthemainmarketleadersandnow deliversitsproductstothebiggestheating companiesalloverPoland.Atthesame time,GebwellPoland,incooperationwith itsnewpartners,startedtodeliverits productstoneighboringcountries.

Allthoseactivitiesandcontinuedgrowth, ledtothedecisiontobuildanewfactoryin NorthernPoland,whichwouldbeGebwell’s mainproductionfacilityforEasternand CentralEurope.

Besidedifficulttimes,mostlyduetoCovid restrictions,wearepushingaheadwithour investmentplansandonSeptember1, 2022anewGebwellfactorywasopened nearGdańsk.Thefacilitycovers4,000 squaremetersand,asweareaspecialist inenvironmentallyfriendlyheatingand coolingsolutionsforbuildings,ournew factoryisequippedwithGebwellTaurus heatpumpswithatotalheatingcapacity of200kWandtheadditionalfunctionof coolingbothofficeandproductionspaces.

Withourfocusonsolutions,quality,and anindividualapproach,wefirmlybelieve thatourgreensolutionswillbeevenmore appreciatedinthecomingfuture.

GebwellSp.zo.o. www.gebwell.pl biuro@gebwell.pl +48588882333

Pagero,headquarteredinGothenburg, Sweden,hasoverthirtyofficesonsix continentsandservescustomersinmore than140countries.Thecompanyprovides aSmartBusinessNetworkthatconnects buyersandsellersforautomated,compliant, andsecureexchangeoforders,invoices, paymentinstructions,andotherbusiness documents.

Withanopennetworkandawiderangeof value-addedapps,Pagerohelpsbusinesses streamlinetheirorder-to-cashandpurchase-to-payprocesseswhileunlockingthefull potentialofaccurateandreliablebusiness data.Allofthisregardlessoflocation, industry,sizeorsystems.

Pagero’ssolutionsforstreamlined operations

● E-invoicing–digitallyexchange invoiceswithallyourcustomersand suppliers.

● APandARAutomation–receiveall yourinvoiceselectronically,straight intoyourfinancialsystem,andsend allyourinvoiceselectronicallyfrom asingleplatform.

● P2PandO2CAutomation–digitize yourorder,delivery,andinvoice handlingandincreaseend-to-end controlofthepurchase-to-payand order-to-cashprocesses.

● E-invoicingcompliance–achieve compliancewithlocalrequirements everywhereyoudobusiness.

Digitalizationredefiningthebusiness landscape

Thebusinesslandscapeischaracterizedby astrongwaveofdigitizationworldwide. Thepushbygovernmentstointroduce electronicinvoicingandvarioustaxreporting modelshastodowithadesiretoreduce theVATgapandstreamlinetheireconomies. Inrecentyears,thistrendhasalsobeen noticeableinPoland,whichisnowtaking thenextstepbyintroducinganationwide B2Be-invoicingmandatein2024.

Toenablethetransition,anewcentralized platform,KSeF(KrajowySysteme-Faktur), iscurrentlybeingintroduced,affectingall businessesregisteredforPolishVAT. The environmentisalreadyliveand,as of2024, allinvoicesshouldbesentand received viatheplatform.Pagero’soffer willconnect customerstotheKseFand ensurethattechnicalandinvoiceformat demandsarebeingfullymet.

Pagero’sestablishedoperations inPoland

Inlightoftheregulatorylandscape,Pagero hasrecentlyestablishedlocaloperationsin Poland.“Asprovidingsolutionsfore-invoicing ande-documentexchangeisourcore,it’s onlynaturalforPagerotoestablishlocal operations,”saysAndrzejPijanowski, CountryManagerforPageroPoland. “Mandatorye-invoicingisjustaroundthe corner,andasignificantdigitaltransformation liesaheadforPolishcompanies.Hence, wewanttobringourbusinesscloserto thecustomers,enablingustogivethem bettersupporttomakeasmoothswitch.”

“Aftersomebusymonths,thebusiness operationsarenowupandrunning,and aphysicalofficeistobeopenedinWarsaw soon,”Pijanowskicontinues.“Pagero’sPolish customerbasehasgrownsubstantiallyover thelastfewyearsandwearepleasedtobe abletoofferthemourservicesfromaclose distance.Goingforward,wewill continue expandingournetworkofcustomersand partners,establishingasteadyfoothold tobuildupon.Observingthenational demandandcurrentdevelopment,wesee apotentialforrapidgrowthalsointhefuture.”

Buyingandsellingshouldbeeasy

PageroPoland

AndrzejPijanowski CountryManager

andrzej.pijanowski@pagero.com +48532536512

“Thereisaclearneedfortheservices weprovide,whichhelpdigitizefinancial processes,notonlyamongPolishcompanies facinge-invoicerequirements,butalso amongmultinationalbusinessesthatare likelytobeaffectedbysimilarmandatesin othercountries.WiththehelpofPagero’s cloud-basedopennetwork,allpartiescan communicatedigitallywitheachotherand meettheexistinglegalrequirementson aglobalscale.Nomatterwhereyouare located,buyingandsellingshouldbeeasy. AndthatiswhatPagerowillhelpyou accomplish.”

RentaGroupisoneoftheleadingequipmentrentalcompaniesinNorthern Europe.Thecompanywasestablishedin2016inFinland.Rentacurrently operatesinSweden,Norway,Denmark,andPoland.Itprovidesawide rangeofconstructionequipmentandrelatedservices.

In2015,asmallgroupofexperienced equipmentrentalprofessionals, incooperationwiththeprivateequity investorInteraPartners,createdamodern andnon-traditionalequipmentrentalservices concept.Thegoalwastobecomeamajor playerthroughouttheBalticSearegion. ThefoundersofRentasawacleardemand foranewtypeofoperatorinthearea.

Fromdayone,Rentawasbuilton astrongsetofcorevalues:understanding thecustomers,entrepreneurialattitude, reliabilityandinnovation.Thestrategyand actionsofthecompanyhavebeenbased onthesevalueseversince.Renta’slocal depotsarethecornerstoneofitsbusiness. Thelocalprofessionalsaretheoneswho trulyknowthelocalcustomers.Renta givesdepotstheresponsibility,trustand permissiontomaketheirowndecisions anddeliversolutionstotheirown customers–withalocaltouchand anentrepreneurialspirit.

Rentaoffersavarietyofproductsandservices:

•Equipmentrental–theavailable equipmentincludes,forexample: aeriallifts,hand-operatedconstruction machinery,earthmovingmachinery, excavators,aircompressors&tools, powergeneration&climatecontrol equipment,safetyequipment,and fueltanks.

•On-sitefacilities–designingand manufacturingon-sitefacilitiesand temporaryspaces.

•Scaffoldingandweatherprotection–rentingandinstallingscaffoldingand weatherprotectionforprojects ofallsizes.

•On-siteservices–providinginstallation anddesignservicesforconstruction sites:electricalandlightingservices fortheconstructionsite,heatingand drying,installationofon-sitefacilities incl.walkways,maintenanceservices forfacilities,electrical,dryingandheating equipment,storageservices,project planning,andtransportandlifting.

Renta’sgrowthinPoland

RentaGroupOyestablishedasubsidiary inPolandinSeptember2019.Thecompany appointedTomaszWalawenderasCountry ManagerandamemberoftheRentaGroup ManagementTeam.ThePolishbranchwas foundedwiththeplantobuildanationwide networkofoutletsandbecomeanimportant playeronthelocalrentalmarket.According toKariAulasmaa,CEOofRentaGroup, thePolishrentalmarketissignificantand oneofthelargestgrowthpotentialsin theBalticSearegion,whichisRenta’s targetedarea.

InApril2020,Rentamadeasymbolic moveindevelopingitsactivityonPoland’s rentalmarketbyopeningthefirstrental depotinKatowice.Withinafewweeks, KrakówandWrocławjoinedthenetwork. Gdańsk,Gdynia,Łódź,Poznań,and Warsawwerechosenassubsequentcities forRenta’sexpansioninthecountry.

In2022,fivemoreoutletswereestablished inRzeszów,Bielsko-Biała,Bydgoszcz,Lublin andSzczecin,whichmeansthatRentais currentlypresentin13Polishcities.Thisis nottheendofthecompany’sgrowthin Poland.AfterRentaenteredthePolish market,thecompanyannouncedthatit wouldbeopeningatleast20rentaldepots andwaslookingaroundforacquisition opportunities.

www.renta.com

Finland:+358405116445, kari.aulasmaa@renta.com

Poland:+48506555035, tomasz.walawender@renta.pl

CreatingbetterMondays–Vincitin Poland

Howcantwodigitalpioneersbuildontheir alreadyconsiderablesuccess?Byjoining forces!TheJuly2022mergerofVincitand Bilotbroughttogetherapairofentrepre-neuriallydrivenITconsultancies.Bilot deliverstop-of-the-lineSAPexpertisefor Vincit,aleadingmoderncustomsoftware developerbasedinFinland.Themerged companieshavecontinuedundertheVincit name,whichhasreceivedGreatPlaceto WorkcertificationinFinlandandEurope numeroustimes.

Vincitwasfoundedtocreateaworkplace forthebestdigitaltalentwhereitdoesn’t sucktocomeinonMondays.Fifteen yearson,Vincitsees“BetterMondays”as abiggerpromise–notjustforitsemployees, butforcustomersandtheplanettoo. Thecompanybelievesinthisapproach becauseofthenatureoftheirworkas aconsultancy:byaffectingtheircustomers’ businesses,thepotentialbeneficialimpact ismultiplieddramatically.

WhydoesVincitworkinPoland?

BilothasbeenoperatinginPolandforthe pastsixyears,andVincitisinterestedin Polandforonesimplereason–thecountry’s ultra-highlevelofITconsultancyand softwaretalent.Vincitisn’taloneinrecognizing thisvalue,asalotofITcompaniessee Polandasastrategiclocationforrecruitment. ButperhapsVincithasaslightlydifferent anglethanmanyofthelargeITplayers. ForVincit,thegoalisnotaboutnearshoring; it’saboutfindingagatewaytothebest talentinEuropethatwillenablemoregrowth inEuropeandtheUS.Anotheradvantage forVincitisthatPolishdigitalprofessionals arealreadyusedtoworkingwithNordic companies,whichmakesonboardingand workingtogethereasier.

Cooperatingacrossborders

Whenitcomestodigitalprofessionalsin themodernworkplace,Vincitbelievesthat locationnolongermatters.Whiletheyhave alocalpresenceinthecountriestheywork in,Vincitalsofeelsthatthepeoplewith thebestcompetenciescanbecombined intomulticulturalteamstoserveawide rangeofcustomers.Thisisabigbenefit forcustomers,whogetaccesstothebest talentforthetaskathand.It’salsoabenefit foremployees,asitmeanstheycanwork withavarietyofco-workersoninteresting projectsaroundtheworld.

Lookingtothefuture

Giventheleveloftalentandabilitytowork acrossborders,Vincitislookingtocontinue expandingitsPolishoperations.Thecompany offersitsemployeesaNordicapproachto work,whichmeansastrongfocusontheir work-lifebalanceandaworkingenvironment wheretheycanactuallylookforwardto turninguponaMonday.ForPolishdigital professionalsanddevelopers,working withVincitalsomeansaccesstointeresting casesonaninternationalscale.

Vincit

InterestedtolearnmoreaboutVincit? Visit www.vincit.com orreachoutanytimeat: info@vincit.com +48221855464

WiimaLogistics

WiimaLogisticsisoneoftheleading 4PLprovidersontheFinnishmarket, withanactiveandwell-diversified customerbasecomprisingmany well-knowncompaniesfromvarious industrysegments.Thecustomer baseincludes,forexample,manufac-turing,import-export,marine,and woodprocessingcompanies.

Thecompanywasestablishedin2010and hasemployeesatmultiplelocationsaround theglobe.Thefoundersprivatelyownthe company.Theannualturnoverin2022is approximatelyEUR24M.

Fourth-partylogistics(4PL)isaserviceto makecompanies’dailyoperationsmore manageablebydelegatingthelogistics arrangementstobehandledbysomeone else.Asaneutrallogisticsserviceprovider, Wiimamanagesthelogisticsprocesson customers’behalf.

Efficientsupplychainmanagementgives acompanyacompetitiveedgeand distinguishesitfromcompetitors.

Givingcontrolto4PLprofessionalswill:

•decreasecompanyfreightspendand cost-to-serve

•increasethenumberofworkinghours availableforcorebusiness

•bringflexibilityandrapidadaptation tochangingmarketsituations

Thegoalistohaveanintegratedsupply chainwithcentralizeddecision-making, LSPrelationshipmanagement,and end-toendvisibility.

Wiimaalsohasaseparateprojectlogistics division.Thedivisionservescustomerswith varioustypesofdemandinginternational projects.Theserviceisdesignedtoprovide customerswithaone-stopshopforthe entireprojectlogisticssetup.

Ourprojectlogisticsexpertshandle customers’transportationneedsthrough asinglepointofcontactmethod.They optimizeandarrangeallfreightmodes–air,sea,road,rail,courierandoversize–includingcustomsclearance,last-mile arrangements,andon-sitesupervision. Ourdigitalprojectlogisticsmanagement platformmakestheservicetrulyunique. Theplatformisdesignedtoprovide projectstakeholderswithunprecedented controlovertheirglobalsupplychains.

EnteringthePolishmarket

WiimaPolandofferslogisticsoutsourcing servicesandprojectlogisticsservicesto thegroup’scustomerbaselocallyand globally.Thesubsidiarywasestablishedin 2022.Thedecisiontoopenthenewoffice wasbasedonstrongcustomerdemand fromaninternationallyrenownedwood productsspecialistcompany.

Thiscooperationincludesimplementing acontinuouslogisticsprocessimprovement modelanddeliveringharmonizedshipment data,includingCO2reporting,real-time trackingandscalableresourcestoprovide long-termcompetitivenessforthecustomer.

Thenewlocationsupportsourcontinuous pursuitofastrongerfootholdonthe Europeanmarket.Weareconfidentthat thePolishmarketalsooffersuniqueadded valuetoourcustomers.ThePolishlabor forceishighlycompetitiveinitscostknowledgebalance.Wewishtoleverage thisadvantageinourendeavortomake Wiima’sserviceprovisionevermore attractivetocompaniesglobally.

SPORT

Finnishathletes&Sportplaces inPoland

SportisanimportantelementofeveryFinn’sdailyroutine.Theylove performing,watchingandalsosharingitwithothers.Inthispart,getready forexclusiveinterviewswithaFinnishfootballplayerandanicehockey coach,discoverhowgoodPolesareatmöllkyandreadstoriesabout theFinnsbringinggolfandpadeltoPolishcities.

PhotographybyPetutzki instagram.com/petutzki

FinnishfootballersinPolishclubs

RobertIvanov,a28-year-oldfromFinland,hasplayedinWartaPoznań since 2020.Weaskedhimsomequestionsabouthisexperiencesinthetop Polish footballleagueandlifeinPoland.

JuliaMorta:Whatarethedifferences betweenplayinginaPolishvsFinnish footballclub?

RobertIvanov: Mostly,ofcourse,is thedifferenceinthequalityofplayers. InPoland,thereismorephysicalityand youneedtobereallystrongtobeable toplayatthelevelneeded.

JuliaMorta: Whataspectsoftrainingin Wartahelped youimproveasan individualandteam player?

RobertIvanov: Individually,Istartedto trainmoreinthegym,meaningthatIhad morepoweringamesandtraining. Asateamplayer,integratingintotheteam speakingEnglishandalittlebitofPolish. Andoverall,justhavingadifferentkindof lockerroomcomparedtoFinlandandHonka.

JuliaMorta:Whatwasyourgreatest achievementduringyourtimeinWarta?

RobertIvanov: Definitelycomingfifthin thefirstseason.Itwasahistoricalseason inmanywaysforWartaanditwasagreat bigpleasuretobeapartofit.

JuliaMorta: Youhadplayedonlyin Finnishfootballclubsbeforejoining WartaPoznań. Whatconvincedyou tocontinueyourcareerinPoland?

RobertIvanov: Itwasquiteaneasy decisiontocometoPoland.Ekstraklasa isabigleagueandtherearealotofbig clubs,soitwasdefinitelyastepinthe rightdirectionforme.And,ofcourse, Wartawasveryinterestedinmesoitalso helpedthedecisiontocome.

JuliaMorta:Whathaveyouenjoyed aboutlivinghere?

RobertIvanov: Thesummerislongerthan inFinland!Andjustlivingabroadissome-thingthatIhavealwaysdreamedof. Inaddition,Poznańisaverybeautifulcity, soIgotluckywithmyfirstcitylivingabroad.

JuliaMorta: Isthereanythingthathas particularlysurprisedyouaboutPoland?

RobertIvanov: Iwassurprisedbyhow bigPolandisasacountry.Thetraveling toawaygamesisalmostalways4-6hours.

JuliaMorta:Whatisyourfavoriteplace inPoznań?

RobertIvanov: IthinkWildaisareally niceplace,itremindsmeabitofHelsinki. Easygoingandalotofgoodplacestoeat.

JuliaMorta:Whatdoyoulikemostabout Polishculture?Howisitdifferentfrom whatyouhaveencounteredinFinland?

RobertIvanov: Polishfoodisverygood. Finnishpeoplearemaybebetterat speakingEnglishingeneral.

JuliaMorta:Whatwouldyoubringfrom PolandtoFinland?

RobertIvanov: Definitelythefoodand cheapbeer.

JuliaMorta:Whatadvicewouldyou givetoFinnish footballersconsidering atransfertoone ofthePolishclubs?

RobertIvanov: Thattheyshouldbe preparedforthephysicaldifferencein theleagues.Andthatmostlikelyyouwill needtostartlearningPolish.

JuliaMorta:Whatisyourfavoritething aboutfootball?

RobertIvanov: Beingabletolivemy dream.Goingouteverydayandjust trainingandplayingisthebestthingever. Scoringgoalsandhavingfun.

JuliaMorta:Whatareyourprofessional plansforthenextfewyears?

RobertIvanov: KeepplayinguntilI’m40 atleast.AndinthenearfutureIwillstart workingformycoachinglicense.Coaching issomethingthatIfindreallyinteresting.

RobertIvanov

RobertIvanovwasbornin1994 inHelsinki.Heispartofthe Finlandnationalteamsincehis appearancein2019inafriendly matchagainstSweden. Ivanovplayedover140 gamesforFCMyllypuro, FCViikingitandFCHonka. InSeptember2020,he signedatwo-yeardeal withWartaPoznań.Heplays asacenterback,wearing thenumber4.

RichardOlav Jenses

wasbornin1996inPorvoo.He wascaptainoftheFinlandU21in the2019UEFAFootballUnder-21 Championshipqualifications. Duringhisseniorcareer,heplayed inJongTwente,Twenteand RodaJCKerkrade. InJuly2022,Jenses signedaone-year contracttojoinGórnik Zabrze.Heplaysas acenterbackwearing thenumber3.

NiiloMäenpää

wasbornin1998inHämeenlinna.Afterhisyouthcareerin HJKHelsinkiandFCTwente, heplayedinFCHämeenlinna, FCHaka, InterTurkuand IFKMariehamn.InDecember 2021,Mäenpääsignedatwo-and-a-half-yearcontractwith WartaPoznań andjoined theteamin January2022. Heplaysasamidfielder wearingthenumber8.

Finnish Icehockeyplayers inPoland

Victoryinthe2022IIHFWorldChampionshipprovedthat Finnshaveaspecialtalentwhenitcomestoicehockey. PolishclubsrecognizethevaluableabilitiesofFinnish players.Therearecurrently26Finnsineightoutofnine teamswhoplayinthepremiericehockeyleagueinPoland.

JesseAhonen 1997,Lahti DefensemaninKHEnerga Toruńsince2022

NikoAhoniemi 1996,Tampere ForwardinSTSSanok since2022

ErikAhopelto 1996,Tampere ForwardinUniaOświęcim since2022

EliasElomaa 1997,Tampere ForwardinKHEnergaToruń since2022

VilleHeikkinen 1994,Helsinki ForwardinSTSSanok since2022

ToniHenttonen 1994,Savonlinna ForwardinSTSSanok since2021

EemeliJeskanen 1997,Hyvinkää ForwardinKHEnergaToruń since2022

SamiJekunen 1995,Pieksämäki DefensemaninSTSSanok since2021

JereKarlsson 1995,Turku DefensemaninSTSSanok since2021

OlliKaskinen 1999,Raisio DefensemaninGKSTychy since2022

SakuKinnunen 1995,Kuhmo DefensemaninCracovia Krakówsince2021

MarkusKorkiakoski 1992,Yli-Ii ForwardinJKHGKSJastrzębie since2022

NikiKoskinen 1997,Iitti ForwardinKHEnergaToruń since2022

TommiLaakso 1997,Helsinki ForwardinUniaOświęcim since2022

TimiLahtinen 1995,Helsinki ForwardinSTSSanok since2022

MatiasLehtonen 1995,Turku ForwardinGKSKatowice since2021

JuhoMäkelä 1996,Huittinen ForwardinSTSSanok since2022

JoonaMonto 1994,Hyvinkää ForwardinGKSKatowice since2021

ErikAhopelto PhotographybyJ.Fiedor(instagram.com/jaroslawfiedorfotografia)

NikoMikkola 1997,Oulu DefensemaninGKSKatowice since2022

EemeliPiippo 1996,Oulu DefensemaninSTSSanok since2020

TeemuPulkkinen 1995,Kirkkonummi ForwardinGKSKatowice since2022

DominikSalama 1997,Vantaa GoaltenderinSTSSanok since2022

SamuSuominen 1996,Forssa DefensemaninPodhaleNowy Targsince2019

SamiTamminen 1997,Valkeala ForwardinSTSSanok since2021

KalleValtola 1995,Turku DefensemaninSTSSanok since2022

Olli-PetteriViinikainen 1998,Uurainen DefensemaninJKHGKS Jastrzębiesince2022

Howdoyoucoach icehockeychampions?

JuliaMorta:Whatarethedifferences betweentheapproachtoicehockey inPolandcomparedtoFinland?

TeemuElomo: InFinland,theteamis builtbyroles–offensiveplayerrolesand defensiveplayerroles.Soeverybodyhas aroleinateamthatbringsoutthebest intheplayerandhelpstheteamthebest possibleway.HereinPoland,itismore aboutgettingthebestpossibleplayers thatfitinyourteam’sbudget.

JuliaMorta:Finlandistheworldchampion ofice hockey.WhatqualitiesdoFinnish players possessthatmakesthemso effective?

TeemuElomo: InFinland,alreadyfrom ayoungagetheplayersbelongtoteams thathaveprofessionalandfull-timecoaches –notparentsorvolunteers,butprofessional coaches.Thisisahugethingbecausethe bestpossibleteachershelptotrainplayers earlyonhowtobeagoodathlete.Iwould saythatthisisthereasonwhyFinland,year afteryear,hasagoodnationalteamand newfantasticplayerspopupeveryyear.

JuliaMorta:Whatdoyoupersonally likemostabouticehockey?

TeemuElomo: WhatIlikethemostisthe competitiveness,speedandphysicality ofthegame.Agoodhockeyplayerhasto havebalance,strength,power,coordination, mentaltoughnessandsoon.Itisthe hardestgameontheplanetanditisnot foreveryone.

JuliaMorta:Youhaveasuccessful,over 20yearslongcareerasaprofessional icehockeyplayer.Whatisyourfavorite memoryfromthatperiod?

TeemuElomo: Ihavealotofgreatmemories frommylongcareer.Allthechampionships Iwon,myfirstnationalteamgame,getting draftedtotheNHL…Butmyfavoriteiswhen wewontheWorldJuniorChampionship onhomesoilinHelsinkiinfrontof13,000 people.Yes,thatistheone.

JuliaMorta:Whatarethemainvalues youattempttoconveytoyourteamas acoach?

TeemuElomo: Beacoachableplayer. Ifyouarenotacoachableplayer,youare goingtohaveaveryshortcareer.Thisis numberone.Additionally,alwaysbe presentandtryyourhardestbecausehard workwillalwayspayoff.Itisalsoimportant torespectyourteammates.

JuliaMorta:Isitmorebeneficialfor ateamtowinagameeasilyortolose, butlearnalotaboutwhatneedstobe improved?

TeemuElomo: Both,butinthelongrun Iwouldsayitisbettertolearnfromalost gameandmoveforwardasastrongerteam.

JuliaMorta:Isthereanythingthatreally surprisedyouaboutPoland?

TeemuElomo: Maybethatthelevelof hockeyismuchbetterthanIexpectedit tobe.Thisismaybethebiggestsurprise.

JuliaMorta:Whatdoyoulikemostabout Polishculture?Howisitdifferentfrom whatyouhaveexperiencedinFinland?

TeemuElomo: Myfavoritethingisthatpeople areveryfriendlyandhelpfulhereinPoland. Finnishpeoplearemoreclosedandquiet.Iam different,butthatisbecauseIhavelivedoutside Finlandfor15yearsinmanydifferentcountries.

JuliaMorta:Whatisyourfavoriteplace inToruń?

TeemuElomo: Theicehockeyrinkofcourse. But,inmyfreetime,Ialsoliketowalk aroundtheoldtownandalongtheriver. Torunisabeautifulcity.

JuliaMorta:WouldyouencourageFinnish playerstojoinPolishicehockeyclubs?

TeemuElomo: Absolutely.InFinlandyou areafullprofessionalonlyinLiiga.Other levelsaresemi-professionalandthereare alotofgoodplayersthere.Iftheycame toPoland,theycouldbefullprofessionals andmaxouttheirpotential.

TeemuElomo,the headcoachatKHToruńinPoland

SandValley GolfResort

SandValleyGolfResort’shistoryhasits rootsintheearly2000s.Thatwaswhen TimoHulkkonencametoPolandwiththe intentofsellingtheheatingsystemshis company,LPM,wasproducing.Timo’sfirst partnerinPolandwasAlexanderWellenger, backthenaCEOofOpecGdynia.Inthe late1990s,theideaofbuildingagolfcourse wasdreamtupbyTimo’seldestson,Kai Hulkkonen.Timo,ontheotherhand,saw thegolfprojectasawaytogivesomething backtoPoland,becauseithadgivenhim somuch.Heandhisfamilyarestillthemain ownersofSandValley.TheWellengerfamily joinedtheprojectasminorityshareholders offeringmuchneededlocalsupporttothis complexandlargeproject.Infactitwas DariuszWellenger,thesonofAlexander, whofoundthesiteinPaslek.Kaiandthe creativeteamdecidedthattheproject shouldbecalledSandValleyand,after yearsofplanning,theconstructionfinally startedin2006.Asonemightexpect, itwasnotaneasyproject,butaftermany upsanddowns,by2009thecourse startedtobefinallyready.

AnttiPohjonenjoinedtheprojectmidconstructionduringthesummerof2007, withtheaimofhelpinghisbrotherKaiand startingtherealestatepartoftheproject. Thebrothersworkedtogetherforyears, butbylate2010itwasclearthatKai"had tobuildmorecourses."Inthespringof 2011,Kaimovedonandhasnowbuilt manywell-knownprojectsinEurope, includingPärnuBay.Antti,ontheother hand,feltrightathomeinPolandeven thoughSandValleywasfarfromafunctioning business."Inthespringof2011,thecourse wasstillnotfullyfinished,therewasno entranceroadtothesiteandtherewere onlyahandfulofmembers.Foreigngolf tourismdidn'texist,phoneswerecutoff andIdidn'tspeakawordofPolish,nor didIplaygolfmyself.Ontopofthat,we hadnorestaurantandthebusinesswas losingmoneyeveryday,"Pohjonensays. Thatbeingsaid,healsothought,"itshouldn't besodifficulttomakethiswork."

Fromthereonthephilosophywasquite simpleasPohjonensawit:"Itwasclearfor mefromtheget-gothatitwouldbeeasier toinviteforeignerstovisitusinPoland thanitwouldbetotellPolishpeoplewhat agolfballis.SandValleyshouldbearesort whereweconcentrateontakingcareof thepeopleandtheirneeds."Finlandwas thenaturalfirstmarketandby2012there

weresomehouses,thecoursestartedto lookbetterandtherewerealsoafewvillas wherepeoplecouldstay.Therewaslight attheendofthetunnel.PaulO'Connor joinedtheteamin2012,andoverthe comingyearssodidmanyotherrising stars.Theforeignmarketquicklybecame Paul'smainresponsibilityandthebread andbutterofwhatSandValleywasfocused ondoing.Beforethepandemic,Sand Valleywashostingthousandsofhappy golferseveryyear.

ThencameCovid-19.Tounderstandwhat thismeanttoSandValley,Pohjonensaid that"naturallyittookusbysurprise,asit dideveryoneelse.Asagolfbusinesswith around40workersandhaving80%ofits incomecomingfromabroad,ithurtuseven morethanonewouldthink.Wesurvivedit thankstoouramazingteam,whichisstill together,somewell-timedgovernmental grants,fastboomingPolishbusiness,and ofcoursetherealestatefrenzythatcanbe evencreditedtothepandemic."During thetwo-yearperiod,SandValleywentfrom justover100bedstonowofferingmore than200.Significantinvestmentswerealso madeinthemaintenanceequipmentand thespiritinsidethecompanyisbetterthan ever."Wehearitallthetimefromour visitors,ourstaffreallymakesthemfeel comfortableandrelaxedintheirownlaid

backpositivestylethatishardtoexplain inanyotherwaythansaying–Feelfree toJoinourAtmosphere,"Pohjonensays. SandValleyGolfResortiswherePolish DreamGolfexists.Itislocatedcloseto Gdańskairport,fromwheretherearedaily flightsfromHelsinkiandTurku.ATOP100 courseinEuropeandthebestinPoland, SandValleyissuretosurpriseyouduring yourstay.Theonsiteaccommodationand extrasaredesignedtooffertheperfect relaxationafteryourround:sitbackin yourprivatejacuzzi,rechargeyourbody inyourownsaunaandtakeaswimin yourprivatepool–atSandValley, youcandoitall.Oncereadyfor dinner,letourstaffpamperyou withourfreshlycookedinternational cuisineandlegendarycustomer service–Getreadytocreatenew memorieswithusandbookyour holidaytoday.

Mölkkystolethehearts ofPolishplayers

WhatisMölkky?

MolkkyisaFinnishthrowinggame,similar tobowlingorpétanque.Theword“molkky” hasnoactualmeaning,itwasprobably inspiredbytheFinnishwordpolkky, meaningblockofwood.Mölkkyisagame thatrequiresbothskillandprecision, aswellasstrategicthinking!

Basicrules

MölkkyinPoland

ThePolishMölkkyFederationassociates overadozenMölkkyclubsandcoordinates PolishChampionshipsandGrandPrixseries. Localclubsoftenorganizeregionalcompeti-tions.RepresentativesofPolishclubsalso takepartininternationaltournaments. In2022,theteamofDwunastkaWarszawa (“Dwunastka”meanstwelve–thehighest numberonthepin)took14thplaceatthe WorldChampionshipsand7thplaceatthe EuropeanChampionships.

Nearfuture

Wewanttocontinueplayingandpromoting Mölkky.Nextyear,Warsawishostingthe EuropeanChampionships.Ifyouwould liketoplaywithusorhelp/supportus, checkoutourFB(PolskaFederacjaMölkky, StowarzyszenieMölkkyDwunastka),visit molkky.plorcontactRafalWesolowski (r.wesolowski@molkky.pl,+48604684084).

Beforestartingthegame,placetwelve numberedpinsinaspecialformationand markathrowinglinethreetofourmeters away.Taketurnsinknockingdownthe numberedpinswiththeMölkky.Aftereach throw,thepinsarestoodupagaininthe locationwheretheylanded.Thescoring systemissimple:whenyouknockdown onlyonepinitscorestheamountofpoints thatismarkedonthatpin,whenyou knockdowntwoormorepins,itscores thenumberofpinsthatwereknocked over.Thefirstplayertoreachexactly50 pointswinsthegame.Ifyouexceedascore of50itdropsbackto25.Ifyoumissallof thetargetpinsthreetimesinarowyou areeliminated.

www.facebook.com/molkkydwunastka www.molkky.pl

RafałWesołowski r.wesolowski@molkky.pl +48604684084

WarszawskaLigaMölkky

ThefirstpadelcourtinPoznań

AconversationearlyinJune.

Juha: "Bytheway,canyouplay padelinPoznań?"

Tuomas: "No,butIhavebeenthinking ofestablishingacourt.Ihave few locationsinmindalready"

Juha: "Perkele,shallwe?"

Tuomas: "Whynot?Letsaskthecityif theycouldleaseusaplace".

EndofJune:

AmeetingwiththeCityof Poznańtopresenttheidea. Tuomasgaveapresentation inPolish,soeithertheylikedit ortheypitiedus somuchthat theygaveusatry.

EarlyJuly:

TheCityofPoznańsuggested afewpotentialplaces. WelikedtheideaofRataje verymuch,asthelocationis inthemiddleoftenniscourts andasportsground,making iteasytomanage.

August: Handshakes;letsdoit!

September:

Orderingthecourt,preparing contracts,establishingacom-pany,signinganagreement withTheCityofPoznań.

October: Groundworksstarted andfinished.

November15th: Thegrandopening.

OurhugethankstotheCityofPoznańfortrustingthree foreigners.Fromtheveryfirstmeetingtothegrandopening tookfourandahalfmonths.

Business

Thissectionwillintroduceyoutothecomplexandfascinatingworldof businessinPoland.LearnallyouneedtoknowaboutthePolisheconomy, discovertipsandstoriesfromexpertswithdecadesofexperiencein themarketandfindoutwhichFinnishcompaniesarecurrentlygrowing thefastestinPoland.Asabonus,youwillfindaspecialUkrainianfeaturetoo!

YoumighthaveheardthatPolandhas alarge,well-skilledlaborpool.Although thisistrue,thequestfortoptalentremains fiercelycompetitive.Thereareoutstan-dingprofessionalsallaround,butthey oftenfeelsatisfiedwiththeircurrent employmentconditions.Whatcan convincethemtoconsideranotherjob? Themosteffectivesolutionsinclude: ahighersalary,newbenefits,saferwork conditions,remoteworkingoption, aScandinavianworkcultureand, ofcourse,amoreattractiveposition andjobtitleitself.

BeforeyoustartrecruitinginPoland,itis importanttoknowthatthesametactics thatworkinFinlandmightnotnecessarily proveaseffectivehere.Youwillneedto usedifferentsourcingplatforms,new techniquesandperhapsevenadjustjob titlestoacquiretherightspecialists. Myadvice?Preparewelltoavoid unpleasantsurprises.Togainasignificant competitiveadvantage,yourcompany needsacutting-edgetalentacquisition strategy.Thegoodnewsis,wecanhelp youwiththat.

HerearetenthingsIlearnedduring morethanadecadeofrecruitingPolish talentsforvariousScandinavian companies:

1. Recruitmentisalsosales.

We,astherecruiters,havetosellourselves tothecandidates.Then,weneedtosell yourcompanyasanattractiveemployer. Finally,youneedtosellyourself.

2. Recruitingrequires detectivework.

Weputalotofeffortintogeneratinglong listsofcandidatesbasedonoursearch mapandkeywords,whichhavetobevery selectiveandpartiallywritteninPolish.

3. Nocopy/paste!

Anothercrucialthingistoalwayssend approachmessagesthatfeelpersonaland thoughtful.Thebestprofiles,especially inIT,receiveseveralmessagesevery week,soouraimisnottobeanother annoyingrecruitmentcompanysending formalmessagesbasedontemplates.

4. Resignationsareeffective fromtheendofthemonth.

Itdoesnotmatterwhetherapersonresigns onthe1stdayorthe30th,inPolandthe startingdateofthenoticeperiodwillrun fromthe1stdayofthesubsequentcalendar month.Thisiswhyalotofcontractsare signedattheendofthemonth,andyour competitorswillbetryingtoclosethedeal duringthattime.Acandidateisusually takingpartinatleastafewrecruitments, somakesurenottolosethembecause oflatedecisions.

5. Youneedacombination approach-adsonjob boardswillnotbeenough.

Usingmultiplerecruitmentstrategies(ads, LinkedInTalentSearch,recommendations, etc.)isamust.Morethan80%ofourhires todayarefoundbydirectsearchorrecommen-dations.Polandcurrentlyhasarecordlow unemploymentrate(around2-3%in2022, accoringtoEurostat), meaningthereare manypassivecandidates whodonotgo throughjobboards.However, combining directsearchwithpublishingadsallows youtofindthebesttalentfromtheentire spectrumofcandidates.Someofthemost recommendedjobportalsarePracuj.pl, OLX,RocketJobsandNoFluffJobs(IT).

6. Insufficientpayisoften adealbreaker.

InPoland,talksgotosalaryearlyon, especiallyifthecandidatecomesfrom directsearch.Itisimportanttofindout earlyifyouarebothonthesamepage. Itcanbealsousefultorememberthat candidatesusuallytalkaboutnetincome whenaskedabouttheirsalary expectations.

7. Polandisnolonger acheaplaborpool.

Insomecases,salariesreachtheEU averageandsomecanevenbehigher thaninFinland.Atthesametime, therangeofsalariesisstillwide.Thebase remunerationisaroundEUR650andtop managersareincreasinglypaidbetter than inFinland.SalariesintheWarsaw areaareapproximately25%higherthan thePolishaverage.

8. B2Bcontractsarequite common,especiallyin salesandIT.

HavingaB2Bcontractmeansthataperson runstheirownsole-tradercompany,sends youmonthlyinvoicesandcoverssocialcosts themselves.However,thePolishgovernment hasbeenattemptingtoincreasethetax baseofsole-tradercompanies.

9. Employeesexpect benefitspackages.

Multisportandprivatehealthinsuranceare standardbenefits.Otherperksinclude thingslikesocialpackagesorcovering commutingexpenses.Aheftybenefits packagecanmakeaworldofdifference–still,apersonisunlikelytochooseajob basedsolelyontheperks.

10. Jobtitlesdomatter.

Managerialpositionsarealwaysindemand, whichisimportanttoconsiderwhilechoosing thenameofaposition.Forexample,ifthe titleinFinlandsayscoordinator,inPoland youmightwanttolookforpeoplethatare managers.Ontheotherhand,ifaperson hasamanagertitleinPoland,thereisless interestingoingbacktocoordinator.

WeknowthatkeepingtrackofalltheseandotherrulesofhiringtalentinPolandmay soundoverwhelming—butitdoesnothavetobe.Contactus,weareeagertohelp youbuildyourdreamteam! weronika@spondeo.fi

WeronikaGidel-Asunmaa

Anacceleratorofglobalgrowth

BusinessFinlandisaFinnishgovernmental organizationfor trade,travelandinvestment promotion,aswellasinnovationfunding. ItispartoftheTeamFinlandnetwork, collaboratingcloselywithFinnish embassies,consulatesandotherpublic actorssupportingFinnishcompanies inbuildingtheirglobalpartnerships. BusinessFinland’sofficeinWarsawcovers notonlythePolishmarket,butalsothe broaderCEEandBalticsregion,makingit a hubforFinnishcompaniesinterested inexploringbusinessopportunitiesin thispartofEurope.

Ouractivitiesfocuson identifyingbusiness opportunitiesforFinnishindustryand attractingtheattentionoflocalcompanies andstakeholderstoFinnishsolutions, technologies,andbestcollaboration practices. Weareactivelynetworkingwith PolishpartnerstoidentifyroomforPolishFinnishcooperation.Ouraimisalwaysto lookfor win-winopportunities,where Finnishofferingscouldaddsignificant valueintermsofmeetingthelocalneeds. FinnishandPolishcompaniesinterestedin mutualpartnershipsarewelcometo contactus.Withexpertiseinfieldssuchas cleantech,digitization,smartindustryand manyothers,Finlandcanbeatrusted partnertothePolisheconomy.

WeprovideFinnishcompanieswith market advice,accesstobusinesscontactsand high-valuenetworks,internationalization andinnovationfunding. Weprovideboth individualandtailor-madeservices,aswell asgroupbusinesspromotionactivities undertheTeamFinlandumbrella. OurexpertsinPolandarespecializedin industrieswithlargepotentialforFinnish offering,suchasenergy,healthcare,ICT, manufacturingandmobility,butarealso availabletoanswerrequestsrelatedto variousfields.

During2022,weprovidedanumberof valuablebusinessconnectionstoFinnish companiesinthe manufacturingsector WesupportedFinnishindustry4.0 technologiessuppliersindialoguewith potentialindustrialcustomersduring the Polish-FinnishSmartManufacturing BusinessMixer inKraków, theMSV InternationalEngineeringFairinBrno, aswellas FinnishAutomotiveIndustry 4.0DayatŠKODAAuto.Giventhe importanceofthebatteryindustryfor thePolisheconomy,wehavebeen continuouslyhelpingFinnishsuppliers

toconnectwiththebatterymanufacturing ecosysteminPolandandarrangedthe Finnishbatterydelegation totheNew MobilityCongress inŁódź.Wehavealso analyzedbusinessopportunitiesforFinland relatedtothedecarbonizationofPolish industryandinitiatedB2Bdialoguesfor Finnishcompaniesinthisarea.

Intheenergysector,BusinessFinland supportedtheorganizationofthe PolishFinnishNuclearIndustryForum developing industrialtiesbetweenPolishandFinnish companiesandresearchinstitutesin acontextofthePolishNuclearEnergy Program.Wealsoco-produceda water businessworkshopinLithuania,presenting Finnishwatersolutions todirectors,chief engineersandecologistsfromtheLithuanian watersector.

Weare atrustedpartnerinthedialogue onimportantissues,like,forexample, thedecarbonizationoftransport. Ouradvisor,PiotrHajdecki,moderated discussionsbetweenbusinessleadersand publicadministrationatthe“Nordic Conference:DecarbonizingtheTransport”, poweredbyNESTE.

Inthehealthcareindustry,wecarriedout specialresearchon Polishmedical marketplaceplatforms creatinganextra opportunitywindowforFinnishcompanies –suppliersofmedicalequipment.Business FinlandjoinedInnovatorium–thelargest R&DeventinPoland–whichtookplacein Poznań.Itwasanexcellentopportunityto promoteFinlandasawell-knownharbor forleadingclinicalinstitutionsand advancedatascienceexpertise. Newinvestmentsdrivenbyplansforthe EuropeanUnionRecoveryandResilience FacilityintheBalticStateswerepresented inaninclusivereportdescribingrelated healthcareinvestmentsopportunities duringawebinarinSeptember2022.

Contactusifyouareinterestedinbusiness opportunitiesbetweenFinland,CEEand theBalticregion: businessfinland.fi/en/locations/europe/ poland

MarkkuEkholm

SuomenUnipolwasfoundedin1979by Markku’sfatherJormaandJussiMäkynen. In1985,thecompanybecame100% ownedbytheEkholmfamilyafterMarkku boughtoutJussi’sshares.Amajorityshare inthecompanywassoldin1991toAlgol OyandCIECHSA.ThisrareFinnish-Polish jointventurestructureisstillinplace.

SuomenUnipolwasfoundedtorepresent thePolishcompanyCIECHinFinland. Atthetimeitwasoneofthemonopolies inthePolishtradingsector.Inthe1990s, CIECHstartedtobuyupstate-owned factoriesandslowlytransformintothe publiclylistedcompanyitistoday.

Thecompanyhasnowimportedmore than3milliontonnesofproductsfrom PolandtoFinlandandtradedalmost everythingfromdynamitetoaspirin. Themainfocushasbeeninindustrial chemicalsbyleadingPolishsuppliers. Thisyear(2022),thecompanyaims toreachEUR25-30millioninsales.

TuomasAsunmaa:Markku,thisisquite auniquestoryaboutFinnish-Polish business.Whenwasyourfirsttime inPoland?

IhavebeentravelingtoPolandregularly since1985,around7or8timesayear,so itmustbearound300visitsintotal.Inthe pastitwaseasiertocalculateaseverything wasstampedinthevisa.

TuomasAsunmaa:Howwasittodo businessinthe1980sduringcommunist times?

Atthetime,tradinginchemicalswas,in myunderstanding,differenttomostother sectors,asitwasveryorganizedand significantforthewholeeconomy. Forexample,CIECHhadthemostskilled employees–includingbotheducationand languageskills.Thisalsomeantthatthey hadanexceptionalnumberofwomen workingthere.

Markku’sreflections on 40years in Finnish-Polishbusiness

MarkkuEkholmwasnominatedasaCEOofSuomenUnipolinthespring of1993,afterworking10yearsinthecompany.Itmeansthat2023willmark his30thyearasCEOandhis40thyearspentinFinnish-Polishbusiness.

Thecultureoftradingwasinorderback thenandpromiseswerekept.Weinitially hadmorechallengesonthecustomers’ side–wehadtoconvinceFinnishbuyers thatthequality,productionstabilityandso onarebetterthanthereputationofPoland atthattime;itwasonlyafewyearsafter martiallawwasdeclared.

TuomasAsunmaa:HowwasWarsaw backthen?

Well,therewereofcoursemoneychangers ineverycorner.OutsideofthePalaceof CultureandSciencetherewasahugetrading market–farmerssellingtheirproductsout oftrunks,etc.Everyonewasbuyingstuffas therewashyperinflationandmoneywas burninginpockets,soitwasbettertobuy somethingreal.Wealsoendedupimporting soapandwashingpowderfromFinlandto Polandafterthestoressoldoutofthem andthegovernmentissuedatender. Wealsoimportedplasticbagsfrom FinlandtoPolandtothePewexesselling foreignitemsforforeigncurrency.

Theseinflationfigureswehavenoware nothingcomparedtothe1980sand90s.

TuomasAsunmaa:Hasmuchstayedthe same?

Ofcourse!Polishhospitalityhasalways beenthere.Eventhoughtimesweretough andPolandwasmuchpoorer,itwasalways nicetovisit–Polishpeoplereallymake thecountry!Alsothefoodhasalwaysbeen great,althoughthemenuisgettingabit lighternowadays.

TuomasAsunmaa:Wasiteasytooperate asaFinninPoland?

Formeithasalwaysbeeneasytodeal withPolishpeople.Duringthe40+years ofourcompanyweneverhadanycourt issueswiththePolishside.Intheearly 1980stherewerelotsofpeopleinthe workingenvironmentwhoremembered

thewar,knewFinnishhistoryinWW2and thecommonenemywehad.Theywere happythatatleastsomeonemanaged somehowwithRussia.Rememberingthat timeandhowitwasinPoland,weFinns shouldappreciatewhereweare.Wealso tendnottoknowhowPolandwasbefore thewar–itwasadevelopingcountry withastockexchangeandeverything. Thisbackgroundisbehindthecurrent fastgrowthofthePolisheconomy.

TuomasAsunmaa:Didthepandemic andwarbringbackanymemoriesfrom thepast?

Somethingsaresimilar–likeofcourse thepricechanges,itisgettingabitoutof controlnow,andinoursectorthedemand isalsohighasclientswanttogetridof Russianproducts.Logisticsisalsodifficult, butitisnotlikebackwhencommunication wastough,telexlineswerenotworking, mailwasbeingopenedandthephones wereoffortapped–sometimestheyeven said“wearelistening,butkeeptalking.” Ontheotherhand,businesshasalways beengoodinPoland.

TuomasAsunmaa:Doyouhaveany tipsforthosewhoarethinkingabout thePolishmarket40yearsafteryou?

Nowadaysthereiscertainlytoughcompeti-tioninallsectors.Youneedtodoyour homeworkandbecompetitivenomatter whatyouareplanningtodoinPoland.Itis alsonolongeraplacewhereyoucanlook forhugecostsavingsinlabor,butyoucan findagreatmarketandbusinessopportuni-ties.Ihaveneverregrettedthatmylink tobusinessisPoland.

MarkkuEkholm|ManagingDirector SuomenUnipolOy|Karapellontie8|FI-02610 Espoo|Finland +358500400734

markku.ekholm@unipol.fi www.unipol.fi

Real-lifequestionsanddoubtsabout softwaredevelopmentnearshoring

Thesoftwaredevelopmentmarketis goinginadirectionwhere:

•mid-tosenior-levelexpertiseishard tofind;

•budgetsaregettingtighterdueto theuncertaintyoftheworldtoday.

Thisleadstoasituationwherecompanies thathaveneverusedanynearshoring servicesareconsideringtakingthatstep.

Atitsbest,nearshoringofferssoftware consultancyatapricethatequalsa seniorin-housedeveloperbutwithzero recruitmentcost.Ontopofthat,using softwareconsultancyservicesenableseasy upscalinganddownscalingbasedonyour developmentneeds.

Weareconstantlyintouchwithcompanies lookingforapartnertohelpthembuild theirdigitalservices.Notallofthemhave experienceusingnearshoring,andwehear plentyofquestionsanddoubtsabouthow itwouldwork.Herearesomeofthequestions wehaveencounteredinreal-lifecontacts withcompaniesfromanumber ofbusiness areas.Wehavetheexperience, butthe questionsareuniversal.

Isn’titchallengingtostayintouchwhen thewholeteamorapartofitisabroad?

Typically,thesamewaysyouwoulduse tostayintouchwithalocalteamareused withateamabroad.Almostallofusalready havesomeexperienceworkingremotely withcolleagues,andthisisnomoredifficult thanthat.Thisisespeciallytrueifyour nearshoringsetupisateamextension,

apartiallylocalandpartiallyremoteteam. Itisbestnottoeventhinkabouttheother partasaseparateteam,buttosimplytreat everyoneasequalteammembers.Usethe samewaysofworking,thesamecommuni-cationchannelsandthesametools.

Arethereanylanguageissues?

FluentEnglishskillsareamust-havefor aconsultantinthenearshoringbusiness. Onthecustomer’sside,atleastintheteam workingwiththenearshoringpartner,English hastobetheworkinglanguage.AtPolar NightSoftware,wecanalsoserveour customersinFinnishregardingstarting cooperation,projectplanningandcustomer contactatthemanagementlevel.

Arethereculturaldifferencesinways ofworkingandcommunicating?

Aculturalunderstandingofthecustomer’s environmentisaplus.Ithelpsifthepartner alreadyhascustomersfromthesame country.Theculturaldifferencesinworking lifebetweenFinlandandPoland,atleast whenitcomestoIT,areminimal.Inyour dailywork,youbarelynoticeany.

Arenearshoredconsultantsbrave enoughtoaskquestions,ordothey alwayssayyes?

Agoodconsultantwillgivetheirviewon yourplansandtechnicalarchitectureand raisequestionsaboutanyissuesproactively. Theabilitytodothisdependsonthe consultant’sexperienceandpersonality. Thisiswhyyourpartnershouldemphasize thisalreadyintherecruitmentprocess.

PolarNightSoftwareisaFinnishPolishcompanythatofferssoftware developmentnearshoringservices. Mostofourcustomerscurrently comefromFinland.Wedeliverweb applications,mobileapplications andintegrations.Wealsodoteam extensionsandhelpourcustomers buildtheirservicesandproducts withtheirdevelopmentteams.

Contact HenriJääskeläinen henri@polarnightsoftware.com +48731407479

Ourtipsforyour investmentinPoland:

•Beaware! Seekcompetentand trustedPolishlegalandtaxadvice andprofessionalassistance.Thiswill saveyoutimeandeffort.ThePolish legislationandpracticalapproachto regulationsisverydifferentthanin Finlandandyoumightbesurprised.

•Besmart! Thinkaboutthelegal andtaxframeworkinadvance.Itis notsoeasytochangeasystemonce ithasbeenputinplace.

•Bepatient! Sometimessimple matterstakealotoftimetosolve andrequiresomeextraeffort.InPoland, wehavemanygovernmentalreporting andcompliancesystemsandtheyare notallconnected-youneedtoget usedtothis.

•Beopen! Askquestionsandshare plans. Itishardertoprovideprovide withtailor-madeadvicewithoutan openapproach.

•Beorganised! Thinkaboutwhat you wantfromyourPolishentityand howtomakeithappenunderPolish company law.WhatworksinFinland, mightnotnecessarilyworkinPoland whenitcomestocorporategovernance.

•Bebold! Thereareplentyof opportunitiestomakegoodacquisitions inPolandasthefirstgenerationof owners inSMEs startstoretire.Instead oforganicgrowth,considerskyrocketing yourbusinessthroughanacquisition inPoland.

•Becareful! Taxcomplianceis aseriousthingmatter.Youshouldnot belatewithreportingdutiesandyou havetofollowrequiredcompliance principles.

EcovisLegalPolandisawell-established lawfirmwithmorethan20yearsofhistory. Inrecentyears,EcovisLegalPolandhas workedonvariousmulti-million-zlotyFinnish investmentsinvolvingproduction activities aswellasmergersandacquisitions.Wehave assistedmorethan50Finnishcompanies startingtoconductbusinessinPoland.

Weprovidecomprehensiveassistancefor businessesinthefollowingareas:

•Companylawandcontracts

•Foreigncompaniesentrysupport

•Investments,mergersandacquisitions,

•Taxadviceondomesticand internationaltaxes

•Litigation

•Negotiationsandmediation

•Legalduediligenceonprojectsand companies

•Labourlaw

Yourcontactperson–PiotrPruś,apartner atEcovis–activelyparticipatesinthe Finnish businesscommunityinPoland, supportingitandperformingseveral functionsattheFinnishTradeGuild(FTG) andtheScandinavian-PolishChamberof Commerce(SPCC).Hehas15years’of experienceinservingFinnishcompanies investinginPoland.Piotrhasassistedin greenfield,brownfieldandM&Adeals.

WhatisEcovis?

Ecovisisaglobalconsultingfirmwithits originsinContinentalEurope.Ithasalmost 9,300peopleoperatinginmorethan80 countries.Itsconsultingfocusandcore competencieslieintheareasoftaxconsul-tation,accounting,auditing,legaladvice aswellasM&Adeals.Aparticularstrength ofEcovisisthecombinationofpersonal adviceatalocallevelwiththegeneral expertiseofaninternationalandinterdisci-plinarynetworkofprofessionals.

EcovisLegalPolandMultan,Pruś &PartnersLawandTaxFirm 9ABelwederskaStreet,00-761Warsaw,Poland warsaw-law@ecovis.com

Contactperson: PiotrPruś/Partner piotr.prus@ecovis.pl +48691409091 www.ecovis.com www.ecovislegal.pl

EcovisLegalPolandTax

EspeoSoftwarewasbornoutof anappreciationfortheFinnishwork culture.Everythingstarted14years ago,whentheowners–Sylwiaand PawełRogowicz–returnedfrom Finlandwiththeideaofstarting acompanythatwouldshare Finnishvalues.

Straightintobusiness

Let’slookatthenumbers.Finlandhas approximately5.5millionresidents,while Polandhas37.7million.Withthegrowing importanceofdigitization,theFinnish markethasworkformorethan14thousand developers,butitisimpossibletofill thisneedlocally.Luckily,Poland,being aEuropeanUnioncountrywithitsabundance ofsoftwarehouses,isagreatplacetostart thesearch.

EspeoSoftwarehasmanyskilledsenior developerswithimpressiveportfoliosof projects.AsITandprogrammingarethe preferredmajorsinmanyPolishhighschools, newpeopleareconstantlyjoiningtheirranks. However,itisnotjustaboutthenumbers andourFinnishclientsspeakveryhighlyof theskillsofourUX/UIdesignersandarchi-tectsandtheexcellentworktheydeliver.

Finnsappreciatethe“let’sdoitattitude” thatPolishdevelopershave.Itmakes cooperationseamlessandefficient-just howwelikeit.

AkiInkeroinen

“Let’sdoit!”

There’sonethingaboutspeakingourminds thatFinnsreallyappreciate.Developersat EspeoSoftwarearenotafraidtocriticize andcommentontheirclients’ideas.Itmay soundcounterintuitiveorimpolite,but fromtheFinnishperspective,ifaclient comestoasoftwareexpert,theyexpect thebestpossibleresults.Andsometimes thatrequiresawholedifferentperspective. Polishdevelopersdonothaveaproblem withsaying“Hey,Ithinkitcouldwork betterifwedidthisanotherway.”

AtEspeoSoftware,weenjoyworkingwith Finns.Weappreciatetheir“matter-of-fact” approach,professionalism,andtech-savvi-ness.ButwhatabouttheFinnsthemselves? Aren’ttheculturaldifferencesbetween thetwonationstoogreat?Accordingto AkiInkeroinen,managing directorof EspeoOy,thePolishandFinnish work culturesareactuallyquitesimilarandcan besummedupinthreecatchphrases.

Nouselesschat

Somenationsenjoysmalltalk.Thismay causetheirdecision-makingprocessesto takeages,aschit-chattendstobeahuge partofbusinessdiscussions.AtEspeo Software,wedonotwasteanytime.

Polish developersfocusonthetaskathand rather thancommentingontheweather. And, withahighEnglishfluencyleveland strong softskills,themeetingsgofastand helpclientsstayontopofthecurrent projectstate.

WhenitcomestoPolish-Finnishtechno-logicalcooperation,itseemsthewarm feelingsaremutual.Afterall,theonly thingseparatingPolandandFinlandis thesea–whichmightbevast,butnot impossibletocross.

Wouldyouliketotalkaboutourexperience? Ormaybeyouwouldliketoseethemfor yourself?Pleasetakealookatourwebsite –espeo.eu.Andifyou’drathertalkto arealperson–someonewitharealFinnish perspective–thendon’thesitatetocontact Akihimself!

AkiInkeroinen +358505564911 aki.inkeroinen@espeo.eu

A Finnish accounting companyinPoland

www.leinonen.eu

LeinonenPolandSp.zo.o. Piękna68,00-672Warszawa +48226238418 leinonen@leinonen.pl

MariaOnikki-Górski

HousinginPolandwithaFinnishtwist

YIT,thelargestFinnishconstructioncompany,hascompletedseveralnewprojectsinWarsawandGdańskin recentyears.WeaskedTomaszKonarski,theCEOatYITinPoland,aboutthecompany’sFinnishconnections, plansforexpansioninPolandandthesituationonthePolishrealestatemarket.

TuomasAsunmaa:Howdoyouuseyour Finnishoriginsforlocalpromotion? Dobuyersvalueyourbackgroundwhen makingadecisiontopurchase?

TomaszKonarski: Inourcommunications withcustomers,weemphasizethecompany’s connectionto Finlandfromthebeginning. ThephilosophyfromthenorthofEurope ondevelopingurbanspace,takinginto accountbothhumanandenvironmental needs–withtheslogan“Morelifein sustainablecities”–correspondsto moderntrendsandneeds.Ourclients appreciatethis,whichisevidentinthe interestinourprojects.

Finnishdesignismorethandesigning ordinaryobjects.Itisacreativeenergy thatbalancestheausterityofspacewith colorfulandnaturalmicro-scale.Thisis awayoflifethatvaluesfunctionality, naturalandunforcedsimplicity.Northern designisalsoamarriageofinnovation andtechnologythatisgainingincreasing recognitioninPolandaswell.

TuomasAsunmaa:Haveyoubrought anytypicalFinnishhouseinventionsor standardstoPoland?Arethereplans foranysaunasinapartmentsyet?

TomaszKonarski: Housingconstruction standardsinPolandaredifferentfromin Finland(inPoland,webuildinamore traditionalway–castinsitu–whilein Finlandprefabricationisdominant). However,inourprojects,weintroduce provensolutionssuchasfunctional, spaciousandilluminatedrooms,natural materialsandwell-thought-outcommon areasandgreenspaces,developedin accordancewithourproprietary“More LifeinYards”concept.

ThesearecharacteristicoftheFinnish styleinherentinYITdevelopmentsaround theworld.

Weadaptedtheideaofplacingasauna inaflatinourprojectsinPoland–Nordic Mokotów,locatedinWarsaw,isagood example.Thebathroomsintheunitswere designedsothattheirresidentscould easilyinstallasaunainthem.Weare consideringimplementingthissolution inourfutureinvestments.

TuomasAsunmaa:Doyouusuallyhire FinnishorPolisharchitectstodesign yourrealestateinPoland?

TomaszKonarski: Asarule,investments inPolandaredesignedbyPolisharchitects. Forexample,oneofourcurrentflagship Warsawprojects,AromaPark,wasdesigned entirelybytheKAPSArchitekcistudio. Theresultisauniquehousingdevelopment thatalludestothehistoryoftheploton whichitislocated.Theproject,which combinestherevitalizationofthehistoric buildingsoftheformerHenrykBienenthal yeastfactoryandnewspaces,isproofthat Polishspecialistsareexcellentattheircraft andworthtrusting.

AnexceptiononthePolishmarketisour mixed-useprojectinGdańsk–theŻurawie –whereweinvitedProfessorRainer Mahlamäki,co-founderofoneofFinland’s mostrecognizablearchitecturalstudios–Lahdelma&MahlamäkiArchitects–towork withus.InPoland,heisknown,among otherthings,fortheaward-winningdesign ofWarsaw’sPOLINMuseumoftheHistory ofPolishJews.Mahlamäkidesigned theinvestmentwiththehelpofPolish teamsfromLATERGRUPAARCHITEKCI

andGCK.Thiscooperationresultedin auniqueprojectwithanindustrialcharacter, referringtoshipbuildinghalls,ships,sea anddunes,allblendingperfectlywiththe architectureoftheMłodeMiastodistrict. Thankstothesuccessofthisteam,weare consideringfurtherinterestinginternational collaborationsinthefuture.

TuomasAsunmaa:Areyouplanning toexpandtoothercitiesinPoland?

TomaszKonarski: Yes,wehaveeven alreadytakenspecificstepstoentermore cities,inadditiontoWarsawandGdańsk. Krakówhasnowbecomeourtarget,where YIThasacquiredtwopiecesoflandfor morethan700apartments.

Inaddition,wearestrengtheningour presencewherewehavebeenactive before:inWarsaw,wehaveenrichedour portfoliowithtwolocationsforabout600 apartmentsandinGdańskwiththree locationsforabout500apartments. Tosumup,ourexistinglandbankhas recentlybeenenrichedbymorethan 80,000sqmPUMand1,800units.

TuomasAsunmaa:Thenumberandtotal valueofnewmortgageapplicationsfell byover70%y/yinAugust2022. Howarethemarketconditionsaffecting YITinPoland?Areyouinalessaffected segment?

ParkurResidenceinWarsaw

TomaszKonarski: Weareacompany listedontheHelsinki StockExchangeand investmentsinFinland accountformore thanhalfofourportfolio. Thismeansthe situationonthatmarketalsohasasignifi-cantimpactoninvestorsentiment,which ultimatelytranslatesintosharepricedynamics. InPoland,demandcollapsedasaresultof theintroductionofdrasticcreditrating criteria.Theconsequenceshavenotspared YITeither.Wehaveseenasignificantdecline incustomersrelyingoncredittopurchase apartments,resultinginlower sales. Fortunately,wehaveseveralprojects that aregoingwelldespitetheworseresults. Asidefromtheinterestratehikes,thebiggest probleminPolandistheFSA’srecommen-dationfromMarch2022adding5%tothe marginandtoWIBOR.Today,inorderto takeoutaloan,youhavetomeetthe stress-testcriteriaofabout15percent interestratesperyear.Ontheotherhand, someofourinvestments,suchasthe Żurawie,areattractingcustomerswho haveexcesscashandseebuyingreal estateasaninvestmentwithahigher rateofreturnthanabankdeposit.

TuomasAsunmaa:Isthesituationinthe realestatemarketinPolandverydifferent fromothercountriesyouoperatein?

TomaszKonarski: Weoperateineight othercountries:Finland,Sweden,Norway, Estonia,Lithuania,Latvia,theCzechRepublic andSlovakia.Itisclearthattherealestate situationinvariousEuropeancountries differsintermsofanumberofcriteria–social,economic,legalandother,all affectingtheconductofbusiness. However,somecommonfeaturescanbe found.AsImentionedabove,thebiggest influenceonYIT’soperationsisthesituation inFinland,sodespitetheautonomyinthe localmarkets,therearevariousdependencies betweenthebranches.

TuomasAsunmaa:Whatwasthebiggest concernaboutthePolishrealestate marketwhenyoustartedyourfirst projecthere?Doesitstillremain themainchallenge?

TomaszKonarski: Beginningsarenever easy.Nevertheless,enteringPolandin 2015wasanaturalstepinlinewithYIT’s developmentstrategyinCentraland EasternEurope.Inthefirstmonthswe faced,amongotherthings,issueswith brandrecognitiontranslating intodemand, acquiringlandforconstruction, project financinganddifficultiesrelatedtothe activitiesofforeigninvestors.Withthe growthofthecompanyonthePolish marketandchangesinthe country’ssocioeconomicspace,weencounterednew challenges.Theyareaninherentpartof doingbusiness,notonlyinthe developmentindustry.

TuomasAsunmaa:Arethereanymajor differencesbetweenlocalrealestate marketsinWarsawandGdańsk?

TomaszKonarski: Eachregionalmarket hasdifferentcharacteristics.

Despitethemanycriteriathatdistinguish localmarkets,atYITweofferapartments thatsuittheresidentsofbothWarsawand Gdańsk.Weknowtheirneedsandweknow thatYIT’spropertiesmeetalltherequire-mentsthatguaranteeanappropriate standardofliving.Soweareconfident thattheywillalsoappealtocustomers fromotherPolishcities.

TuomasAsunmaa:Polesstillpreferto owntheirapartmentsinsteadofrenting them.Doyouthinkthistrendcould changeinthelong-term?

TomaszKonarski: Polesarestillusedto buyingapartments.Thelocalrentalmarket isoneoftheleastdevelopedinthe EuropeanUnion,althoughthistoois graduallychanging.Despitetheincreasing difficultiesPolishconsumersareexperiencing whentryingtoobtainamortgage,they stillconsideritmoreprofitabletobuythan torent.Ownedapartmentsarestilltreated asasurecapitalinvestmentthatcanpay offinarelativelyshorttime.Combined withrisingrentsforrentalunits,Idon’t expectinterestinrentingapartmentsto increasesignificantlyinthefuture,especially inthetraditionalversion.However, aninterestingalternativeisthePRSsector, whichisbringinganewqualitytotherental market.Inthenextfewyears,itcanbe expectedtodevelopfurtherinPoland, whichmayinfluencepeople’sapproach tobuyinganapartment.

TuomasAsunmaa:Howdoyoupredict thesituationonthePolishrealestate marketwillchangeoverthenextcouple ofyears?

TomaszKonarski: Recentyearshavemade usrealizehowdifficultitistopredictthe

marketsituation.Asrecentlyas2020,we wereoptimisticaboutthefuture,despite theprevailingpandemic.Today,reduced demandistakingitstollondevelopers’ performance.Thecurrentsituationisalso affectingthebusinessdecisionsofinstitu-tionalinvestors.Inmanycases,theyare refinancingthepropertiestheybuy,andit iscurrentlydifficulttoobtain adequate lendinglevelsforrentalbuildings.Financing investmentsusingtheirowncapitalmeans lessreturnoninvestment.Evenrent increasesarenotcompensatingforthe reductionin refinancinglevels. Thefuture oftheindustrydependsonmany factors, soit’shardtosaydefinitivelywhatmight happeninthenextfewyears.What is certainisthat,asaninternationalcompany benefitingfromtheexperienceofhaving apresenceinmanycountries,weatYIT arepreparedforthechallengesahead.

TuomasAsunmaa:Arethereanytrends inapartmentbuildingthatareworth following,i.e.Investorsbuying theentireestates?

TomaszKonarski: Oneofthemostinteres-tingtrendsisthestronglydeveloping PRS sectorinPoland.ThePolishbranchof YIT alreadydecidedtoinvestininstitutional leasingbypartneringwithNordicinvestor NREPin2021.Aspartoftheagreement, wehavesoldandareinvolvedinthe constructionofmorethan1,000residential unitslocatedinWarsaw.Wearecurrently developingthreeofthefourbuildingsand willbehandingoverthefirsttwosoon. Ibelievethattheapartmentsofferedby thecompaniesareagoodalternativeto traditionalapartmentrentals,meetingthe needsofthemoderncustomer.AsImen-tionedearlier,thistrendmaybecomeone oftheleadingonesonthePolishrealestate marketintheyearstocome.

TomaszKonarski CEO,YITPoland www.yit.pl

AromaParkLofty,YITprojectinWarsaw

Żurawie,YITprojectinGdańsk

“Finland's gifttothePolishmetalindustry”

hesayswithasmileonhisface…

TuomasAsunmaa:Youhaveworkedas amanagerinvariouscompaniesinFinland, ChinaandPoland.Inwhichofthese countriesdoyoufeelthebest?

JuhaSavolainen: Allthecountrieshave theirownprosandcons.Ialwayssaythat thenumberofproblemsisconstant,but theirformchanges.Nomatterwhereyou are.Butseriouslyspeaking…Finlandwill alwaysbenumberoneformeofcourse, butinPolandIdofeelathome.Polesand Finnsthinkalikeaboutmanythings.

TuomasAsunmaa:Whatarecurrently thebiggestchallengesthatyouface andhowwillyousolvethem?

TuomasAsunmaa:Whatisyourfavorite placeinPoznań?

JuhaSavolainen: Homeanditssurroun-dings.CitadelPark.

TuomasAsunmaa:Arethereany differencesinmanagementstyles inPolandvsFinland?

JuhaSavolainenisoneofjustafew FinnishfactorymanagersinPoland. Savolainenhasover25yearsof experienceinanumberofprojects inthemetalindustry.Hecurrently runsthePolishoperationsofHT LaserinPoznańandisresponsible forthecompanyincreasingits developmentandexpansion efforts intotheEuropeanmarket. Hesharedwithussomeinsights fromproductionmanagement.

JuhaSavolainen: IguessIamsingingthe samesongaseveryoneelsethesedays: inflation,interestrates,risingenergyand laborcosts,etc.Unfortunately,wearenot inapositiontosolvetheseproblems. Wejustdoourbesttolivewiththem. Thismeansconstantpricenegotiations withourcustomersandsubcontractorsin ordertomaintainourcompetitiveposition onthemarket.Wealsohavetobeable toofferacompetitivesalaryleveltoour employees.Sofarwehavebeenreasonably successfulinthis.Inmybook,qualityand safetycomefirstandeverythingelsefollows.

TuomasAsunmaa:Howhasthedaily workofafactorymanagerchanged sincethepandemic?

JuhaSavolainen: Ingeneral,wesurvived theworstofthepandemicquitewell. Abigthankyougoestoourstaffforthis. Theywereveryproactiveandinnovative infindingnewwaystokeepproduction going.Personally,Inotseeanybig changesinmydailywork.

TuomasAsunmaa:Whydidyoudecide toworkinPoland?

JuhaSavolainen: It’salongstory,butIwill trytomakeitshort.IwasworkingforHT Laserbefore(2006-2013)andIalsomanaged oneprojectforHTLaserhereinPoznań in2012.DuringmytimeinChinain2016, IhadacallfromHTLaserandtherestis history.Whatcouldgowrongwhenyou knowthegameandtheplayers?Iknew whatIwasstickingmyheadinto. MyfamilywasalsovotingforPoland insteadoftheFarEast.

JuhaSavolainen:Ihaveafeelingthatin Finlandwehaveashorterchainofcommand. Thisopinionisbasedonlyonmyown experience.Personally,Iamquiteastraight-forwardandhands-onmanagernomatter whereIam.Idonothaveaswitchtochange intoPolishorFinnishmodeinmystyleor behavior.However,itmustbeunderstood thattherearecertainboundariesinthe culturesthatshouldnotbecrossed.

TuomasAsunmaa:WhatareyourTOP3 principlesformanagingPolishworkers?

Knowyourstaffonapersonallevel, ifpossible,andletthemknowyou. Encourageemployeestospeakupabout theiropinionsandparticipateindifferent processes.

Managepossibleconflictsproperly.Donot turnablindeyeortrytoshirkresponsibility.

Itdoesnothurttotakealookinamirror everynowandthenandaskifyouhave doneyourbestwithregardtothethings mentionedabove.

TuomasAsunmaa:Whatisyourforecast forHTLaserforthenextyear?What kindofscenariosdoyouhave?

Itlookslikewewilldojustfine.Mostof ourcapacityisalreadysolduntilQ3and theorderbackloglooksgood.Therewill beachallengewithcapacityduringQ1, butwewillmanagelikewealwaysdo. Allthetimewearelookingfornewways toincreaseourcapacitytoserveour customersbetter.Ournewestmachining centerwillbeinstalledinDecember. ItwillsignificantlyincreaseourCNC machiningcapacityandexpandour rangeofmachiningservicesinthefuture.

HTLaserSp.zo.o. JuhaSavolainen CEO juha.savolainen@htlaser.fi +48600436789|+358408273450 www.htlaser.fi

JuhaSavolainen

TuomasAsunmaa:Whatistheconnection betweentheHartwallfamilyandLviv/ Ukraine?

BBH(BalticBeveragesHolding),whichwas ownedbytheHartwallfamilyupuntil2008, operatedseverallargebreweriesinUkraine, includingoneinLviv.Itwasduringthese timesthattheconnectiontoUkraineand Lvivwasestablished.

TuomasAsunmaa:Wasthehotelawell plannedinvestment oradream,ordid itjusthappen..?

Abitofboth.Theopportunitytoacquirethe landintheoldtownofLvivandbuildahotel wasnotpartofalong-termplan. However, thefamilyhadastrongconnectionto thecityandfeltalandmarkhotelcouldbe agreatwaytorestorethatconnectionand haveareasontokeepcomingbacktoLviv.

TuomasAsunmaa:IsthereanyFinnish twistinyourhotel?

Thedesignofthenewlyrefurbishedrooms andfacilitieswascreatedbyaFinnishinterior architectandcontainsmanyFinnish design elements.Youcanseepicturesofthebrewing operationsandreadaboutthefamilyhistory inourlobbybar.Butmoreimportantthan physicalelements,weliketothinkthatthe wayweoperate,theatmosphereandservice quality,bearsastrongScandinavianconnec-tion.StayingatLeopolisshouldfeellike beingathome. Anditisbecauseofthis thatourcustomers keepreturning.

TuomasAsunmaa:Doesthefamilyhave otherinvestmentsinUkraineaswell?

Wearealsoshareholdersinanagricultural companythatfarmsandprocessespotato starch.Theoperationsarelocatedoutside Lviv.

TuomasAsunmaa:Hastheyearbeen successful,despitethewar?

Youhavetorememberthatweenteredthe warjustaswestartedrecoveringfromthe pandemic.Despitethewarandalltheother challenges,wemanagedtokeeptheteam andcompletetherenovationofrooms. Thiswasahugeprojectrequiringalotof resources,butitbecameahometomany guests duringthefirstmonthsofthewar, supportingrefugeeswithhumanitarianaid and,mostimportantly,keepingthehotel runningandprovidingahighlevelof serviceasusual. Obviously,wehavehad financiallosses,like manyothercompanies inUkraine,butinthissituationpeople’s safetyandwellbeinghasbeen thehighestpriority.

TuomasAsunmaa:Probablytheclient profilehaschanged?Whatkindofclients haveyouhadthisyear(embassies, organizations,internalrefugees…?

Itmayseemstrange,butdespitethewar ourkeyguestprofilehasremainedalmost thesame:everyweekwehaveboth indivi-dualtravelersfromUkraine,diplomatic corps(manyofthosereturningtoUkraine ortravelingbackandforth),international organizations,manylocalandforeign volunteerswhobringhumanitarianaidto thecountryandchooseLeopolistomake astopandrelaxabit.Wearehappyto hearEnglish,German,Finnishandother languagesinourpremises–itmeansthat lifegoesonandUkrainehasalwaysbeen andremainsthecenterofEurope.

TuomasAsunmaa:HowdoesLvivlook todayandhowdoyoumanagethehotel andtheteam?

Ifyoudonothearairalarmsanddisregard varioussandbagsprotectinghistorical monumentsandbuildings,youmighteven believethisisnotacityatwar.Lvivcitizens anditsgueststrytolivetheirnormallives, restaurantsandhotelsareworking,and youcanstillfeelthespiritofthecity.Yes,

therearesomepoweroutsnowandthen, butcandlesmakethecoldautumnnights evenmoreromanticandcozy.Asforthe hotel,themajorityoftheteamisonsite,we haveallocatedoneofourformercellarbars asashelterandourguestsfeelsafe and protectedinsidethehotel.Theowners are constantlyintouchwithpeopleinthehotel andsupporttheteambyallpossiblemeans.

TuomasAsunmaa:Goingforward,how doyouseethefutureprospectsofLviv?

Weareabsolutelycertainthat,afterthe warandUkraine’svictory,Lvivwillremain andwillgrowtobenotonlyaniceand beautifulcity,butalsoakeytouristdesti-nationformanyEuropeansandtravelers fromallovertheworldandoneofthe largestEastern-Europeanbusinesshubs. Wealreadyseehowithasdevelopedover thelast10yearsandthereisevenmore potential.Wearepreparedforthisand, asbefore,arereadytohostbothbusiness andindividualtravelersinourbeautiful renovatedroomsandwithourwarm-hearted service.Ourlocationisideal–allmajor landmarksjustaroundthecorner–and servicehasalwaysbeenourcompetitive advantage.Sowearelookingforwardto thistimeanddoingallwecantospeed upthevictory.

TuomasAsunmaa:Doyouplantobemore activeinUkraine afterthewarends?

WehavebuiltalongrelationshipwithUkraine andLvivovermorethan20yearsandwe intendtokeepitthatway.Ifandwhenthe warends,therewillundoubtedlybeaneed forinvestmentsandmanyopportunities maypresentthemselves.

TheHartwallfamilyisknownfortheproductionofbeverages,butdid youknowthattheyalsoownafive-starhotelinUkraine?WeaskedNiclas Diesen,CEOofK.HartwallInvestandKaterynaMatiushchenko, GMofLeopolisHotel,aboutthehistoryofthehotel,itschallenges duringthewarandviewsforthefuture. leopolishotel.com TeatralnaStreet16,79008Lviv,Ukraine hotel@leopolishotel.com +380322959500|+380503713937

Leopolisbuilding

OurUkrainiancolleaguessharetheir thoughtsaboutthewar

InearlyFebruary2022,SpondeoexpandedtoLviv,thelargestcityinWesternUkraine.Nooneimaginedthatsoon after,ournewteammemberswouldwakeuptotheabruptsoundofsirens.Natalie,OksanaandTaniashare storiesabouthowtheirlivesirreversiblychangedonFebruary24,2022.

Webelievedthewarwouldendin afewweeks

Russia’sinvasionofUkraineonFebruary24 constitutednotonlythegreatestthreat topeaceandsafetyintheworld,butalso changedthelifeofeveryUkrainian. Wewerepreparing.Listeningtothenews. Butwewereafraidtoevenimaginethis evermighthappen.Realwar.Likefrom historicalbooksormovies.

Thatmorning,myfriendsstartedcalling meandsayingthewarhadstarted.At4am. SoIgotup,openedthewindowandheard thefirstaircivildefensesireninmylife: “Attention!Airalarm.Please,takefood, clothes.Helpchildrenandoldpeople…” WearefarfromthefrontlineshereinLviv, butairsirensgooffmultipletimesaday. Imighthearthemanytime:whilesleeping, eatingorworking.Theywakemeup.Itis sodifficultformetoacceptthereisawar justafewhundredkilometersfrommy home,whererussiansoccupiedmyterritory. Withoutanygoodreasons.TheKremlin propagandamachinehasspentdecades convincingthepeoplethattheyarethe foremostnationandcandoanythingthey want.Andtheydid.Theystartedthelargest invasionofrealwarsincetheSecondWorld War.Righthere,inmymotherland. IhaveseveralfriendsinKharkivandIthink ofthemeveryday.Theywerethefirstones whowokeupthatmorning,whoarehiding indampbasementsfromrussianmissiles. Oneofthempostedthefollowingon Instagram:“Ifyoureadthismessage, itmeansIamstillalive.”Someofthem refusedtoleaveKharkiv.WhenIseethat theypostsomethingontheirsocial networks,Ifeelabitbetter.

Initially,webelievedeverythingwouldend soquickly.Butnowwearegrowingolder andwiser.Werealizethewarwon’tend tomorrow.Wehavealottodo.Andwe will.Butweencourageeachotherand theworld.Andtheworldencouragesus.

Theseasonschangeoneaftertheother, andIwishFebruarywouldfinallyend!

Thisisthemonthwhenthewarbegan,and isstillongoing,stilltakingthousandsoflives, stilltakingawaythefutureofthousands, butatthesametimebuildingwhatwe havebeenstrivingforsolong,thefree andgreatfutureofourmotherland. MystoryisabouthowIfacedthevery difficultrealitiesofwar.Imadethedecision toleavethecountry.OnceIdreamedof travelingformonths,changingcountries, gettingtoknowcultures,livinganinde-pendentlifeawayfrommyparents.Under othercircumstances,Iwouldhavebeen overthemoon,buttravelingwithout areturntickethomeisnotsomuchfun.

SpringandsummerflewpastandIdidn't havetimetolookaround.InMarch, ItraveledtoPoland,inApril,Mayand partofJuneIwasinFinlandandEstonia, anotherpartofJuneandJulyIwentto Canada,andnowIamintheUSA. ThesupportthatUkraineisreceivingfrom abroadisveryimportant.It'snicetomeet passers-bywhoshareyourpainandsadness, anddon'tforgettoremindyouthatitwon't belong,becausevictoryisgettingcloser andcloser.Ofcourse,Ifeelaconstant longingforfamilyandfriends,buttheyare alwayswithme,inmydreamsandinreality. Thereissomuchmoretosay,butmost ofallIwouldliketothankthosewhoare defendingUkraine,thosewhoarefighting, sheddingblood,skippingsleep,living undernourished,butcontinuingtodefend ourland,inthesteppes,inthetrenches, inwinter,spring,summer,andnowin autumn.Ithankthem,becauseifthey weren'tthere,Iwouldn'tbeabletotalkto myparentsontheinternet,Iwouldn'thear thevoiceofmyfriends,Iwouldn'treceive photoreportsaboutmypetdogDavey. Allthiscouldnothappenifnotforthem.

Lifewillneverbethesame

Thefull-scaleinvasionstruckmevery suddenly.Ididn'tbelievethismadness waspossiblein2022.February24was supposedtobearegulardayatworkand aneveningfullofhappyactivities.Instead, Iwokeupinfearformylife.Hearingsirens everyfewhoursthroughoutthedayand nightmademesleep-deprived.Afterone ofthemissilespassed,Isawthesmoke throughmywindow,comingofftheairport inmyarea.Icouldn'tbelievemyeyes! ItwaslikeamoviethatIhopedwouldend whenIwokeupproperly.Butitfeltlike thetimedraggedonlikeinsome nightmarishGroundhogDay.

Afterafewdaysofhelplessnessandapathy, Istartedtocombinemyworkschedule withvolunteeringactivities:humanitarian aidandmilitarynetting.Despitehaving achancetogoabroadtoliveinHelsinki sinceApril,myfriendsandfamilyhave beenlivingunderthesamedifficulties sincethebeginning.Inaddition,after acomprehensivestrikeonelectrical systemsinanumberofcitiesinOctober, citizensareforcedtoliveindarkness withoutelectricityandsometimeswithout wateralmosteveryday.Manyhaveit worse,inKherson,Mariupol,Bucha,etc. Millionsweredisplacedandthousands werekidnappedtoRussiaandaretrying tofindtheirwaybacktoUkrainethrough Belarus,PolandandtheBalkans.

Thewarhasshownmetheincredibleunity ofmycountryagainstrussia.Theenemy wantstoeliminateUkrainiansasanation andtakeoverfullcontrolofourland. Ibelievethatifourforceshadn’thalted therussians,theywouldhavetheireyes onthewholeofEurope.Weknowthecost offreedom,andafterhundredsofyearsof fightingwiththem,Europehasfinallyseen thetruefaceofthatrottencountrythatis ourunfortunateneighbor.

OksanaKets

TaniaSen

Natalia Kachmar Lviv,Ukraine Minneapolis,MN,USA

Helsinki,Finland

AndrzejjoinedSpondeoin2016withlittlemore thanageneralunderstandingofFinnsandFinland. Sincethen,hehaslaudedthepeopleofFinland fortheirmoralcharacter,originality,anddrysense ofhumor.Hegenuinelyenjoyshiswork,whichis frequentlyrelatedtocross-borderbusiness developmentandmarketentryprojects.He perceivesitnotonlyasawayofgrowthfor companiesbutalsoasanopportunityforfostering interculturalunderstandingandcooperation. Regardinghisworkingstyle:action-oriented, seeksoutthebestsolutions,hasanagileattitude andthinksoutsidethebox.Afterwork,heenjoys doingsports,walkingthePolishmountains,and takingtheFinnishsauna.

SpondeoisaFinnish-Polish familycompanyestablished in2014tohelpinentering thePolishorFinnishmarket. OurFinnish-Polish-Ukrainian teamof12hasgotyoucovered whenitcomestotop-notch recruitmentservicesand marketentryconsulting. WearebasedinPoznań, Poland-welcomeforavisit!

TuomasisaCo-founderandcaptainofSpondeo butalsoaheadhunter,advisor,eventorganizer, salesman,controllerandbusinessdeveloper.

Piotr Worsztynowicz

PiotrjoinedSpondeoin2018andeversincehas beenengagedinsalesprojectsforourindustrial andITcustomers.HeisagraduateofEuropean StudiesatAdamMickiewiczUniversityinPoznań andMBAofGeorgiaStateUniversityprogram atUniversityofEconomicsinPoznań.Helovesto spendhistimewithhisfamilyandhisthreekids keephimquitebusy.Whenhefinallyhastimefor himselfhelikestohittennisballsandreadgood literature.

Tomasz Wnuk

TomaszgraduatedfromInternationalEconomic RelationswithaspecializationinInternational BusinessatthePoznańUniversityofEconomics andBusinessandiscurrentlypursuingamaster's degreeinMarketing.TomaszjoinedSpondeoin February2021andisnowworkingasabusiness consultantonanumberofinternationalprojects. Professionallyandacademically,heisinterested intheconceptofsustainabledevelopment.Inthis regard,heisactiveinthestudentclubathis university,servingasvicepresident.Privately,heis passionateaboutfitnessandallkindsofgood literature,whilehisfavoriteauthorisDavidFoster Wallace.

Andrzej Wiśniewski

Weronika Gidel-Asunmaa

JuliaMortaispursuingaMaster’sdegreein ManagementatPoznańUniversityofEconomics andBusiness(currentlyatstudentexchangeat ISCTEBusinessSchoolinLisbon).AtSpondeo, sheisthemanagerofexecutivenewsletterand takespartinvariousconsultingprojects.Sheis anenthusiastofbooks,travelsandgoodmovies. Inhersparetime,sheenjoystakinglongwalks withherspanielLeoandplayingtheharmonica.

Viktoriia Sviata

VikaisgainingherdegreeatLCCInternational UniversityinContemporaryCommunication. Previously,sheworkedascopywriter,market researcher,sourcer,andaphotographer.At Spondeo,sheisworkingonthewebsite,creates graphicvisuals,andhelpswiththemarket researchprojects.Infreetime,Vikaispracticing fineartandgraphicdesignasherhobbies.

Natalie Kachmar

GraduatedfromLvivandKyivuniversities,has experienceofworkingatPolishandAmerican companies.SinceshehasbeenlivinginPoland forsometime,managedtolearnabitofPolish andreallyenjoythepossibilitytoimproveitwith herPolishcolleaguesinSpondeo.Hasbeen workinginthecompanysincethebeginningof 2022asaTalentAcquisitionSpecialist.Inherfree time,shelikesexploringhistoricalplacesand newcitiesofUkraine,takingphotosandvideos.

PiotrjoinedSpondeoin2022.Heisagraduateof theDepartmentofLawattheUniversityof Wrocław.MostofhisprofessionalcareerPiotr hasworkedinbroadlyunderstoodHR,from recruitmentandretentiontohumanresources management-witheachandeveryproject closelyrelatedtoFinnishmarket.Atworkalways goal-orientedandscrupulousyetnot headstrongtothelimits.Lovestotraveland meetnewpeople.BigfanofFinnishsauna, northernlightsandryechips.

Taniagraduatedwithabachelor'sdegreein Englishlang.andliteraturefromIvanFrankoLviv NationalUniversity.Shehasworkedasan Englishlang.tutor,andhasdonecreative projectsfortheLvivRegionalYouthCenter.She hasexperienceinsourcing&recruitingand enjoyslearningaboutweb/appdesign.She assistsSpondeoasaTalentAcquisition Specialist.Infreetimelikesridingabike,making filmphotos,paintingwithwatercolors,and watchingdocumentariesaboutcrimeorscience.

Tania Sen

Piotr Gidel

Julia Morta

SpondeoisaFinnish-Polishfamilycompanyestablishedin2014tohelpinentering PolishorFinnishmarket.Inearly2022weexpandedtoLviv,Ukraineandcurrentlywe have12teammembersandwedoprojectsinpan-Europeanscale.Ourcorevalues includetransparency,flexibility,andopennesstodifferentpeopleandideas.Weare happytoseethecontinuoustrustofourclientsandnetwork-in2022,92%ofour salescamefrominbounds.Wearealwaysopenforflexiblecooperationmodels. Don’thesitatetogiveusatry!

Finnishproductioncompanies inPoland

HTLaser

Arnon Darekon Gebwell Promeco Wartsila

Alteams Fiskars

Świecie

AxoparBoats SaxdorYachts VAVaruste XoBoats

Finnishsalesoffices/services inPoland

AllstarsEngineering Beweship Deltamarin Elomatic EltelNetworksTelecom Ensto Finnlines

Nokia Ductor Europress Spondeo

Kipinä Kemira Konecranes LagoLogistics Peikko Ukkone

AFRY Valmet

Ramirent

BMHTechnology Comatec Molok Vilpe Caverion LagoLogistics OutokumpuDistribution Renta Tamtron TacticGames

spondeo

Ahlstrom-Munksjö AholaTransport Geobear Greencarrier Halton HRX Kemppi Kiilto Kone

Leinonen Lindstrom Martela Metso Neles Nokia NokianTyres Onninen OrionPharma Pellon Raisio NowaEra(SANOMA) Telko ValkeaMedia

Thefollowingcompanieshavesupportedourpublication: