Canadian Swedish Business Association- Stockholm

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There are not many countries that share more similarities than those that Canada and Sweden do.  Both countries are renowned for hockey, forests, it’s arctic people and peacekeeping.  Both countries claim to be large- Canada, the second largest country in the world & Sweden, the largest country in Northern Europe.  Both countries share very similar views on development assistance around the globe and on human rights.Our countries have enjoyed a close relationship since before confederation with the first Swede coming to this land in 1809.  According to Stats Can there are over 330,000 Canadians that claim Swedish ancestry.  Canada has Sweden to thank for Skiing, Erik Lindros and Arthur Ariksen (architect of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, Simon Fraser University, Museum of Anthropology at UBC and many many other smaller but certainly not lesser buildings).  Today in Canada we can see Swedish products all around us.  Volvo, Sony Ericsson, Electrolux, IKEA and Abba are all household names.  The Canadian Embassy in Stockholm puts the total imports from Sweden at $2.1 billion for 2007.  This country of only 9.1 million residents and a geography only slightly larger than California has made a deep and lasting impression on Canada. 

Canada on the other hand has not made quite as large of an impact on Sweden.  Although there are an estimated 2580 Canadian Expats living in Sweden, the total imports from Canada is estimated to have reached only $544 million in 2007.

This is where the Canadian Swedish Business Association comes into play.  The CSBA began as an initiative of several prominent Swedish and Canadian businessmen in 1995. The association grew during the later part of the 1990s and through to 2005 but with the departure of a few key members in 2006 it fell dormant.  However, in 2007 the Canadian Embassy in Stockholm realized the value of the organization and brought in Birgitta Dumont to take the reins.  Trilingual in Swedish, English and French Birgitta has brought new life to the association.  Since her entry onto the scene a remarkable turnaround has happened.  This year alone ten events are scheduled with plans to add more for next.  204 companies and private members make up the core of the CSBA and it is growing steadily.  All those Swedish corporate names listed above are represented along with Canadian companies such as Nortel Networks, Bombardier, Invest Quebec and Air Canada. Mr. Klas Wåhlberg, president of Bombardier Sweden currently chairs the association.

The Canadian Swedish Business Association represents an extremely important tie between Canada and Sweden.  Its activities and events assisted by the Canadian Embassy match Canadian and Swedish business partners along with academia to form a unique organization poised to help further increase the bilateral trade between our two countries.

With two countries sharing so many similarities and history there is no question that great things are in store for Canadian Swedish business relations in the future.  The CSBA will no doubt be instrumental in helping forge new partnerships and cementing those already in place.

For further information about the Canadian Swedish Business Association:

The Canadian Expat Association: www.thecanadianexpat.com

Web: http://www.csba.se/

Mailing Address:

CSBA

Box 16129

SE-10323 Stockholm

Sweden  

Telephone: +46 (0)73 685 9530

Email: info@csba.se