British Swedish Chamber of Commerce’s 70th anniversary event celebrates “exceptional British-Swedish relationship”

Celebrating the close and long-standing partnership between Sweden and the UK was at the centre of the British Swedish Chamber of Commerce’s recent 70th anniversary event in Stockholm.

11 Sep 2024 . 4 min read

NatWest Group chairman, Rick Haythornthwaite, CEO of NatWest Markets Europe, Vincent Goedegebuure, Country Head Sweden, Martin Arnborg, CEO of Nordisk Renting, Anna Hallsten, and other NatWest colleagues from the region, attended the event which brought together industry leaders for the day to discuss further opportunities for joint trade and other areas of collaborations.

Building on the strategic partnership agreement from October 2023 between Sweden and the UK, the anniversary day focused on three areas for collaboration: sustainable trade and green transition, science and innovation, and defence and security.

Below, we’ve summarised highlights from the discussions in the different seminars that ran during the event. These seminars all strongly reflected the commitment of both nations to work together on sustainable development, innovation, and security.

In times of uncertainty and rising trade barriers, a strong trade collaboration between European countries is vital: Tom Standage, Deputy Editor of The Economist and Editor of the “World Ahead” discussed the Global Trends for 2025, emphasising the significant effects of key elections worldwide. He noted that the results of the US election in particular will greatly influence security, defence, international trade, and humanity. Standage also highlighted the increasing tensions between the West and China and the risk of additional trade barriers, and that it’s therefore essential for the EU and the UK to work together closely to remain competitive on the global stage.

No trade policies without sustainability considerations: The guest speakers – such as Tom Erixon, President and CEO of Alfa Laval; Anna Borg, President and CEO of Vattenfall, and Sir Alok Sharma, Member of the House of Lords and former President of COP26 -highlighted the importance of integrating sustainable practices into trade policies. The specialists agreed that the green transition is already reshaping industries in both Sweden and the UK, but that joint efforts should be increased to accelerate the development and implementation of renewable energy technologies, sustainable manufacturing technologies and practices, and green finance.

The UK and Sweden at the forefront of science and innovation: Allaine Cerwonka, Director of International and Associate Director of AI for Science & Government at the Alan Turing Institute; Peter Sarlin, CEO and Founder of Silo AI, and Aurore Belfrage, Founding Partner and Sustainability Strategist at SusTechable, shared insights into the burgeoning fields of AI, digitalisation, and scientific research. The discussion highlighted how Sweden and the UK are already at the forefront of innovation, and the speakers emphasised the importance of continued investment in R&D and the development of cutting-edge technologies that can drive economic growth and address global challenges, such as digitalisation, AI and innovation.

Defence and Security collaboration essential to successfully respond to new threats: The third seminar addressed the vital role of defence cooperation between Sweden and the UK, particularly in light of the current geopolitical climate. Speakers included Armada van Rij, Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House; Joakim Paasikivi, Military Expert in the Swedish Defence Force, Magnus Schöldtz, Senior Advisor at Wallenberg Foundations AB, and Christian Hedelin, Chief Strategy Officer at SAAB. The specialists outlined the longstanding defence collaboration between the two nations, with a focus on enhancing joint capabilities – particularly in areas such as cyber defence and intelligence sharing – and responding to emerging threats such as the intensifying collaboration between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea and how this could impact international rule-based systems and values.

UK-Sweden partnership promises huge economic potential: During a luncheon, with HRH Prince Daniel as the guest of honour, Jacob Wallenberg, Chair of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, and Johan Forssell, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, pointed to the need for continued collaboration to ensure economic resilience and growth. Chris Barton CMG, HM Trade Commissioner of Europe, delivered a keynote address highlighting the economic potential of the UK-Sweden partnership, particularly in the context of post-Brexit trade.

NatWest roundtable event fosters trade dialogue

Following the event’s luncheon, we organised a roundtable discussion to delve deeper into the themes discussed during the seminars and to explore new opportunities for enhancing bilateral trade.

The roundtable with Chris Barton CMG, HM Trade Commissioner to Europe, provided an informal setting for business leaders and policymakers with a strong UK nexus to discuss practical steps for increasing trade and investment flows between Sweden and the UK, particularly in emerging sectors such as industrial and infrastructure investments, green technologies, renewables, and digitalisation.

Want to know more?

If you’d like to learn more about the topics discussed during our event, you can reach out to Martin Arnborg.

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