We just celebrated our tenth birthday last week. Man, it felt good!

The past ten years have brought tribulations but also successes. It has been a decade of milestones, adventures and memories. We can hardly wait to see what the future holds for this vibrant, warm community.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, we want to illustrate the night for you just in case you missed it.

A tremendous and heartfelt thank you to our valued partners, Amway, Bayer, IBM, Deloitte, ManpowerGroup and UPM for making this evening possible.

A Fearless Community

 

Our birthday celebration took place at the glorious Savoy Theater. Erected in 1936, the building just feels enchanting. Thank you, Ahlström Capital, for making this magical location possible.

The evening opened with a thought-provoking video showcasing Finland’s top leaders. They spoke about what they are passionate about, what the future holds for their companies and what they value most from the Amcham network. Shortly after this, Amcham Finland CEO Kristiina Helenius graced the stage with her opening remarks.

One thing that shined throughout Kristiina’s welcoming speech is how much she loves the Amcham community. Tenacious and fearless, Kristiina has poured her heart and soul into developing our vast member base. It’s more than just a number, though. She truly cares and seeks to drive their businesses through strong marketplace development. She wants members to have access to savvy, in-the-know business insights and to take flight through Amcham’s tangible offerings.

Champions of 2015

Following Kristiina’s inviting speech came the award ceremony. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the support and valuable expertise from these extraordinary Amchampions. Our four outstanding awards of the evening were as follows: Luc Van de Winckel for being the Member of the Year, Juha Järvinen for being the Rookie of the Year, Inkeri Mentzoni for being the Amchampion of the Year, and Risto Honkanen for being the Amchampion of the Decade. This year’s winners truly support our business, multiple platforms, and networks. They continually provide their expertise, are thought leaders and are instrumental in shaping our organization. Huge congratulations again!

Stefan Hyttfors: Change creates power

Next up was sensational keynote speaker Stefan Hyttfors. The focal topic of the evening was change and the future – how do we make sense of it during uncertain times? How do we strategize our business plans in accordance? One core takeaway was made eminent: technology is the foundation of change. Technology creates infinite, exponential growth, which results in change. This change, according to Stefan, creates a power shift that people have access to and should take advantage of. For instance, a Youtube superstar racking in millions of dollars a year in ad revenue – what makes this possible? Technology.

Stefan reminded us that in order for humans to use technology to its greatest potential, we must not underestimate the long term effects it will have. We need to be one step ahead and onto the next genius, future idea. If we focus on present problems and try to solve them in a completely new and unique way, technology is a natural catalyst. We need to learn to trust in new leaders and networks that develop via the Internet. The Internet is a shared space; it’s a collaboration network. And it’s growing. If we trust the ideas and seeds that are planted in these collaborative networks, we can and will solve many problems in cyberspace. The idea is to value human interaction, as it leads to network growth and innovation.

Fueled by Stefan’s positive and animated speech, the evening culminated with New York style birthday cake and fizzy champagne. Conversation and buzz reverberated throughout the room as the enthusiastic guests greeted one another. The glow was paramount; it felt pivotal. A decade of celebration with our favorite people on the planet; what more could we ask for.

By: Lauren Ayala