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Dinolift’s Managing Director Karin Nars travelled to the USA at the beginning of March as part of a Finnish delegation led by President of Finland Sauli Niinistö. The Confederation of Finnish Industries (Elinkeinoelämän Keskusliitto) was tasked with forming a business delegation to join Niinistö on this historic trip. Dinolift was one of the selected companies, along with other notable market-leading companies.
The bi-coastal business delegation trip was a historic event. The week consisted of visits to prominent corporations like Microsoft and Amazon and engaging discussions on technology, geopolitics and the twin transition.
Nars describes the visit as being encapsulated in three topics: security, new technologies and Finland as a reliable partner.
“These themes were present in all the discussions we had. For Dinolift, participating in this trip was an excellent opportunity to learn from the world’s technology leaders and gain insights that can feed into our strategy and plans,” she says. “We are already on the right path collecting machine data. The next step is utilising and combining data to create more value”.
Inspiration from the world’s leading tech companies
The trip began in Seattle, Washington, at Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU), which researches and prevents organised crime online. The day’s theme was AI and cybercrime. While regenerative AI offers many exciting applications, like ChatGPT and DALL-E, it can also increase the success rate of online scams. As digitalisation progresses, all industries must take cybersecurity seriously.
The next stop was at the headquarters of another technology giant, Amazon. The discussions focused on sustainable supply chains, sustainable development and how sustainability is and should be a driver for a successful business.
The delegation also visited The Spheres, a workspace built by Amazon to inspire its employees to create new ideas, think differently and spontaneously meet colleagues by having nature close by. It is home to more than 40,000 plants from the cloud forest regions of over 30 countries.
Karin Nars and other delegates visited The Spheres, an innovative workspace at the Amazon headquarters in Seattle, Washington.
Image credit: Dinolift
Collaboration matters most
On the evening of the first day, the delegates visited the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, where President Niinistö and Washington State Senator Marko Liias had a fireside chat around the theme “Finland as an Ally”. It was the first time a serving Finnish president visited the State, making it symbolically important.
The delegation travelled to San Francisco the same evening. The programme opened the following day with a breakfast event at the Royal Norwegian Consulate General, which Ms Gry Rabe Henriksen, Honorary Consul of Norway, hosted. In addition to President Niinistö, the guests of honour were Speaker Emerita Mrs Nancy Pelosi and the Mayor of San Francisco, Ms London N. Breed.
Nars recounts that Niinistö spoke about how the governmental and private sectors must work together for increased security and in the fight against climate change. She adds, “Pelosi expressed admiration and gratitude towards Niinistö’s consistent and strong thought leadership regarding the war in Ukraine and in the Finnish and Swedish process toward NATO membership. Pelosi is a truly inspirational woman; her professional and detailed analysis of global challenges combined with words of kindness and hope is something I will never forget.”
At Stanford University, the delegation attended a research panel discussing transatlantic technology cooperation and geopolitics, which included President Niinistö and Risto Siilasmaa, founder of WithSecure and a delegation member. From there, the day continued at Bifrost Summit 2023, an event organised by Nordic Innovation House that supports Nordic entrepreneurs and start-ups in Silicon Valley.
President Sauli Niinistö (right) had a discussion with Washington State Senator Marko Liias (middle), whose parents are originally from Finland. Liias has been a Democratic Senator since 2014.
Image credit: Dinolift
Business opportunities across the pond
The trip’s final day continued mainly around politics, with prominent law firm K&L Gates hosting a discussion in Washington, D.C., about US President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Passed by US Congress in 2022, the act is considered the largest investment in combating climate change in the country’s history and will have global implications. Also, interesting discussions were held on geopolitics, regulatory trends, the energy sector and cyber security at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).
In the evening, the delegates gathered at the Finnish Embassy for a seminar about the defence and technology collaborations between the US and Finland. Ambassador of Finland Mikko Hautala opened and was followed by President Niinistö and Pekka Lundmark, CEO of Nokia and chair of the business delegation. The event featured a fantastic line-up of Finnish technology companies presenting themselves.
“The seminar highlighted how Finnish state-of-the-art technology is creating opportunities to cultivate Finnish-US relations in defence and safety further. It truly was a proud moment for the delegation members,” says Nars. After taking the final group picture, Lundmark thanked President Niinistö for the historic trip on behalf of the whole delegation.
“After a few days back in Finland, my thoughts turned to something Nancy Pelosi said on the much-needed cooperation between nations. Quoting President John F. Kennedy from his Inaugural Address in 1961, she said: ‘My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.’”
The White House during an evening walk in Washington, D.C.
Image credit: Dinolift
