Archive for category: News

Events

• The regional meeting of Team Finland in South-East Asia will take place on 13 – 18 January 2020 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Representatives of Finnish Embassies, Business Finland and Chambers of Commerce including TFCC will most likely be invited to the event to discuss collaboration opportunities.
• TFCC will host the JFCCT Presidents’ Council Meeting on 22 January 2020. HE Mrs. Satu Suikkari-Kleven the Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to Thailand will join and open the meeting for the presidents of 33 foreign chambers of commerce.
• TFCC is planning sports activities on Saturday 22 and on Shrove Sunday 23 February 2020.
• Scandinavian Society Siam will celebrate its 100^th Anniversary on 5 March 2020. Our members are invited and welcome to the party.
• TFCC new office will be inaugurated officially on Friday 6 March 2020 in Bangkok. Our members and selected guests will be invited to the event.
• TFCC Golf Tournament, The Ambassador’s Cup, will be organised on 14 March 2020 at Than City Country Club. HE Mrs. Satu Suikkari-Kleven the Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to Thailand will join the rice ceremony and hand out the main prize.

Activities

• Our new office will be set up in January and we will register our new address and telephone number and update our contact information on our website.
• Our trainee Miss Henna Kirjavainen will continue her internship in Q1/20 and she will do her thesis about Inbound Marketing. The scope of the study will be developed together with the members of the board and approved by her supervisor.
• Our new executive director Mr Teuvo Tuomi will start working for us in Q1/20 after his work permit application has been approved.
• We will develop a new marketing content strategy and start using new tools for communications like LinkedIn and other useful and cost effective social media platforms.
• We will organise traditional events and develop new events for members and guests.
• Negotiations with potential new members and partners will continue and we wish to get many new members to replace the expired memberships.

KIS WELCOMES NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL

KIS International School in Bangkok is looking forward to welcoming their new Head of School, Paul Johnson, for the start of the 2019-2020 academic year.

Paul’s passion for nurturing a safe and vibrant learning environment, combined with his experience and his personality makes him well suited to the international culture at KIS, which combines a strong sense of community with high academic standards.

Paul will be coming in from the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India. He has also previously worked at international schools in Vietnam, China, Bangladesh, Morocco and the USA and has over 20 years of experience in education leadership.

KIS interviewed Paul during his recent visit to the school.

1.    What were your first impressions of KIS? Positive energy, friendliness, warmth – these are the immediate impressions I had of KIS. I spent time in all areas of the school and met a number of students, parents, and school staff. That first day sent me away with a good feeling about KIS in which I thought, “Oh wow! This school has really got their act together!”. I can’t say I was completely surprised after having had some sense of that already but it was comforting confirmation that the community was strong and that students and faculty were happy. When I met with the student council members, one elementary student exclaimed, “I love being here as much as my own home!” Parents I met with clearly loved the school. Teachers were engaging and students were learning. I felt like everyone is really working towards a common goal and that the school is student-centered. It is pretty easy to tell when schools are not focused on students and their experiences and, in my view, KIS delivered.

2.    How do you feel the school matches your personality? My sense is that my calm and reflective approach and style is a match for KIS. Additionally, my sense of humor and my ability to empathize should fit well in the close-knit, family-friendly community here. The personal traits I mention have worked well for me in various schools in Morocco, Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, and India. Working in all of these schools has emboldened me to keep a strong commitment to internationalism alongside strong respect for the host culture. Diversity brings out the best in everyone. Additionally, there is a part of my personality that drives me to achieve and this desire for continuous improvement is aligned with schools that have chosen a rigorous and holistic curriculum. This matches with what I see in KIS.

3.    What do you look forward to about joining KIS?  Being the Head of School allows me to take KIS to a future where it is not only well respected within Thailand but also within the top international schools in the region. My experience in a variety of respected international schools and with the organizations that support schools like ours is extensive and wide-reaching and my commitment is to lead KIS in its journey of self-reflection and continuous improvement. I’m impressed with what KIS has to offer and all schools have the responsibility to continue their growth. This is an exciting process and I look forward to my leadership and partnership in it. It was evident to me that KIS is a school on the move and I am excited to be part of that and to lead efforts to make the experience for students, teachers, and families a great one. All of my previous schools have had a strong relationship with the IBO and so there is a comfort between the aims of KIS and the curriculum the school has chosen. I’m drawn to being part of a full IB continuum school.

KIS International School is an IB World School, offering the International Baccalaureate for children from 3- 18 years old. This academically rigorous and balanced curriculum consists of the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme and the IB Diploma.

 

KIS is a medium-sized school with a warm and caring atmosphere. The campus, located close to the centre of town, is green and spacious and has elaborate facilities. Our exceptional, vibrant and supportive teachers encourage our students’ love of learning. KIS graduates go to excellent universities around the world.

 

 KIS International School is licensed by the Thai Ministry of Education.  It is an active member of the International Schools Association of Thailand (ISAT) and East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS).  KIS is authorised by the International Baccalaureate and is an accredited member of the Council of International Schools (CIS).

www.kis.ac.th

 

Contact: 

Linda Belonje

Director of Marketing and Development

KIS International School

02-2743444 ext 5100,

On June 6, 2019, The Embassy of Finland and TFCC organized “Waste-to-Value” Business Opportunity Validation Workshop, the goal of which was to present some identified market opportunities suitable for the Finnish companies working in this sector, and get comments and suggestions from participating companies on how to tap into these opportunities.  The event also provided a perfect platform for the key players, which have already established their operations here, for exchanging ideas and experiences, related to issues associated with waste management.

In total, 39 participants (representatives from Finnish and Thai businesses, Thai state officials and University scholars) shared their views on existing opportunities and barriers which slow down the business development in this sector.

The participants identified the following challenges for Finnish companies which impede winning the deals from ongoing and upcoming local projects:

1)      Understanding the real needs of customers and decision-making criteria;

2)      Understanding the local culture and conditions for participating in the upcoming bids; (Very often the participation process is non-transparent and the bids are won by those, who are in close connection with the decision-maker);

3)      Price-quality ratio; (Finnish companies usually have to master so-called “value selling”, as they are hardly ever the cheapest solutions.  The stress should be made on the unique value they offer to the local customer);

4)      More commitment from the Finnish side; (Selling the products/services via local partners without active participation in terms of investment will not lead to a successful business in Thailand);

5)      Project financing; (Finns should offer competitive financing.  Otherwise, it is very difficult to win deals against competitors from Japan, South Korea, China as well as from other western countries, which sometimes offer their solutions with a set of complete financing instruments);

The participants agreed on the following possible ways to overcome these barriers:

1)      The TFCC and the Embassy could open the doors to government and high-level decision –makers.  Just talk to us!

2)      TFCC can help in finding reliable local partners (this is a service which helps the companies to find the best possible expert to develop the Value Proposition and engage successfully with the right partners in the right sales channels);

3)      TFCC can help sharing the knowledge and information.  The Chamber offers a “mentoring service” which connects the newcomers to the industry experts and “product champions”;

4)      Organization of seminars, market updates and workshops (where participants can further exchange their experiences and interact with each other).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TFCC would like to welcome our newest Corporate member, Peikko Group.

Peikko is a family-owned international company founded in 1965. It is headquartered in Lahti, Finland. Peikko supplies a large selection of concrete connections and composite beams for both precast and cast-in-situ solutions in a wide variety of applications. Peikko’s innovative solutions make your construction process faster, safer, and more effective. Peikko’s network covers local offices in 34 countries and certified own production in 10 countries worldwide.

Our aim is to serve you locally with leading solutions in terms of quality, safety, and innovation. Peikko has a clear focus on regularly introducing new, tested innovative solutions and services.

Headquarters Address:

P.O.Box 104, Voimakatu 3, 15101 Lahti

Country

Finland

Tel.: +358 20 707 511

E-mail address:

Website:

www.peikko.com / www.peikko.th

Established:

1965

Ownership:

Private company

Contact Person

Name: Mr. Triaskin Dmytro, Business Development Manager

Email: