Sari Baldauf to Finnish businesses: Get ready for a new normal.

When the recession ends, will Finnish companies emerge stronger and better? Or will they fall back into the same old habits?  Director Sari Baldauf had strong words for business leaders:  Returning to success will not equate to returning to business as usual. 

Baldauf addressed some 55 members of the AmCham community over lunch at the Palace Hotel last week. The mood was convivial but the message stark: How can we get Finland back on the radar of global investors? “We’ve lost ground,” said Baldauf.  But are we content to just play catch up when what we truly need is a critical leap?

Baldauf noted that Finland’s success in ICT in the 80s and 90s was in part due to the presence of leading edge customers here. "Things have changed," she said. "Now that they're not, we have to go where they are.”

Baldauf said that beyond diversification at a national level, embracing diversity in business is key to retooling the economy, noting that this strong, cherished American value was central to its economic revival.  “There is a new energy in the U.S,” said Baldauf. “It’s behaving differently, collaborating more with others and will emerge a stronger force in the world.” 

The Born Globals – AmCham’s handpicked group of high growth potential companies - took to the stage to share their challenges and successes in accessing the U.S market. “It’s time we lift our heads high and say with conviction that we know what we’re talking about,” said Aape Pohjavirta. CEO and co-founder of Sendandsee, referring to the cultural tendency towards over modesty. “We have to be bold to enjoy any kind of breakthrough. Such courage comes from groups like these.”

The luncheon closed with friendly exchange and perspectives from the audience.

Sari Baldauf is a member of the board at Hewlett-Packard Company, F-Secure Corporation, Fortum and Daimler. In 1998 Fortune magazine ranked her Europe's most powerful woman executive, an accolade echoed by the Wall Street Journal in 2002.

Look out for the launch of our Executive Forum series in the fall.