Camfil together with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce join hands in a partnership initiative to create business opportunities for SMEs in Singapore
The recent pandemic has affected human lives in different ways and many businesses have seen a decline. Camfil and some more Swedish multinational companies in Singapore along with local small and medium-sized enterprises have started a hands-on partnership program, the SESG Initiative, to exchange experiences and develop their respective businesses.
The program is initiated by SwedCham, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, together with the creative collective Forsman & Bodenfors in Singapore. The program so far holds a dozen local SMEs, who have teamed up with major Swedish companies like Camfil in Singapore. The initiative to date incorporates an island-wide advertising campaign and regular partner meetings, labeled “Fika4Good”.
From the start, the initiative consists of 3 pillars. The Advocate, which is an OOH campaign. Fika4Good, which is an ongoing partnership anchored in the Swedish tradition of coming together over a coffee. And the SwedishGig, a job creation initiative to support Workforce Singapore’s SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme – Company Attachment, which is a Singaporean initiative within the SGUnited umbrella.
The initiative started after the global pandemic, COVID-19, leaving both small and big companies striving, and SwedCham recognized the need for a collaborative initiative. In challenging times, great things can be achieved when working collectively, exchanging experiences, and knowledge. The project’s main goal is to exchange creative ideas, experience, and channel business growth.
“Camfil is excited to join hands with SwedCham and believes that the initiative will help us strengthen our relationship with local entrepreneurs. The mutual dialogue of ideas and flow of creativity creates a positive environment that is much needed in these challenging times”. – says Jayant Kaushal, Vice President Business Development, Asia Pacific, Camfil
Ms. Lisa Ferraton, General Manager at SwedCham in Singapore, says, “For these Swedish companies, Singapore is a home away from home, and has been so for decades. Joining hands with smaller, Singaporean entrepreneurs offers a unique opportunity to get to know each other’s challenges better and provide mutual help when it’s needed the most. We are only at the beginning of this initiative, and as we move forward I encourage more companies to participate.”
The Singaporean SMEs involved operate within a wide variety of areas, ranging from local hawkers and bakers, to watch shops and tailors – in all parts of the city. The participating SMEs were selected in close cooperation with Enterprise Singapore and the National Environment Agency, NEA.
