Source: LinkedIn/Finland-Southeast Asia Business Association

Finnish ambassadors shared Southeast Asian market updates with Finnish business representatives during meetings.

The Finland-Southeast Asia Business Association organised a Traditional Ambassador Meeting with its members at the Finland Chamber of Commerce, bringing together Finnish ambassadors serving in six Southeast Asian countries for brief country updates.

The meeting featured Ambassadors Kristiina Kuvaja-Xanthopoulos in Bangkok, Saija Nurminen in Manila, Anne Vasara in Kuala Lumpur, Juha Markkanen in Singapore, Pekka Voutilainen in Hanoi and Pekka Kaihilahti in Jakarta. Each ambassador shared a brief update on developments in their respective country of assignment and provided members with information from their markets.

Source: LinkedIn/Finland-Southeast Asia Business Association

Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury, who became Finland’s ambassador to Indonesia on 1 September 2026, also attended the meeting. The association noted that she would provide the Indonesia briefing at next year’s meeting, when Pekka Kaihilahti is scheduled to leave his post at the end of August.

The members’ meeting was followed by an open event organised in cooperation with the Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Europe Network Finland and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. During the event, the participating ambassadors presented brief market overviews, with a focus on market potential for Finnish businesses in their respective countries.

Source: LinkedIn/Finland-Southeast Asia Business Association

The programme also featured Jade Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at Singapore-based M&L Group. Cooper shared the story behind the company’s recent hotel investment in Helsinki and discussed what the investment indicated about Southeast Asian interest in the Finnish market.

The association thanked Chair Jani Kaulo for hosting both events, as well as Secretary General Mirjam Ligi and Senior Specialist for Team Finland Joona Selin for the practical arrangements. It also acknowledged JÄÄDE for sponsoring water from Lahti for the event.

Source: LinkedIn/Finland-Southeast Asia Business Association

The two-part programme provided members and other participants with direct updates from Finnish diplomatic representatives covering Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia. It also gave Finnish business audiences an opportunity to hear about commercial potential in Southeast Asian markets and an example of Southeast Asian investment interest in Finland.

The Finland-Southeast Asia Business Association said it was pleased to host the participants and expressed its intention to continue the event in the following year. The association looked forward to welcoming participants again at future events.

Source: LinkedIn/Finland-Southeast Asia Business Association