ROYA HAS DECIDED TO LEAVE CLS

Dear Members of the Swedish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce (CLS),

How does one even begin to summarize the last couple of historical years we´ve been living? Years deeply impacted by a global pandemic and warfare which have resulted in geopolitical changes with horrific consequences on human lives and an uncertain global business climate. Has the world hegemony, as we once knew it, changed?

When I started working in CLS three years ago, we were right in the middle of a global pandemic which no one in the entire world knew what the outcomes would be like nor when it would end. These were some very peculiar circumstances to be starting a new job in, nonetheless as Head of Operations for an organisation with ruffly 100 members. It was however a challenge which I open-hearted and with a problem-solving approach, dived right into with much enthusiasm.

Since I have now decided to resign from my position as Secretary General at CLS, I reflect on these past years with great pride over what we have accomplished together despite the uncertainties. I promised, during my executive administrative mandate, to figure as a stable resource for our members and through creative solutions, maintaining and strengthen the unity between our members and the Swedish and Portuguese economies. By maintaining, communicating, and developing the CLS work, I am happy to have initiated, lead and contributed to increase and diversify our activities. Since fall 2020 we have:

• Hosted webinars with themes such as “Moving to Portugal” and Nearshoring.
• Hosted digital company visits to our CLS corporate members together with the Embassy in Sweden.
• Initiated “The Sustainability Initiative” where we shed light on the impactful work our members do in the various fields of suitability by creating webinars, short films and round table talks.
• Hosted Business Breakfasts with various themes such as: Swedish business climate, the ties between Sweden and Angola and female CLS leaders in the CLS Community.
• Increased promotion of the Swedish brand through our surged engagement in the annual tech conference “Web Summit” together with Team Sweden and our corporate partners.
• Providing manufacturing support and guidance in Portugal for Swedish companies.
• Strenghtened engagement with the academia and governmental stakeholders such as AICEP, Business Sweden, NOVA SBE, the Embassy of Sweden in Portugal, the Embassy of Portugal to Sweden and the Ambassador of Sweden to Angola.
• Hosted several sport related activities for networking purposes.
• Increased our Team Sweden relations further.
• Strengthened our digital engagement through our LinkedIn page and monthly newsletter to continuously serve as a platform for member synergies.

It is more evident to me now than before, how strong the synergies between Sweden and Portugal truly are. I hope that the CLS community not only continues cultivating and maintaining the existing relations but also challenges and pave new ways forward. Led by the strategy from the CLS Board of Directors and insights from our community, I am convinced my successor will have exciting work moving forward.

Most importantly, I´m grateful to the CLS Community and Board of Directors for your trust, engagement and for keeping me busy throughout these years. You all have taught, challenged, and supported me tremendously. With that being said, it has been a great honor to lead the daily operations of the CLS the last three years.

Moving forward, I will take some time to reflect on experience from CLS, have that morning coffee I have promised my neighbour Sr. Antonio and his wife Maria and practice my pronunciation of maybe the most difficult Portuguese word I´ve heard so far – desenrascar!

Thank you & All the best,

Roya Moghaddas, CLS Secretary General 2020-2023