The Canadian Chamber launch: A beginning worth celebrating
On May 28th, we launched the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Sweden. What a beginning it was! Around 75 leaders from business, government, and media gathered at the Canadian Embassy in Stockholm for an evening that one guest described as having "a lot of love in the room."
Canadian Ambassador Robert Sinclair, Camilla Mellander, Director General for Trade Policy at Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Chamber Chair Shawn Walsh all spoke to the extraordinary moment we find ourselves in. As the Ambassador put it, the relationship between Canada and Sweden is at an unprecedented level across governments, companies, and people. That relationship now has a formal foundation.
A partnership built on five pillars
The Canada-Sweden Strategic Partnership, signed in late 2025 by Prime Ministers Carney and Kristersson, is a commitment to deeper cooperation across five pillars: bilateral trade, defence, the Arctic, digital transformation and innovation as well as sustainability and energy.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Sweden exists to help realise collaboration across these five pillars, and help break barriers and maximise opportunities for business. To this end, the Chamber is in place in Sweden to connect the right people, raise awareness, and hold both governments to account on delivering the full promise of the Strategic Partnership.
Developing the Chamber's pillars is further enabled by the hands-on expertise of the Executive Board. Shawn Walsh, Chairperson, brings deep knowledge of digitalization; Katie Björk covers security and innovation; Andreas Widegren anchors trade and policy; and Astrid von Schmeling brings three decades of strategic sustainability.
The Strategic Partnership was also the theme of a panel discussion of leaders from Sandvik, CGI, SEB, as well as investor Katarina Bonde from Kubicorp, who all identified their opportunities and barriers, and the role of the business community across each of the five pillars.
Engaging leaders from both sides of the Atlantic
The Chamber is also proud to welcome our founding Gold Leaf members: Swedish investment leaders Investor and SEB, and Nordea; Canadian powerhouses Brookfield Asset Management, OpenText and CGI and defence innovators SAAB, the first to believe in what we are building.
If your company aims to be part of this moment, you've found your community. Read more about becoming a Gold Leaf member at the Chamber website.
This is only the beginning. 🍁
#Sandvik #SEB #CGI #Brookfield Asset Management #Investor #OpenText #Nordea #Kubicorp #SAAB
Photos: Birgit Leistmann-Walsh
“The depth and dynamism of relationship between Canada and Sweden is at an unprecedented level across the board: our governments, our armed forces, our companies, and our peoples are closer than ever.”
– Chamber Honorary Chair and Canadian Ambassador to Sweden, Robert Sinclair welcomes guests with a strong message of shared priorities.
