The NEF Newsletter: Connecting New England, Finland, and Scandinavia through trade, education, and culture. Born from the enthusiasm of Finnish New Englanders, it charts our shared journey—past, present, and future. Join our growing community of 2,680+ subscribers and many more via email and blog. Share with anyone eager to build Nordic-New England bridges.
Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Henrik Totterman, Finnish Honorary Consul for Boston and New England. A professor, entrepreneur, and connector dedicated to fostering Finnish-American collaboration and advancing sustainable solutions.
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Contents — April 2025
Upcoming Events
Economic and Trade Relationships
Education and Research
Cultural and Sports Exchange
What is Happiness?
When Zelensky visits the University of Helsinki… The Ukrainian Embassy’s car gets ticketed outside.
It’s the kind of moment that makes you pause. Amid President Zelensky's profound and symbolic visit, a small but powerful reminder of what Finland stands for: fairness, the rule of law, and a system where no one is above the rules. Maybe that’s one of the reasons Finland is, once again, ranked #1 in the World Happiness Report—for the eighth consecutive year.
The Nordic countries dominate the top of the list. But what exactly are we measuring? The report reminds us that happiness is not about fleeting pleasure but trust, strong social connections, freedom, resilience, and shared responsibility. These values in institutions don’t just happen—they are cultivated, protected, and practiced.
Hanken School of Economics from Finland and the Stockholm School of Economics have decided to join forces and capitalize on well-being by organizing the Nordic Happiness Summit—an inspiring, biennial event (alternating between Helsinki and Stockholm) that explores happiness as a pillar of thriving societies, organizations, and individuals. The summit brings together academia, business leaders, and students and boldly tackles stress, societal pressure, and burnout in a thoughtful and collaborative setting. It’s a warm, courageous initiative helping reframe how we lead and live—one thoughtful conversation at a time.
Inspired by this vision, I recently shared the idea of creating a Boston chapter of the Nordic Happiness Summit, and the response from our Nordic colleagues has been enthusiastic. It’s a powerful reminder: the mindset behind Nordic happiness is something worth sharing, expanding, and localizing—especially at a time when the world is hungry for meaning, trust, and connectedness.
So, what can we, Finnish-Americans and friends of Finland and Scandinavia, do to spread this mindset? It begins in the everyday. Choose fairness. Practice empathy. Value balance. And remember: even a parking ticket can be a symbol of trust in a just system. I wish you warmth, resilience, and Nordic joy this spring. Enjoy your NEF!
Yours Truly,
Dr. Henrik Totterman
Events in April
Transatlantic Opportunity 2025 — U.S.-Finland Trade, Investment & Economic Relationship
Date:
Thursday, April 10 | Time: 4:00–6:30 PM (Helsinki) Where: Virtual | Livestream: 4:00–5:40 PM
Join Amcham Finland and KPMG for Transatlantic Opportunity 2025, a flagship event exploring the evolving U.S.–Finland economic relationship. This year’s program includes the launch of the 2025 U.S.–Finland Economic Deep Diveand features leading voices from government, industry, and research.
📍 Full details and livestream link: amcham.fi/mec/transatlantic-opportunity-2025
A warm welcome to all interested in the future of transatlantic business and collaboration.
American Premiere of Finnish Sibelius’s Only Opera at New England Conservatory
It is a great pleasure to share an important cultural event taking place in Boston on Tuesday, April 15th at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall. As part of his faculty recital, Joseph Bozich will present the American premiere of Jungfrun i tornet, the only opera composed by the esteemed Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, performed in its original Swedish.
This historic performance represents a rare opportunity to experience a lesser-known work by one of Finland’s most celebrated composers, and marks a significant moment for the Finnish-American cultural community.
The concert is free and open to the public. Further details and tickets are available via the New England Conservatory’s website:
📍 Jordan Hall, NEC 📅 Tuesday, April 15 🔗 Event information and tickets
All are warmly welcome to attend and take part in this unique musical occasion.
Trade Promotion
Transatlantic Economy 2025 Report Released
The latest Transatlantic Economy 2025 report highlights the enduring strength of the U.S.–Europe economic relationship. Despite global disruptions, the transatlantic partnership remains the world’s largest and wealthiest market, driving innovation, investment, and job creation on both sides of the Atlantic.
Vaisala House Warming – Congratulations on a Bold New Chapter in Burlington, MA
It was a true joy and privilege to join Vaisala in celebrating the grand opening of their impressive new North American headquarters in Burlington, Massachusetts—just outside Boston, where the company began its U.S. journey nearly 45 years ago. Fittingly, MIT was Vaisala’s very first customer back in 1936, and this expansion continues a proud tradition of innovation, partnership, and purpose.
As part of the festivities, I had the honor of moderating a panel discussion titled: "In a Changing World: What Endures, What Evolves?" We explored how businesses and societies can navigate disruption—how crises shape not only what is lost, but also what is imagined and built.
My deepest thanks to our distinguished panelists: Dr. Bengt Holmström, Lorenzo Gulli, Jarkko Sairanen, and Juhani Sirén —your insights on resilience, innovation, and long-term value were truly inspiring.
Warm thanks as well to Yani Bettencourt, Maria Uusimaa, and the entire Vaisala team for your hospitality and thoughtful leadership. It was a pleasure to witness firsthand the spirit, culture, and ambition driving Vaisala forward.
Congratulations on this exciting new chapter—and thank you for continuing to lead with purpose as you provide instruments and intelligence for a more sustainable world.
Education & Research Promotion
Incredible Momentum at the Hult Prize National Finals – Hult Boston
Recently, the Hult Boston campus was alive with energy as we hosted the National Finals of the Hult Prize, bringing together over 60 dynamic student teams pitching bold business ideas aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The passion, creativity, and purpose on display were truly inspiring—no filters, no edits, just pure #HultPrize energy!
A special thanks to our judges, including our local Finnish Climate Expert Matti Goldberg, whose insights into social impact entrepreneurship added immense value to the experience. It was also a pleasure to welcome Hanna Silvola, Visiting Scholar and Associate Professor at Hanken School of Economics, who toured the campus on the eve of the event and witnessed firsthand the dedication of our students preparing to change the world.
Deep gratitude to the organizers, volunteers, faculty, and friends who made this unforgettable experience possible—and to the Hult community for continuing to empower global change at scale.
The Value BlueSprint
Innovating in higher-education with Hult International Business School Masters in International Marketing Students. This spring, I’ve had the immense pleasure to teach MIM students in two different courses, one is about New Product Development.
In this course we develop a business book on customer value creation, analyzing closer to 60 companies from all regions of the world. In addition to the book, each student is scripting and using podcast AI-tools to launch their own podcasts, which turns out to be really incredible in terms of insight, rigor and entertainment. I warmly recommend you visit Spotify to check them out. Thanks executives for your valuable insights as we were finalizing our work!
Restaurant Expansion — Entering Massachusetts in 2028
Further, I just finished a business challenge with the MIM Dual Degree students, where we helped a restauranteur plan and prepare launch in the Boston suburbs in a few years time.
I appreciated the coaching from several experts in the field. Relevant for this audience in parrticular, I want to thank Seth Schrage, Vice President at Finnish owned Jamix Oy/Inc. here in the New England area. Seth is a true expert in restaurant business and Jamix a forerunner in cloud based software for sustainable kitchen management suitable for all types of food service operations. Great to see executives back and to see Finnish companies integrate and expand in the local business society.
Cultural and Sports Promotion
Nordic Happiness Summit
Kudos to Dr. Markus Wartiovaara and his colleagues at Hanken and SSE for organizing Nordic Happiness Summit, an inspiring event hosted in the Nordic region exploring happiness as a pillar of thriving societies, organizations, and individuals. The summit stands out for fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and students, taking a holistic look at well-being at the national, organizational, individual, and academic levels. Equally important, this biennial summit (alternating between Helsinki and Stockholm) tackles modern challenges like stress, societal pressure, and workplace burnout head-on. It’s inspiring to see a warm, thoughtful initiative creating space for leaders from academia and industry to come together and address these issues by prioritizing happiness and well-being. I’m truly inspired by the vision behind this event. It’s heartening to see the Nordic region leading by example in making well-being a priority. Kudos once again for bringing such an important conversation to the forefront!
While Linnea was getting ready for her Friday finals, we gathered a group of friends from Finland at our house for some laughter, fond memories, and, of course, true to the week, genuine skating expertise.
THE NEF - NEW ENGLAND FINNS NEWSLETTER
NEXT ISSUE: #15 Sunday, May 4, 2025.
Past Issues:
ISSUE #1: January 23, 2024, Setting Sails for a New Adventure - The NEF – The New England Finns monthly newsletter was launched on January 25, 2024, with well over 1200 subscribers on Linkedin a week later.
ISSUE #2: February 25, 2024, Sailing the Northeast Shores - 1776 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #3: March 31, 2024, Nordic Sailors Sharing Joy, Experiences, and Knowledge- 1900 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #4: April 28, 2024, Nordic Sailors and the New England Summer Season! - 2100 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #5: June 7, 2024, The Nordic Midsummer Magic - 2200 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #6: July 9, 2024, The Legendary Nordic Vacation - 2300 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #7: August 31, 2024, The Nordic Night of the Ancient Fires - 2400 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #8: September 29, 2024, Nordic Values At Work - 2450 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #9: November 3, 2024, Embracing the Northeastern Winds - - 2500 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #10: December 8, 2024, Shining Bright under the Northern Lights - 2542 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #11: January 5, 2025, A Nordic Cheer for a Resilient New Year - 2584 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #12: February 2, 2025, Nordic Hockey Flair in the Garden Air - 2640 on Linkedin.
ISSUE #13: March 2, 2025, Nordic Hockey Flair in the Garden Air - 2680 on Linkedin.