The spring season at the Turku Chamber of Commerce was a busy one, and next autumn is expected to be at least equally active. Our advocacy work on behalf of over 2,000 member companies in Southwest Finland has kept us very busy. Membership numbers have continued to grow, and more new members joined during the early part of the year than in the same period last year. That’s great news!
Here are a few concrete achievements from the past six months. This summer, we will also publish the results of our annual Southwest Finland Competitiveness Survey. Thank you in advance for your responses! It is vital that the voice of the business community is heard clearly, as businesses are the engine of economic vitality and growth across the region.
The fifth implementation of the Education and Labor Committee’s MentorChamber program began in February. This time, mentors included members from the Communications and Marketing Committee as well. The goal of the program is to develop skills and leadership and to foster networking across industries between individuals and companies. A record number of mentees from member companies applied, and the scope of the program expanded accordingly.
Expertise in corporate board work among companies in Southwest Finland was strengthened through two Certified Board Member (HHJ) courses and one HHJ Chairperson of the Board course. A total of 52 participants attended. We also held an HHJ alumni event, where we discussed the board’s role in a company’s AI journey. Cooperation with Board Professionals Turku was further deepened during the spring. Additional in-person training sessions included the Key Account Manager Certificate, and the Finland Chamber of Commerce organized a Sustainability Training Program for SMEs in collaboration with OP Financial Group.
Artificial intelligence has been a major topic in recent years, particularly at our spring ICT seminar – and 2025 was no exception. This years theme focused on how AI is transforming working life. An accompanying ICT survey on AI was conducted, and the ICT Act of the Year was awarded to Kerttuli Upper Secondary School’s ICT program. The Turku Chamber of Commerce’s ICT Committee also awarded a scholarship to a newly graduated student, continuing a valued tradition.
We organized 25 free-for-members events, many of which were held in collaboration with stakeholders or member organizations and tied to topical themes. Interest in organizing events with the Chamber remains high, and the autumn calendar is already fully booked.
In January, we surveyed member companies about their RDI (Research, Development, and Innovation) investments. Key bottlenecks to product development included the overall and internal financial situation of companies, lack of funding and support, and satisfaction with the status quo, indicating low growth ambition. We have addressed these issues through active regional collaboration with Business Turku, the City of Turku, and the Regional Council of Southwest Finland, considering concrete measures to support businesses. One such effort is our participation in the RDI Compass project.
During the spring, we actively worked on Archipelago Sea issues. Our Archipelago Sea-themed event, led by Minister Kai Mykkänen, launched business engagement efforts. The theme has since been continued in the Archipelago Sea Programme implementation group and in a June with an event led by MP Pauli Aalto-Setälä.
During the spring, we submitted statements on the Liikenne12 (Transport 12) Plan, the Procurement Act reform, and the regional welfare plan of Varha.
To promote green investments, we convened local electricity network companies and regional advocacy stakeholders to discuss grid bottlenecks that are hindering investments and to identify potential measures for ensuring future development. We also met with the Energy Authority to address the same topic.
In transportation, we actively contributed to the update of Southwest Finland’s transport system plan, supported regional rail development, and engaged in Helsinki-Turku rail link communications. Thanks to long-standing, coordinated regional advocacy efforts, direct flights between Turku and Copenhagen resumed in April.
In sustainability and climate, we made progress through SME sustainability training, climate themed events, and by serving as a working partner in the City of Turku’s climate initiative.
We highlighted opportunities for foreign-language employees in Southwest Finland through various initiatives. We collaborated with the Purje project and proactively provided member companies with information on international recruitment in cooperation with the C6 cities and Work in Finland.
In advocacy work, we familiarized the operations of the inFLAMES flagship program and the Drug Development Center. Regarding defense industry matters, we began preparing a regional event for autumn. Security of supply, safety, and AI were also covered in several committees throughout the spring.
At the Turku Chamber of Commerce annual spring meeting, the title of Southwest Finland Logistics Company of the Year was awarded to Visit Turku Archipelago, and the Logistics Act of the Year went to Posti’s sorting robot Reima. The winners were selected by the Transport and Logistics Committee in cooperation with LOGY Southwest Finland.
The Turku Chamber of Commerce’s 11 committees each met twice during the first half of the year to discuss their respective themes and also organized additional meetings and hearings. For example, the Tourism and Experience Industry Committee and the Trade and Services Committee have jointly developed education in the restaurant and events sector with Turku University of Applied Sciences. Committee activities will resume in August.
We regularly share our work and achievements on LinkedIn, so make sure to follow us on social media!