Growth Collective Finland receives the Internationalisation award of the President of the Republic

The Growth Collective was established in 2015 to boost the will and ability to grow in medium-sized companies and establish a new culture of learning together. The founders included 29 people familiar from the business world, such as Mika Anttonen, Aaro Cantell, Ilkka Paananen, Ilkka Kivimäki and Risto Siilasmaa. In 2022, the Growth Collective has more than 250 members who are executives and owners of companies with a turnover between €10m-€1bn. The community promotes the growth, renewal and internationalisation of its member by sharing experiences with their peers. The activities are based on goal-oriented peer pairing.

International growth of medium-sized enterprises is important for Finland as a whole

Medium-sized enterprises (turnover over €10 million) account for only 1.5 per cent of all enterprises in Finland, but they generate more than a fifth of Finnish companies' turnover and the same amount of private sector jobs. The growth of these companies has a significant impact on the Finnish economy and society.

“This is a significant recognition of the long-term work of the Growth Group for all of us as an association and member companies. Over the past four years, internationalisation has been the main theme in more than 200 of our meetings and is the single most important growth theme contemplated by companies in the Growth Group. In the growth group, companies are betting that they have sufficient capability to build international growth. Peer pairing helps to see what competencies should be built to succeed,” says the CEO of the Growth Group Katriina Anttila.

“The launch of the growth group was motivated by my own experience of hard growth and a rapidly expanding business worldwide. The starting point is to boldly immediately become a global player and aim to be the best in the world in your niche. The Finnish market is small and internationalisation of the best companies for growth is essential. The courage and competence of business owners and management in launching and implementing expansion projects is a prerequisite for growth. Honest and open sharing of members' own growth and internationalisation experiences, both successes and failures, can serve as an example and be a decisive help to others.”, says the founding member of the Growth Group and Chairman of Normet's Board of Directors. Aaro Cantell.

“A growth group is a place where business leaders get to focus together on the most important themes for the growth of their companies. Companies that leave Finland for internationalisation are almost invariably the most responsible actors in their own industries. This is also a competitive advantage for us, both at the corporate and social levels. It is important that we strengthen the growth capacity and desire of companies, especially owners, at all levels, in order to maintain and strengthen Finland's sustainable competitiveness in the future. The Growth Group contributes to this wonderful and important work,” says the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Growth Group and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fredman Group Peter Freedman.

Additional information:
Katriina Anttila, CEO, Growth Group Finland ry, email: katriina.anttila@kasvuryhma.fi, tel. +358 414380469
Aaro Cantell, Chairman of the Board, Normet, email: aaro.cantell@normet.fi, tel. +358 400706072
Peter Fredman, Chairman of the Board, Fredman Group, email: peter.fredman@fredmangroup.com, tel. +358 504011616

To Team Finland's press release: https://www.businessfinland.fi/ajankohtaista/uutiset/tiedotteet/2022/tasavallan-presidentin-kansainvalistymispalkinnot-2022

The Growth Group is a non-profit association whose purpose is to accelerate the sustainable growth, renewal and internationalisation of medium-sized enterprises that exchange €10m-€1bn. The activities of the growth group are based on goal-oriented and guided peer sparring. The growth group includes 210 growth-oriented companies and more than 250 CEOs, owners, chairmen of the Board of Directors and directors responsible for major growth projects. In the growth group, they promote the growth of their companies with their peers by openly sharing experiences. As a community, the growth group is committed to Törke's pledge to bring an additional €25 billion in revenue to Finland by 2025.

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