You are the Honorary Consul of Finland in Ostrava. What
does this position involve?
My role of honorary consul naturally draws upon my position
as a representative of the greatest Finnish employer in the
Czech Republic, and connects all our activities on all levels,
including the diplomatic. I can sum it up by saying that I do my
best to improve Czech-Finnish relations and support our
collaboration in various spheres. We participate in all significant
events, such as the Ice Hockey World Championship, or the
100th anniversary of the Independence of Finland. I also find
mutual inspiration is very important, e. g. Czech institutions
are very inquisitive about the Finnish system of education
whose features I personally see as crucial in the development
of education. That is why our company puts great effort
in implementing some of these elements in the Czech
environment and helping local schools develop talent, mostly
through interactive workshops on work prospects and critical
thinking. My duties also include the assistance to Finns in the
Czech Republic who have gotten in trouble, and Czechs who
need advice before they travel to the north.
How do your business partners feel in our region? What places
and culinary attractions would you recommend to visitors?
Our partners are always surprised when coming to Ostrava
and visiting the area, and they do enjoy coming back
here. Our typical visitors are clients who are interested
in Ostrava and its business opportunities. I am happy that
our city has the reputation of being an innovative hub and
a home to intelligence and permanent scientific research
happening thanks to local branches of IT companies, thanks
to universities, start-ups and the National Supercomputing
Centre. In their free time our visitors appreciate the quick
access to nature. Only a twenty-minute drive from the office
to our beautiful mountains is a great attraction. I personally
recommend the culture of Ostrava, like concerts and festivals
in Dolní Vítkovice, and concerts of the Janáček Pilharmonic
Ostrava, which represent the global quality of events. It
always leaves them with a unique impression.
Thank you for the interview.
- editorial POSITIV 3/2019 ǀ 25