Chamber News

There is a theory in corporate hospitality that the right setting can do more for a team than any agenda. Soon, you will be able to test it for yourself – in a room made entirely of ice, carved from the Torne River in northern Sweden, in the heart of central London. ICEBAR by ICEHOTEL is opening steps away from Leicester Square and Covent Garden, and everything inside – the walls, the art, the glass in your hand – comes straight from northern Sweden.

As heavy industry in the UK and Sweden races to decarbonise, the focus is shifting from pilots to scalable, commercially viable solutions. In this Q&A, we asked Richard Gould, Managing Director at Virtual Manufacturing UK, where he sees the biggest near-term opportunities to cut emissions – and what needs to change across technology, regulation and value chains to unlock full-scale roll-out.

As part of our deep dive into how industrial transformation is really playing out on the ground, we wanted to hear directly from those leading the change. We sat down with Atlas Copco and General Manager James McAllister to unpack what industrial transformation really looks like on the factory floor – and how automation, data and digital tools are reshaping decision-making from the shop floor to the boardroom.

When a company sends someone abroad, the paperwork is only part of the story. There is a family uprooting, a career shifting, a person stepping into the unknown. Organisations that grasp this human side of mobility – and build their service around it – are the ones that make a lasting difference. That belief sits at the heart of K2 Group and shapes how they think about people and talent.

Sweden–UK business is moving from routine to strategic. What once centred on getting goods over the border now increasingly revolves around shared bets on energy transition, digital infrastructure, high growth tech, and more resilient supply chains. On both sides of the North Sea, boards are weighing the same questions: which projects to back, how much risk to carry, and how to stay competitive as conditions shift.

The factory floor is changing – faster than ever. Automation, data, and digital tools are reshaping how things are made and who makes decisions. But what does that really look like in practice? We sat down with key players from the SCC UK Patronship to explore the human side of industrial transformation, from the shop floor to the boardroom.

Modern business leaders are grappling with the same challenge: how to stay competitive while moving faster towards net zero, greater resilience, and smarter use of resources. Few companies sit closer to that crossroads than ABB – a group whose technologies power energy systems, factories, hospitals, ships, and data centres across the world. ABB now joins the SCC UK community, with a story offering both a rich industrial heritage and a clear-sighted view of the future.

We’ve all heard it. Future-proofing. It sounds reassuring and hard to argue with. But Paul Harrop doesn’t deal in comfortable consensus.

With 25 years at H&M – from the shop floor to the Managing Director’s office – Karen O’Rourke is leading the UK & Ireland business into a milestone year, as the brand marks 50 years in the market.

Easter weekend is here – perfect timing to dive into LINK 376, our spring magazine on future‑proofing Swedish–British business through people, mobility, deals, energy, and more ideas shaping the next chapter together.

Our CEO, Fredrik Warneryd, shares his take on a high‑energy spring at the Chamber – how we’re refining our offer to create stronger Swedish–British connections – and looks ahead to where the conversation might go next.

SCC UK has elected three new members to its Board of Directors, during the Board Meeting on Wednesday 18 February 2026. The newly elected bring senior experience from leading Swedish businesses in the UK across technology, defence, and retail.

We are pleased to announce that Mats Torstendahl, Head of SEB UK, has been nominated as the next Chair of the Chamber. He will be formally appointed at the Annual General Meeting on 10 June 2026, succeeding current Chair, Peter Jelkeby of IKEA.

Entering a new market is rarely straight-forward – and the UK is no exception. In this SME Q&A, our contributors share their experiences of entering and growing in the UK market.

Across the UK, a quiet revolution is underway in homes, both old and new. Rising energy costs and a growing sense of environmental responsibility are changing how people approach daily routines. It’s about saving money – but there’s also a deeper awareness that every choice, from a quick laundry cycle to cooking a family meal, has an impact. This moment of change has brought Electrolux into sharp focus.