At the Board meeting of the Foreign Investors’ Council in Latvia (FICIL) on 4^th of July 2018 Julia Sundberg from Fortum was elected Chairperson of the FICIL’s Executive Board. In the position, Julia Sundberg will replace the previous chairperson Zlata Elksniņa-Zaščirinska who will continue to serve as a FICIL Board member.

Based on the FICIL’s statutes, a member of the Board can hold its position no longer than six consecutive years. Therefore, this is the last year for Zlata Elksniņa-Zaščirinska at the Board of FICIL. Also, two vice-chairpersons were elected: Ints Krasts (SEB) and Zlata Elksniņa-Zaščirinska who will serve till the end of her term.

Zlata Elksniņa-Zaščirinska: “I would like to thank FICIL members and the management team for their active involvement in the work of the Foreign Investors’ Council in Latvia. Over recent years, we have been actively representing the interests of our members, as evidenced by the steady increase in the number of members and the activity of members in more than ten FICIL’s work groups. I am pleased about the recent High Council meeting with the Government of Latvia where we agreed on three essential priorities for Latvia’s future: the development of digital economy, higher education reform and effective combating of economic crimes. I will continue to support the new chair of the board of the FICIL with my own experience and knowledge, and plan to contribute to the work of FICIL working groups. “

Julia Sundberg is the head of the world’s leading energy company Fortum in Latvia. She has been on the Board of FICIL since 2017.

Julia Sundberg: “According to the vision of the FICIL, Latvia should become the most investment-friendly and business-friendly country in the Baltic Sea Region. To achieve this, it is essential to maintain an active dialogue with policymakers: to explain and recall what is to be done to improve the business environment and increase Latvia’s competitiveness in the region. Therefore, as a chairperson of the FICIL’s Board, I will continue the work Zlata has started with the same intensity. Our main priorities are higher education reform, development of digital economy and effective combating of financial crimes. However, with the same intensity we will be working with issues connected to labour availability in Latvia, waste management, and energy policies, as well as investment protection.”

Other members of the FICIL Board include Executive Director of Circle K in Latvia Gunta Jēkabsone, the representative of the American Chamber of Commerce Ingrīda Kariņa-Bērziņa, CEMEX Board Member Māris Gruzniņš, the Chairwoman of the Board of All Media Baltics Baiba Zūzena and the Chairman of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Latvia Alf Erik Lundgrenn and Member of the Board of SEB Bank Ints Krasts.

The Chairperson of the Board of FICIL is elected for one year, and the primary responsibility of the role is to lead the work of the Board and represent the interests of more than 50 corporate and associates members in Latvia. The day-to-day business of the FICIL is managed by Executive Director Marta Jaksona. Members’ interests are represented in more than 10 FICIL’s work groups such as the Education, Labour Force Issues, Digitalisation, and others.