Māris Gruzniņš, Board Member of the building materials’ producer SCHWENK Latvija, has been elected as the Chairperson of the Foreign Investors’ Council in Latvia (FICIL) Executive Board. 

Mr. Gruzniņš replaces Gunta Jēkabsone, Executive Director of Circle K Latvia, who has announced her willingness to look for new professional challenges after a 25-year career at the company. Gunta Jēkabsone will leave “Circle K Latvia” and, consequently, the FICIL Executive Board at the end of April. 

Māris Gruzniņš: “I am honoured to have been trusted with this position and I look forward to contributing to FICIL’s vision – Latvia as the most attractive place for investments in the Baltic Sea region. In over 20 years, FICIL has gained a reputation as a trusted government partner in facilitating high quality discussion on the business environment in Latvia. I believe that FICIL’s strong principles are at the core of our organisation’s success. Through the FICIL work groups we look to find sustainable and transparent solutions that would benefit the society as a whole. Today, both the public and the private sectors are facing significant challenges, as every single one of us has a role to play in the green economy development and digital transformation of Latvia. FICIL, as always, will continue to voice its opinion and remain active in the public dialogue on the reforms that are required to improve the investment climate in the country.” 

Māris Gruzniņš has been on the FICIL Executive Board since 2018 and has been performing the vice-chair duties during this period. Ints Krasts, Board member of SEB Banka and Zlata Elksniņa-Zaščirinska, Country Managing Partner of PwC Latvia, will serve as Vice-Chairpersons of the Executive Board. 

Since the establishment of FICIL in 1999, a high-level meeting between foreign investors and the government of Latvia takes place each year to discuss the most important tasks for bettering Latvia’s business environment. The next High Council meeting will take place this September. Human capital, green economy development, state digitalisation and rule of law are the main topics that FICIL plans to discuss with the Latvian government. 

FICIL is a non-governmental organization, which unites largest foreign-owned companies from different industries, foreign trade chambers and Stockholm School of Economics in Riga. FICIL’s mission is to provide recommendations for public sector to improve Latvia’s business environment and competitiveness in attracting foreign investment through the use of  experience and knowledge of its members.