It is with a great feeling and optimism that we, the Board of Directors of CLS, announce our new Secretary General, Roya Moghaddas.
With relevant experiences and potential to bring new creative ideas into CLS, we warmly welcome Roya to our organisation.
Get to know more about Roya in her letter to the CLS community and to engage in our upcoming activities.
Dear Members of the Swedish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce,
My name is Roya Moghaddas and I have been elected by the Board of Directors to take over as Secretary-General of CLS from the 1st of September. I am looking forward to manage the daily operations of the CLS with the aim to strengthen Swedish-Portuguese business relations.
Portugal has during recent years become home on an equal level as Sweden is to me. I remember my first visit to Lisbon in 2015 with great warmth. Right there and then I knew I would come back for many visits! And so I did. Various vacations in Portugal made me familiar with the beautiful country, its unique history and most of all — the humbleness and kindness of the Portuguese people.
Fast-forward to 2017 when I received a scholarship to come back to Lisbon and write a comparative paper on the union workers condition with regard to the financial crisis that affected Portugal greatly during the global financial crises 2008 and onwards. This experience gave me, as the lead ombudsman for my former union at the Swedish migration department, an unique insight in Portuguese labor rights. Knowledge that also appeared to come handy later in my career. By now, Portugal had a very special place in my heart. Therefore it came very natural for me to move here in the beginning of 2018.
This time to work with a great passion of mine that I share with Portugal - craftsmanship. Portugal is well known globally for its fine craftsmanship and there was no doubt that having my base in Portugal was the best decision. By running my own business in Portugal also came the possibilities to network and enter new fields such as the textile industry. Many recognised Swedish brands have their production in Portugal since years back and I found myself filling a gap as a bridge between the two nations way of carrying through with business. Until this day I have had the great opportunity to work with Swedish brands establishment, sourcing and CSR work here in Portugal. I've become the ”go to ”for any questions regarding the textile and accessory industry, nevertheless during challenging pandemic times as we are experiencing right now.
2020 has so far seen its fair share of major historic events and businesses and humans worldwide are being affected greatly. It is a fact that the development of the global pandemic we are experiencing will affect us collectively. With these unique circumstances my aim is, during my executive administrative mandate, to figure as a stable resource for our members and through creative solutions maintaining and strengthen the unity between our members and the Swedish and Portuguese economies. By maintaining, communicating and developing the CLS great work I strongly believe we will get through the pandemic winds with new experiences and solutions. Problem-solving is key and will permeate my approach towards the goals of the CLS.
As the new Secretary-General of CLS my focus will be on maintaining and developing the great work of the CLS. Carrying on the legacy of my predecessors work as a guideline, CLS will continue facilitate the business expansion of its members. An (pro)active Chamber of Commerce that provides a network that generate opportunities, encourages networking and deepen our trade relations is and will continuously be the main goal.
I humbly thank the Board of Directors for their confidence in me, look forward to meeting you all and encourage our members and network to reach out with ideas and suggestions for new projects that could strengthen the priorities of the CLS and our mission.
Together we stand stronger!
Yours Sincerely,
Roya
