X-mas lunch with a Norwegian touch

NBCC would like to thank its members for their support in 2011!

A lot of people found their way to the traditional NBCC Year-end Family Day Celebration on December 4th. “2011 has been a good year for the NBCC, with a high level of activities”, says the NBCC president Jon Harald Kilde.

Consul General Helle Klem and her husband Mikael Klem were among the guests that were gathered at the traditional Christmas event, held at Country Garden in Joá,on Sunday December 4th.

About a hundred NBCC members, their families and friends of the NBCC spent the Sunday afternoon at the event, where they enjoyed a delicious barbecue lunch buffet. For the Norwegians missing the snow and feeling a bit homesick this time of the year, the NBCC  offered traditional Scandinavian Christmas cookies, pepperkaker and kransekaker, for dessert, as well as the more traditional Brazilian banana with ice cream.

“It has been a good year for the NBCC, with a high level of activities. The number of members is climbing towards 100, and we’ve had three Norwegian ministers visiting. The Brazil strategy was launched, and NBCC participated in the process. It’s impossible to predict the future, but it looks promising”, Mr. Kilde said in his speech to the guests.

“The challenge now is to make something concrete come out of the strategy. We are working on it, and last week, the NBCC had a joint meeting with the Norwegian chamber of commerce in São Paulo and the Brazilian-Norwegian chamber in Norway for the very first time. We are very optimistic, and for us the priority is to try to influence the frame conditions in a way both Norway and Brazil can gain from. We are not opposed to the Brazilian local content requirements, but maybe we need to look into how these demands are being practiced.”

This is vital to future success, according to Mr. Kilde.

“The conditions are tough in Brazil, and not everything is developing the way we would like. Expenses are very high, and the local content requirements are demanding”, he admits.

No new records

The NBCC president, who is the general manager of BW Offshore do Brasil, also took the opportunity to thank the hard working board members for their efforts in making the NBCC work, a voluntary work they do on top of their demanding daily jobs in Norwegian-Brazilian companies in Rio de Janeiro.

Board members Tom Mario Ringseth from DNB and Sergio Garcia from DNV were present at the lunch.

“In 2011, more companies have joined the NBCC. A lot of people have attended our events, where the ambition is to pass important and relevant information to our members. We are hoping to attract even more Brazilian companies, and we would like the NBCC to be a place for networking. The chamber is made up of its members, and their participation is essential. We are on the right track,” says Mr. Sergio Garcia.

“An active and well functioning chamber needs active members. The NBCC needs feedback from the members on what they would like us to do. It is not all about oil and gas, and maybe there are other areas that the members would like us to prioritize. Next year we might organize some smaller and more specialized events on taxation and import regulations”, says Mr. Tom Mario Ringseth.

Looking back on 2011, Johhny Håberg in the Norwegian Seafood Export Council is satisfied, although no new records were set for Norwegian seafood exporters this year.

“2010 was a record year, and it is difficult to exceed the 30 percent growth we had last year. This year we expect results more or less on the same level. We are experiencing more competition, mainly from China and Portugal, and this is a challenge. Our ambition for 2012 is to continue growing, and there are Norwegian exporters considering to start exporting Norwegian salmon to Brazil, says Johnny Håberg.

Tree top adventure

Representatives from Bola pra frente helped taking care of the many children present at the event, and a big inflatable bouncy castle with a slide was definitely the main attraction for the little ones. The organizers also took a group of about 30 teenagers and the more bold adults on a tree top adventure before lunch. NBCC president Jon Harald Kilde was among the more adventurous adults that took the challenge.

Mr. Kilde says he is impressed with the position Norwegian suppliers have gained in Brazil.

“It started with the bacalhau, and more recently the Norwegian petroleum supply industry has experienced great success here. The good relationship between Norwegians and Brazilians has contributed to making this a lot bigger, and it’s incredible that a small country like Norway is the seventh biggest investor in Brazil. It’s amazing how Norwegian industry is competitive and has gained such a solid position in the Brazilian market”, he says.

By Runa Hestmann Tierno, NBCC journalist