On 16th April 2026, Dancham was invited to an event by Swedcham on how to do business in Indonesia.
The event was opened by Lars Dagerholt, Chairman of SwedCham. A presentation by Terje Nielsen followed it. Terje presented from a Scandinavian perspective, based on his experience of living full-time in Indonesia since 1993. Terje presented the core idea that there is no right or wrong, but that Scandinavia and Indonesia are very different.
It was followed by Veve Hitipeuw, CEO of Kiroyan Partners and Managing Partner at Kreab, who presented from an Indonesian perspective. Veve presented the idea of “same room, different experience” and explained that it is hard for Indonesians to understand the directness of Scandinavians. She explained that when Indonesians nod, it does not always mean yes, but that they hear us. She also explained that silence does not mean agreement, like in Scandinavia.
The presentations were followed by a very extensive Q&A and discussion. The discussion touched on topics such as work-life balance, government, and import quotas.
Attendees had good opportunities to network both before and after the keynote presentations.
We thank all participants for their interest in our event, and we would like to express our gratitude to the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia for hosting the event.
