Much more than a Thursday Bar Club

Lately, Thursday nights have become much more interesting for people working in the financial sector. Internationals and Danes alike meet up to network and spend a cosy and enjoyable evening together at Internationals in Finance’s Thursday bars. 

Half of the participants come from Nordea

“Approximately 50 people show up every time depending on the venue. Most of the participants come from Danske Bank and Nordea, and lately up to half of the people joining come from Nordea,” says Tero Kurvinen, Head of Payments Denmark and member of the Steering Committee in Internationals in Finance since last autumn. He’s originally from Finland and has lived in Denmark for the last 3,5 years.

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Tero Kurvinen says there has been quite a development since he showed up at his first Thursday bar event in March last year.

“It was a last-minute decision to go because I didn’t have any other plans. I didn’t know anyone and felt like I was the only one from Nordea but I ended up chatting with five female employees from Danske Bank. Now much more people show up,” Tero Kurvinen adds.

Fintech, LinkedIn and Diversity

The SteerCo has two members from Nordea. The other member is Judit Toth who participated in her first event in April last year – a Christmas party that was postponed due to Covid-19. She is Hungarian and has lived in Denmark for the past 17 years.

“The Thursday bars are our greatest success but we do much more than that,” underlines Judit Toth.

In the past Internationals in Finance has hosted events about visibility and networking on LinkedIn, collaboration with Fintech, Christmas parties and Diversity & Inclusion.

More than 1,000 members of the LinkedIn group

The Internationals in Finance network was founded in 2020 under the name Network of International Members in Finansforbundet (NIM). The network recently changed its name to Internationals in Finance. 

Since the network was founded during the pandemic, it started as a virtual one and a LinkedIn group connects everybody. The LinkedIn group has just reached 1,000 members and the LinkedIn group was made public in June to make the posts and members more visible.

Danes welcome as well

As the name suggests, the network is open to internationals working in the financial sector. But native Danes are more than welcome as well.

“It could be Danes with an international mindset, Danes who used to work abroad or Danes who work in international teams,” says Judit Toth.

It’s well known that it can be difficult for a foreigner in Denmark to socialize with native Danes. Most Danes have already established their group of friends and it’s often difficult to meet up with them spontaneously – you have to get a ‘time slot’ several months in advance. 

The Expat Insider Survey Reports show that while expats consider Denmark one of the best countries in the world to have a family with great options for childcare, it is one of the worst countries when it comes to personal happiness, feeling at home, friendliness and finding friends. 

“Danes have their own network so it’s really hard to make Danish friends. This is why International in Finance is such an important network,” says Tero Kurvinen.

Many activities in scope

The network has many exciting activities in scope e.g. a Buddy Programme, an introduction to the Danish labour market and an event about equity and psychological safety. Some of the events will be part of Internationals in Finance while others will be part of the activities in Nordea’s Cross Cultural Employee Resource Group (ERG) which Judit Toth is also actively involved in. See below!

Upcoming events

Buddy Programme Kick-off event
14 September, 16-19, Metro
Within the scope of Nordea’s Cross Cultural Denmark ERG initiative, we are planning to bring foreign and Danish colleagues closer by inviting them to participate in Nordea’s Buddy program. The program aims to help foreign colleagues to learn about Denmark, Danish traditions, practicalities and how-to-dos which would help their journey in the country, via an informal social network that they could be part of, through their workplace, in Nordea. 
Download the event to your Outlook calendar

Equity & Psychological safety - the key to unlock the potential of diverse teams
26 October 16.30-20, Saxo Bank, Hellerup
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) have become focal topics within organizations and communities where there are increasing numbers of employees or employment seekers from different backgrounds.
This is increasingly a topic of particular interest for employers in the financial sector in Denmark as well as employees of diverse backgrounds in order to maintain high performance in the workplace and cultivate a sense of belonging. Research shows that psychological safety can unlock the potential of diverse teams, by providing a foundation for equity and inclusion to grow.
More info and sign up

New to the Danish labour marked and the financial sector?
14 November 17-19.30, Kastrup
Curious to learn more about the Danish labor market, how it is regulated and what it means to you? And would you like to hear a personal story and have tips on how to work in the Danish financial sector and being part of an international network in Denmark with many exciting activities waiting for you.
More info and sign up