Recently, Gateway welcomed a new resident, Maria Nila, to the collaborative office space – a beauty company which is leading in sustainability and was named Cosmetic Exporter of the Year at the 2019 Swedish Beauty Awards. To congratulate them for their success, SACCNY sat down with Maria Nila’s Commercial Director, Jan Arnheim, to discuss the company’s success and goals for the upcoming year.

View the press release on the award here.

Jan Arnheim
Commercial Director

What has been most exciting about being named the 2019 Cosmetics Exporter of the Year?
It feels fantastic that this particular year, Maria Nila is honored as the Cosmetics Exporter of the Year at the Swedish Beauty Awards. After years of hard work, we were able to launch in early 2019 in the United States and Canada with the largest professional beauty distributor in the world. Coupled with dedicating a year for expanding globally and entering several key beauty markets around the world, and now present in forty markets, we feel that we have truly earned the title of Global Brand.

How do you think companies should adapt to a market that is increasingly conscious of sustainability?
A well applied and integrated sustainability strategy signals the company’s capabilities to thrive long term. Companies in markets that are increasingly conscious of sustainability should understand the need to take sustainability seriously, rather than it being a PR stunt. The future of sustainability in the corporate world also means more than the occasional nod to global environmental efforts. Instead, companies should take a holistic approach and shift the company’s culture by adapting to socially responsible input for an output that is effectively social, economic, cultural and environmental.

What are your goals within the beauty industry and/or community in regard to breaking into the U.S. market?
To become a role model in our industry as the U.S. market leader within sustainable beauty.

Why did you choose NYC as a landing spot for your company?
As the dynamic meeting place and business hub that it is, New York was the obvious choice for our first U.S. office and headquarters.
As well, New York’s comparatively close proximity to our global headquarters and production facilities in Sweden played a part in choosing our landing spot.

How has SACCNY helped with your process of entering the U.S. market?
SACCNY has been an important part of Maria Nila’s success in the U.S. market launch. Apart from offering a great office space and business environment, we have received a lot of help from the Chamber’s experienced team through their Business Services and B2B Matchmaking, specifically with legal and accounting expertise in entering the market – both in terms of direct insight and great referrals to market and industry experts.   

Gateway is a Swedish-American collaborative innovation hub, housing exciting New York based Swedish start- and scale-ups. The platform opened its doors ten months ago and is home to over 40 companies. Take the opportunity to learn more about Gateway and meet the community.