Sami Karhu has been the Managing Director of the Pellervo Society since 2012.

“The Pellervo Society is a think tank focusing on cooperative services,” Karhu says. “We lead development programmes, act as a partnership network, and attempt to find all possible collaborators with whom we can develop this business model.”

Over the 116 years of its existence, the Society has diversified in many directions. It offers business training, produces market research and economic forecasts, publishes magazines and offers publishing services. As Managing Director, Sami Karhu oversees all this activity.

“I make sure they have the right people and that they develop their projects in a sensible manner.”

The roots of cooperatives run deep in Finnish society. The Pellervo Society was founded in 1899, at a time when Finland was forming as an economic, cultural and political entity.

“Cooperatives are the precursor of government by the people. There arrival in Finland predates national democracy. The cooperative movement is the most successful popular movement our country has seen.”

Sami Karhu mentions that Finland is the Mecca of cooperative activities. Cooperatives have more than 7 million members in Finland. Being part of one is so commonplace that many do not even think about it.

“A single family can often hold several memberships, for example at the building society, the supermarket or the insurance company. And if you own a cattle farm, you will be a member of a great many cooperatives.”

It is the aim of the Pellervo Society to ensure that cooperative activities remain strong in the future.

“We represent member-ownership. It brings its own flavour to the Finnish economy. Cooperative services add variety to the market economy.”

The idea of a person as part of a community is inherent in cooperative activities. It allows for the opportunity to improve your own environment and the services available to you.

“Cooperatives give you a place in society. It is easy to get involved, and with sufficient abilities the road is open all the way to higher administrative positions.”

Fields that require expertise have seen more and more cooperative activities. They give cohesion to working life, which has become so fragmented and uncertain.

“Cooperatives provide the tools to organise your skills, your intellectual capital, so you can bring them to the market through your business.”

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