This week, Tallinn hosted the international export conference Smart North Summit for the first time, bringing together Estonian businesses with leading experts and decision-makers from Europe, the US, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia in green energy, defence industry, and ICT. The conference addressed global trade trends, developments in the defence sector, and Estonia’s cooperation opportunities in key markets such as the UK, Poland, and South Korea.
“The idea behind Smart North Summit was to introduce Estonia to influential global companies and decision-makers while bringing the world physically closer to our businesses. Experts and leaders from three of the most important sectors for the Estonian economy — green energy, defence, and ICT — came together in Tallinn,” said Eva-Kristiina Ponomarjov, Director General of Trade Estonia.
Representatives from Marubeni Corporation (Japan), Sinai (USA), Jakson Green (India), Grid ESS Europe, LG Energy Solution (South Korea), Thunderstrike Aviation Europe (Denmark), Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), Plexal (UK), Coseke Limited (Kenya), and others shared their experiences and met with Estonian companies.
Robert Huter, former Vice President of Purchasing at Robert Bosch GmbH at Smart North Summit. Photo: Rauno Liivand
“The trade war will last for a while,” said Robert Huter, former VP of Purchasing at Bosch GmbH, in his keynote. “And I don’t just mean Trump. Continents are becoming more autonomous and self-reliant. This forces every company to reassess its sourcing strategies and principles. If you suddenly face a 25% tariff overnight, it can drastically change your business. It could destroy everything the company originally set out to achieve.”
He noted that unpredictability in global supply chains persists. Geopolitical tensions, increasing complexity in supply chains, and ever-shifting demand make it harder for businesses to grow and expand into export markets.
The UK market offers opportunities for Estonian companies
The following panel discussion explored which skills remain irreplaceable in global trade, ones that AI and automation cannot solve. The discussion focused on the specific challenges and opportunities of markets in the US, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Panellists included Graeme Flaxman Byrd, Head of Partnerships at US-based green tech company Sinai Technologies; Bhaskar Bose, VP at Indian renewable energy firm Jakson Green; Jeff Thuo, CEO of African IT company Coseke Group; and Lehari Kaustel, CEO of Miltton Events and Co-Chairman of the UAE–Estonia Business Council.
The first half of the day concluded with a session on the UK market and its potential for defence industry players. Hamza Huda, Defence Lead at UK innovation hub and tech incubator Plexal, and Andreas Heiki Pant, Trade Estonia’s Export Adviser in the UK, analysed the UK’s role as a global defence innovation centre.
“The idea behind Smart North Summit was to introduce Estonia to influential global companies and decision-makers while bringing the world physically closer to our businesses. Experts and leaders from three of the most important sectors for the Estonian economy — green energy, defence, and ICT — came together in Tallinn.”
Eva-Kristiina Ponomarjov, Director General of Trade Estonia
“Roughly 50–60 major companies receive the lion’s share of the UK’s £5 billion defence budget. For Estonian businesses, the easiest way into the value chain is through a local partner, especially one actively seeking new suppliers, such as SME´s,” said Pant.
The afternoon featured a case study of successful Estonian–Korean cooperation in green energy, focusing on developing Estonia’s largest battery storage facility in Auvere. The project was built by the Estonian energy solutions company Diotech Group using next-generation battery technology from LG Energy Solution.
Kyuwon Heo, Head of Commercial at Grid ESS Europe, LG Energy Solution, presented the project, followed by a panel discussion with Kristjan Kuhi, Member of the Management Board at Eesti Energia, Mart Moora, Board Member at Diotech Group, and Soonhea Bae, Trade Estonia´s Export Adviser in South Korea, who played a key role in facilitating the cooperation.
While Europe is mostly in decline, Poland is a booming economy – the panellists discussed the opportunities for Estonia at the Smart North Summit. Photo: Rauno Liivand
Smart North Summit showed Estonian businesses global potential
The final panel of the day explored defence as a driver of innovation. “Estonia’s strength is smart solutions, not mass production,” said Kalev Koidumäe, CEO of the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association. “We won’t be building tanks or submarines, but we can develop smarter systems for existing platforms.” Estonian defence companies stand out in Europe for their R&D capabilities.
“We need companies that can react quickly and start production when needed,” added Wojciech Dąbrowski, CEO of Polish defence company Polski Holding Rozwoju S.A. He emphasised that manufacturing capability, service, and support are the cornerstones of modern defence industry — something Estonian companies can also offer. The panel also featured Morten Hvalsøe-Dybdahl, VP for key accounts at Thunderstrike Aviation Europe (Denmark).
According to Eva-Kristiina Ponomarjov, the Smart North Summit proved that Estonian businesses have both the know-how and courage to act globally. “When the right market, technology, and partnership come together, even a small country can play a significant role in global innovation,” she added.
On the day following the conference, international buyers visited Estonian companies and held direct meetings with local entrepreneurs.
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