01/09/2026
Mineral Brochure 2026: Overview of This Year's Mineral Activities in Greenland
Naalakkersuisut has published the Mineral Brochure for the 2026 field season, providing a comprehensive overview of the ...
Arctic Import has been a member of Greenland Business Association since the 1990s. For Managing Director Thomas Hjort, membership is primarily about networking, political insight and standing together with the wider business community – both in Greenland and beyond its borders.
In the North Atlantic market, networks and, not least, an understanding of local culture are essential to doing business successfully. This is particularly true when you are one of the leading players in B2B wholesale trade in the North Atlantic.
When Thomas Hjort became Managing Director of Arctic Import in 2017, he therefore considered whether it still made sense for the company to remain a member of Greenland Business Association.
He concluded that it did. One important reason was the organisation’s role in helping him build a network in Greenland.
“Doing business in Greenland is very much based on relationships. It is important to know people and to be able to trust one another, and Greenland Business Association has played a major role in helping me build my network,” says Thomas Hjort, whose company serves customers in Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland.
He is primarily based in Denmark but travels frequently to Greenland. Future Greenland, among other events, has been an important place for him to meet other business leaders and decision-makers.
“Future Greenland is a major event in Greenland, and it would be impossible for a single company to organise something of that scale. But Greenland Business Association can do it because we work together,” he says.
Networking is not only important within Greenland. Greenland Business Association also organises joint delegation trips to events such as the PDAC Convention in Toronto, an annual international conference for mineral exploration and mining.
In the longer term, Arctic Import would like to supply the mining industry. For Thomas Hjort, it is therefore important to attend a conference that brings together a large number of key decision-makers.
“At PDAC, I meet many of the people with whom it is essential for us to build relationships if we are to supply the mining industry in the future,” he says.
According to Thomas Hjort, these trips are also an example of how Greenland Business Association can help Greenlandic companies present a united front outside Greenland.
“When we travel as a united group, we are stronger.”
Membership also provides Arctic Import with insight into the political issues that affect the business community.
According to Thomas Hjort, Greenland Business Association keeps its finger on the pulse and provides Arctic Import’s board with input on political developments affecting the business sector. This helps the company stay informed about the issues that matter to its operations.
Thomas Hjort also serves on Greenland Business Association’s industry committee for retail and wholesale. This gives him closer insight into the organisation’s work, including consultation responses on matters affecting the sector.
“There are still quite a few challenges involved in doing business in Greenland. But my impression is that Greenland Business Association has a good understanding of the issues, or at the very least is actively trying to address them,” he says.
According to Thomas Hjort, when an issue needs to be brought to the attention of politicians, public authorities or the media, it makes a significant difference when the message comes from more than just one company.
Greenland Business Association can represent an entire industry on an issue and give greater political weight to the views of its member companies.
“It can be extremely difficult for an individual company to make its voice heard. Greenland Business Association can take an issue forward on behalf of an entire industry, allowing us to present ourselves as a united group. That gives us greater impact and a stronger voice,” he says.
It is precisely this combination of networking, political insight and a collective voice that makes membership valuable to Arctic Import.
“Greenland Business Association has many good initiatives that help businesses present a united front. That gives us strength both in Greenland and beyond. Overall, I am very satisfied with the work they do,” concludes Thomas Hjort.
