"Seeing participation from stakeholder groups and countries that have not attended before felt meaningful," says CEO Rachel Kallander of Arctic Encounter Summit. (Photo: Hilde Bye).
"Building and strengthening global partnerships is more important than ever. And we know that doing that in-person meetings, whether here in Alaska, in Norway, or elsewhere, is imperative," says Rachel Kallander, CEO of Arctic Encounter Summit.
"There are a lot of new dynamics, and sometimes also real tension between Arctic states and non-Arctic states right now. I think we are all feeling the intensity of those changes," says Alaskan entrepreneur Rachel Kallander (39).
Kallander is the founder and CEO of the Arctic Encounter Summit, which takes place annually in Anchorage, Alaska. In an interview with High North News, she shares some reflections on organizing the major Arctic conference during a year that included a postponement and changing geopolitical dynamics.
She stresses that building and strengthening global partnerships is more important than ever.
"We know that doing that in-person meetings, whether here in Alaska, in Norway, or elsewhere, is imperative. You achieve different results when you convene together in person," Kallander continues.
What has been important for you when organizing such a conference in the midst of the ongoing geopolitical changes?
"This year, it was trying to strike a balance on the debate stage on specific topics. One of those included debates with very different perspectives when it comes to the new US presidential administration and the Government of Greenland, as one example."
"But we had other debates as well that are quite complex; like indigenous sovereignty when it comes to lands and access to resources, as well as the future of critical minerals, the future of investments, and how to invest in good consultation for positive outcomes. Those are all of the complex fine lines that we are trying to walk when we convene these types of meetings," she adds.
From left: Executive Director Mads Qvist Frederiksen from Arctic Economic Forum, Member of Greenlandic Parliament Kuno Fencker, and founder of American Daybreak Tom Dans, participated in a panel on Greenland at the center of Arctic geopolitics. Not shown in the picture is Greenlandic MP Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam. (Photo: Arctic Encounter).
Arctic Encounter has convened stakeholders and participants from all over the Arctic, as well as from outside the region, for over ten years.
What stands out when organizing the summit this year?
"We are really excited about AES 2025 as we were able to hit a new record of country participation with 27 countries," Kallander says.
"Furthermore, what feels exciting to us this year is that we are a team made up of Alaskans – and Alaska does not always have the largest international audiences. So, to convene not just Alaskans from many parts of the state, but participants from 27 countries felt impactful and meaningful."
For the past years, Arctic Encounter Summit has taken place in Anchorage, Alaska's biggest city. (Map: Shelby Duncan / Maptyx).
This year, you also had to navigate some changes to the conference, such as a postponement of the summit in April?
"The conference was rescheduled from April to July amidst some major changes at the federal level, not only in the US, but also in Greenland and other regions. We felt this reschedule was important in 2025 and allowed for participation from many nations, and also stronger participation in the US as well," Kallander notes.
Did the postponement have any consequences for the summit, such as lower participation numbers?
"The reschedule this year impacted some Alaskan participation since the summer months are very busy here, but we did see an increase in international representation," she says.
Alaska does not always have the largest international audiences.
For those who are not familiar with AES, how would you describe this summit?
"Arctic Encounter convenes meetings that are meant to raise awareness, engage challenges and develop solutions for the far north – ideally with as many diverse stakeholders, representing as many parts of the Arctic, or the north, as possible," she says and continues:
"We do that in a number of ways. Obviously, the summit includes expert panels and different breakout sessions. We also try to incorporate a healthy debate, so we avoid a situation where the whole stage agrees with one another, but where we can really start to engage the issues in a meaningful way."
"We also do our best to make sure we are including stakeholders culturally, including artists – and we do host a fashion show," Kallander adds.
See gallery: From the Far North Fashion Show with the theme "The Water Collection" inspired by the element of water. (Photo: Arctic Encounter).
From Arctic Encunter Far Norht Fashion Show. (Photo: Arctic Encounter).
AES Far North Fashion Show. (Photo: Arctic Encounter).
What are your highlights from the conference?
"Seeing participation from stakeholder groups and countries that have not attended before felt meaningful. Also, one of my personal favourite elements of Arctic Encounter is the Far North Fashion Show, in which this year's theme was "The Water Collection". That was inspiring for me as someone who grew up commercial fishing on the ocean in Alaska."
How do you see AES developing going forward?
"Moving forward, Arctic Encounter is focused on advancing and expanding our work in Alaska, Washington DC, and abroad. We are focused on advancing Arctic policy, building and strengthening global partnerships, and increasing investment in the North."
"We hope to share inside details on that expansion plan with High North News in the coming months and look forward to working with our longtime partners in the Nordics and elsewhere to that end," Kallander says in closing.
Next year's Arctic Encounter Summit will take place April 15-17 in Anchorage, Alaska.
Source: Arctic Encounter Summit.
