OWIT International and its DC Chapter, the Association of Women in International Trade (WITT) hosted an informative webinar on May 7, examining the shift in global trade policy driven by the U.S. “America First” agenda, including its implications for tariffs, trade responses from key partners, and longer-term outlooks. The panel brought together these leading experts on trade:

• Nicole Bivens Collinson, Former WIIT DC President and WIIT Foundation Chair, Washington DC; Managing Principal, Operating Committee Member, Int’l Trade and Gov’t Relations Practice Lead at Sandler, Travis, & Rosenberg
• Noreen Burroughes Cesareo, OWIT International President and OWIT UK President; Principal, Market Accents
• Audrey Ross, OWIT Toronto Past President; Senior Manager, Customs and Compliance at Innovative Beauty Group
• Moderated by Ken Jaques, OWIT VP Communications; President, Global Communications Strategies, Arlington, VA

A Changing Global Trading System

International trade is entering a new phase defined by rising uncertainty and pressure to rethink supply chain strategies, as countries investigate alternative solutions. The current U.S. tariff actions are a response to long-standing asymmetries in how WTO commitments were applied in practice, and reflect a long-developing policy trajectory from both political parties rather than a sudden disruption. However, the scale and form of these measures have shaken up world economies and are having a significant impact on the relationships between countries.

Global trade has undergone a fundamental, long-term change that is unlikely to reverse any time soon. As new regional partnerships emerge, countries will pursue different opportunities for collaboration and economic growth. Duty-free access to the United States is effectively over save for some USMCA exemptions. While tariffs remain a concern when seeking out trade partners, non-tariff barriers such as licensing requirements and sanitary measures are also becoming increasingly important challenges to address.

Adapting to Higher Costs and Uncertainty

In the UK, tariffs have created a broad but uneven disruption in the market, as consumers and businesses realize the impact on prices, operations and supply chains. While some sectors felt more immediate effects than others, the bigger issue has been rising uncertainty and volatility, making long-term planning difficult.

In Canada, businesses and investors tend to be more cautious and risk-averse compared to the United States, so sudden shifts in trade policy feel especially disruptive. While geopolitical changes occur quickly, policy and business cycles can be slower to adjust.

Multinational companies are more accustomed at dealing with disruptions than SMEs, who cannot as easily absorb or pass on costs, and lack direct channels to policymakers. Small businesses have also been affected by the removal of the de minimis provision, a rule that allowed shipments under $800 USD to enter the US duty-free, which increased compliance burdens and disrupted e-commerce. However, even large US manufacturers that rely on metal and machinery inputs are facing rising costs as Section 232 tariffs make these imports more expensive.

New Trade Blocs Emerging

Businesses of all sizes are rethinking supply chains by gradually shifting toward nearshoring and adjacent partners in response to rising costs and ongoing disruption. Regional trade blocs and corridors are opening up, including through the AfCFTA in Africa, which aim to build more sustainable and innovative supply chains.

Companies are moving away from the traditional “holy grail” markets of the U.S. and China and towards regionally-centered “hub-and-spoke” models. By organizing production and supply chains around regional markets, businesses can improve resilience against disruption.

Canada has long benefited from well-established access to the U.S., which has created a degree of complacency despite decades of government efforts to diversify exports through extensive FTAs. The recent disruption has intensified pressure to rethink market concentration, strengthen new partnerships, and develop supporting policies.

Industry Competitiveness

Industries with larger profit margins and stronger brand positioning will adapt more easily to rising tariffs and trade disruption, while lower-margin sectors such as food, apparel, and footwear face greater pressure from higher costs and labor intensity. Many U.S. companies lost competitiveness over time by relying on protected domestic demand and relocating production capacity abroad, and are likely to raise prices rather than reinvest in domestic productivity.

The UK is reassessing its reliance on the service sector and imported goods as rising costs and supply chain pressures renew interest in domestic manufacturing capacity. This encourages a rethink of trading partners, areas of comparative advantage, and how to provide value.

Questions remain about how much influence governments should have in correcting markets versus allowing private businesses to lead, especially as automation and AI accelerate change, and as consumers expect choice in the products they access. There is also growing pressure to balance productivity gains with job opportunities, fair wages, and an even distribution of economic outcomes.

OWIT’s Important Role

OWIT plays a practical role by sharing and interpreting knowledge and by serving as a voice at the table, bringing visibility to the realities that women-owned businesses face so they can be better represented in policy discussions and new trade agreements. OWIT can also make use of its global chapter network to share expertise effectively and help members connect with each other.

OWIT-Toronto maintains a robust event calendar that includes trade events from the government, partners, and other chapters that may be of interest to members. In addition, highlighting success stories showcases how women entrepreneurs are entering new markets, along with the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

OWIT International will continue to advocate for digitization and simpler, more predictable documentation requirements that can go a long way towards helping SMEs navigate an increasingly complex global market. Standardized regulations, eliminating non-tariff barriers, and stability in tariff frameworks also remain important, allowing businesses to plan with greater certainty and cost predictability.

The three panelists remain optimistic about the longer-term global trading outlook. Markets will eventually adjust to the current disruptions, as new trade patterns and relationships take shape across regions and sectors. While these changes introduce clear challenges, they also create opportunities for innovation and more resilient growth.

Speakers:

Jennifer Kay – First Secretary and Trade Commissioner, High Commission of Canada, London

Debbie Goodleff – Head of Trade - Defence, Security and Space, Department for Business and Trade, British High Commission, Ottawa

Dianna Pieper – Founder & CEO, Innovus Techne

Joanna Davies – Managing Director, POLARIS ADVANTAGE Inc.

Noreen Burroughs Cesareo – President of OWIT International & OWIT UK

Nathalie Bradbury – President, OWIT Ottawa

Elsie Etienne – VP, OWIT UK

OWIT UK, OWIT Ottawa, and OWIT Toronto hosted a timely webinar on May 5 about Canada–UK trade diversification opportunities, focusing on cross-border collaboration, market access, and emerging opportunities in the IT and telecoms sectors. In an increasingly complex global environment, partnerships are more valuable than ever.

The UK and Canada have a longstanding, trusted relationship underscored by historical ties, membership in international organizations, and their innovation-driven economies. A pragmatic, service-driven economy, the UK offers scale, stability, and opportunities for growth and investment for businesses looking to operate across this corridor. As of 2025, the UK is Canada’s third largest trading partner, with the relationship valued at $85 billion CAD. Canada-UK trade is supported by the Trade Continuity Agreement and the UK’s participation in CPTPP, with 99% of bilateral trade in both goods and services now tariff-free. With one of the largest Trade Commissioner Service teams worldwide, the UK-based TCS plays a key role in connecting Canadian SMEs to vetted business contacts, resolving market challenges, and advancing science and technology priority sectors.

Similarly, the UK High Commission has both trade promotion and investment officers as well as trade policy team members across Canada. The two countries share strong foreign direct investment ties and active engagement across key Canadian sectors including critical minerals, energy, advanced manufacturing, and financial services. Despite ongoing global geopolitical and economic uncertainty, Canada continues to show resilience and growth, supported by investment attraction and efforts to strengthen the industrial base. On the ground, the High Commission facilitates business relationships, conferences and trade missions.

Securing trade increasingly depends on cybersecurity and “selling trust” as businesses operate across more digitally enabled and interconnected trade corridors. Certifications are becoming important market entry criteria while regulatory alignment across telecoms, satellite, and post-quantum is essential for ensuring trade continuity in the decades to come. There is strong potential for further UK and Canada collaboration in these areas.

Companies that seek to provide cybersecurity products for critical national infrastructure should be especially cognizant of the required standards and certifications. The UK Cyber Essentials Programme and the Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification can help prepare businesses for cross-border market entry. UK and Canadian science and technology departments also identify shared research initiatives and co-fund projects that bring together expertise from both countries, posting opportunities on social media and LinkedIn accounts.

Supporting Women-Owned SMEs

The UK Department for Business and Trade offers cross-sectoral trade missions to help SMEs access export opportunities, including initiatives focused on female entrepreneurs and diverse business owners. The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service also organizes delegations to trade shows, develops partnerships for STI-focused companies, and helps high-growth tech companies scale through the Canadian Technology Accelerators. The Canadian government has even introduced public procurement measures that encourage participation from women-and minority-owned businesses.

Sectors with growing participating from women include environmental sustainability, FinTech,

healthcare and eldercare. TCS is available to provide in-market support for these sectors and others, leveraging local contacts and strategic guidance.

As international trade evolves amid shifting dynamics, OWIT will continue to bring together professionals across business, government, finance, logistics, legal services and more, expanding networks for women and advancing their inclusion in the global marketplace.

OWIT board members Clare Barnett and Susana Vaz with former Trade Minister Mary Ng

The  CanWIN Global Summit 2026 brought together leaders, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to advance gender-diverse economic empowerment and expand trade opportunities across the Indo-Pacific. With a strong focus on supporting women and gender-diverse SMEs, the summit highlighted pathways to market entry, the importance of inclusive trade, and the growing role of the region in the global economy. Since 2019, CanWIN-led trade missions have supported 290 delegates, generating an estimated $50M in deals and strengthening Canada’s reputation as a champion of inclusive trade. Discussions reinforced the critical role of government programs, financing tools, and ecosystem collaboration in unlocking the $150B potential of women entrepreneurs, while emphasizing the importance of relationship-building, market intelligence, and strategic persistence in global expansion.

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2026, OWIT-international hosted a compelling webinar titled Give to Gain, bringing together women from Africa, Europe, and the Americas to discuss how women are redefining trade around the globe.

In her opening remarks, President Noreen Burroughes Cesareo (OWIT-UK) emphasized that women are building strong businesses, entering new markets, and participating in global trade. The challenge is not participation, but an “architecture gap” - within the surrounding systems of finance, procurement, and market access, women still face challenges in succeeding and scaling up. Yet, women are finding ways to navigate, adapt to, and even re-shape these structures.

Give to Gain highlights how women are contributing immense value, and when the right systems are in place, the returns can be exponential. OWIT helps build meaningful connections across markets and sectors in ways that create growth and revenue, enabling women not just to participate in trade, but evolve it.

Moderated by Blessing Irabor-Oza (OWIT-Nigeria) and Salome Kavindu (OWIT-Kenya), the webinar invited the following speakers to share their business achievements, successes in trade, and advice for women entrepreneurs:

Patricia Kenneth, International Centre for Protocol and Diplomacy, OWIT-UK
Sandra Ejang, Western Silk Road, OWIT-Uganda
Temitope Mayegun, Avila Naturalle, OWIT-Nigeria
Jennie Sammur, TP & JS Enterprises, OWIT-Tampa Bay

Takeaways:

• When we open up opportunities to others, we gain opportunities ourselves - even if in unexpected ways.
• The real gains in trade come from investing in the people and systems that create value.
• OWIT plays a key role in amplifying women’s voices in global trade and connecting them to networks. In Africa, women are leveraging OWIT to engage with government bodies on trade facilitation.
• Women must prepare to adapt in an ever-changing world by identifying their strengths and staying resilient.
  
  
  

The Honourable Minister Dominic LeBlanc and OWIT- Toronto Chair of the Advisory Committee Alma Farias

OWIT-TO Strategic Advisor and Chair of the Advisory Committee Alma Farias participated in a reception in Monterrey in February to welcome the Team Canada Trade Mission to Mexico, led by the Honourable Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

Alma was invited to attend alongside Canadian delegates and members of the business community. The reception was opened and organized by the Canadian Consul General Annabelle Larouche and her team at the Consulate General of Canada in Monterrey, which created a welcoming platform for engagement between Canadian and Mexican stakeholders in one of Mexico’s most dynamic industrial and trade hubs.

The mission was one of the largest Canadian trade missions to Mexico in recent years, bringing together more than 240 Canadian organizations. In the days following the reception, hundreds of B2B meetings were organized between Canadian and Mexican companies to explore new partnerships and strengthen bilateral trade.

During the event, Alma connected with representatives from both countries and organizations advancing cross-border collaboration in the region.


[l to r] OWIT Monterrey President Elect Marcela Lopez, OWIT- Toronto Chair of the Advisory Committee Alma Farias, and Betsabe Rocha Nieto, Secretary of Economy, State Government of Nuevo Leon

[l to r] Canadian Chamber in Monterrey incoming president Jorge Arrambide, EDC Regional Director, GTA West Amesika Baëta,  OWIT- Toronto Chair of the Advisory Committee, Alma Farias, President-Elect of OWIT Monterrey Marcela Lopez

OWIT-Toronto was pleased to sponsor Youth for Canadian Trade Diversification (YCTD)’s first event of 2026, Empowering Youth, Diversifying Trade. YCTD was founded by Julie Nguyen, Chair of Canada-ASEAN Initiatives at York University and Director of the Canada-Vietnam Trade Council. This organization seeks to empower the next generation to shape Canada’s global trade future, connecting young professionals with expertise in foreign markets to Canadian businesses and stakeholders.

The session included two panels: the first on youth’s role in trade diversification featuring YCTD Youth Representatives moderator Connie Legaspi, The Philippines; Adriana Meriam Elsabel, Indonesia; and Chamilka Wijesinghe, VP, YCTD; and one on support for Canadian trade diversification, moderated by OWIT-Toronto Co-President and featuring Vanessa Donia, Trade Commissioner at the Ontario Regional Office of Global Affairs Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service, Mauricio Ospina, International Market Consultant and Founder of the Canadian Hispanic Business Alliance, and Dr. Olutoyin Oyelade, Founding Partner at Invcap Corporation and President & CEO of Casa Foundation.

Canada’s evolving trade diversification strategy is looking towards emerging markets as key growth areas, leveraging trade agreements, sector-specific developments and geopolitical shifts to expand opportunities. With 15 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in force, Canada has built a strong framework to enhance market access and support businesses abroad. Diversification is increasingly viewed as not only an economic objective but also a strategic imperative to reduce overdependence on single markets and strengthen Canada’s long-term resilience and global positioning.

Since the members of YCTD know so much about other markets, understand the local cultures and have innovative ideas, they can make a great contribution to Canada’s goal of doubling non-US exports by 2035.

Here are some key takeaways from the panels:

• Trade is primarily about human connections.
• Canada should use the talents of YCTD at this critical time of building new global relationships and reinforcing existing ones.
• Latin America is a priority region in the global energy transition, with critical mineral reserves driving demand for infrastructure development and mining modernization alongside cybersecurity capabilities.
• Africa’s youthful demographics and increasing regulatory reforms position it as a high-growth market with expanding opportunities across energy, mining, agriculture, and technology, with deepening potential for strategic partnerships.
• The growing participation of women in leadership and entrepreneurship are reshaping regional trade dynamics, with partnership-based models key to scaling exports by women-led firms.
• Government-supported trade missions, embassy programs, and sector-specific delegations support businesses in reducing market entry risks and building relationships in new markets.

At the celebration of OWIT–Toronto Chapter’s 25th Anniversary, we were proud to recognize and honour one of our founding members, Susan Baka, who has remained an unwavering advocate, mentor, and highly respected leader in the trade community.

Susan, Co-President and VP International of the Toronto Chapter, and Co-VP of Chapter Development for OWIT International, was presented with the Excellence in Global Trade Award.

This award is defined as: a woman who has achieved outstanding success in international trade. She demonstrates excellence in expanding markets, fostering global partnerships, and driving export growth. Through her leadership, innovation, and commitment, she serves as a role model for others pursuing success in global commerce.

We were also fortunate to hear heartfelt remarks from three women who have worked closely with Susan over the years. A special thank you to Anita Agrawal, Amesika Baeta, and Sue Rauth for sharing their reflections and highlighting Susan’s exceptional contributions to women in trade over the past 25 years.

Congratulations, Susan!

OWIT-Toronto was invited to the 2025 Ontario Economic Summit, which this year featured the thought-provoking theme of Leadership Across Borders. Political leaders, prominent bankers, and business executives all weighed in with insights on issues of the day, from Canada’s response to trade tensions with the US, to the transformative potential of AI. They had plenty to say about Canada’s move from reliance on one market to diversifying to other markets, about investments in AI, infrastructure, defence and critical minerals, and about the importance of Indigenous participation in the latter. Despite all the challenges of a rapidly changing global landscape, a definite consensus emerged that with challenges come opportunities.

OWIT-Toronto board members Megane Visette, Lilian Marins and Susan Baka and attended this year’s Toronto Global Forum, which provided insights on the global economy and trade landscape from many senior business and political leaders. Key messages included the need for governments to adapt to evolving economic and geopolitical change, and for Canada to balance close U.S. ties with broader diversification and reduce interprovincial trade barriers. Speakers also highlighted the rising notion of “Advantage North America,” the accelerating role of AI in productivity, and the surge in energy demand driven by the growth of data centres, advanced manufacturing, and EVs.