Hosted by three chapters of OWIT – Tampa Bay, Toronto and South Florida – this cross-border virtual fireside chat featured a panel of three trailblazing and diverse women in different sectors from Canada and the U.S. and was moderated by Canada’s Consul General in Florida, Susan Harper. The panel included:

• Aylin Lusi, VP Public Affairs, UPS Canada, Toronto
• Alba Rodriguez: Senior Project & Design Manager, OHL Building, Tampa Bay
• Hydi Webb : Deputy Port Director, Port of Miami 

In introducing the panelists, Christyna Doege of OWIT Tampa Bay, said: “The heart of this webinar is to showcase successful women IN the world of international trade and business – to learn from them, to take away best practices, and at the end of the hour to say ‘Yeah, women can! Women do! Women are!’ So, too, we want each attendee - both women and men - to be excited about the possibilities found in international business and trade.”

Here are a few highlights from the fireside chat:

What inspired them to work in international trade?

• When Aylin was a student, her dream job was to be a diplomat because of the appeal of getting to know international cultures. Having an Irish and Turkish background also inspired here.
• Alba always wanted a career with the opportunity to leave behind a legacy - to see a creation – and that’s why she started as an architect. Then she got into health care which she found fascinating. Through all her travels, she discovered there is so much need in health care and started designing and constructing hospitals in South America and Latin America.
• Hydi grew up around trade, working in a range of positions with the very international Port of Miami. She’s been at the Port for 39 years, now as its first woman deputy port director.

What are some of their ‘war stories’?

• When she came up against an anti-trade movement in Europe at the outset of the U.S./E.U. trade negotiations, Aylin learned that not everyone sees the benefits of trade.
• Despite the sleepless nights negotiating financial agreements with cruise partners and the challenges of being a mom and balancing work and kids, Hydi called ‘war stories’ opportunities instead.
• Although it can be hard to get accepted initially in a male-dominated career, Alba gradually gained respect by forgetting about the apprehension of male counterparts to embrace her as a female. Rather, she focused on bringing her knowledge and value to teams.

What is their advice to other women?

• Alba: Follow your passion and your heart and become the best at it. When you know your stuff, you can contribute value.
• Aylin: Focus on the value you can add and find networks like OWIT which will be most helpful when questioning yourself or having feelings of imposter syndrome by talking about these things with other like-minded women.
• Hydi: Go forward with confidence!

The upcoming 2021 G7 Cornwall summit is a badly needed beacon of hope for a return to some level of normalcy as the G7 faces health, economic, social and environmental challenges of unprecedented proportions. The G7 and the world must keep trade channels open and secure, and ensure trade is more fair, inclusive, sustainable and responsive to the needs of all."

Maria Marchyshyn, Lead Researcher on Trade at University of Toronto's G7 Research Group, and Advisory Board Member at OWIT-Toronto authored the article 'G7 Performance on Trade' before the upcoming G7 summit to be held on June 11-13 at Carbis Bay, UK.

To read the full article, please visit the publication by the G7 Research Group, which also includes contributions by heads of states, international organizations as well as experts on various global issues. (p. 52-53)

Either entrepreneurs or professionals, everybody need to develop a brand for themselves. Whatever your area of expertise, you can take steps to make people think of you when they think of your field. 

Online presence is one of the keys to success today, but where to start to build your own personal branding? If you have the same questions, we invite you to our tri-series titled Fundamentals of Personal Branding, How to Build Your Personal Branding, and Dress for Success! 

Our guest speakers will share the basics of the topic as well as some tips. We will also have a raffle prize in each session for our members! 

To renew or become a member visit here.

Do not forget to reserve your spot for the second event!

The FITT Global Mentorship Pilot Progam is a FREE 6-month virtual mentorship program featuring an all-CITP mentor roster. Created for the international business community, it helps students, entrepreneurs, and employees from anywhere in the world, with any amount of work experience or tenure, access support, guidance, and expertise to level up their careers or businesses alongside seasoned FITT Certified International Trade Professional CITP®|FIBP® mentors.

Dates and deadlines

Applications are open from now until May 14th, after which 5 initial mentees will be selected and have their names announced publicly. Mentorship will commence in June. The program will run from June 1 - November 30, 2021.

Apply now

Who can participate?

Students, entrepreneurs, and employees from anywhere in the world with any amount of work experience or tenure are welcome to apply. A total of 10 participants (5 mentors and 5 mentees) will be selected to join. We will look to expand based on results and demand.

How does the program work?

Interested individuals must fill out our application form. We will select and announce 5 mentees and match them with a mentor that best suits their profile and application answers. Orientation will take place in a group setting in June and the mentor and mentee will meet weekly for the first month. They will set their preferred schedule thereafter. Mentorship will take place on a 1:1 virtual channel, mutually agreed upon by mentor and mentee.

Why is this a pilot program?

Based on popular demand, FITT is testing this Global Mentorship Pilot Program to best understand how to meet our community’s needs and open more doors for the international business profession.  Feedback received from participants will help us improve future iterations of the program. Currently, the pilot program will be offered in English only. We will work to expand based on demand and availability.

Look where OWIT-Toronto members have been featured this year:

• Check out this Tedx talk by Anita Agrawal, owner of Best Bargains Jewellery and Past President of OWIT-Toronto, and this news piece featuring her.
• OWIT-TO President Helen Hemmingsen represented OWIT at the joint Casa Foundation/OWIT Women Inspire 2021: Women in Business & Leadership Forum, and at the launch of the first virtual Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) for women both during International Women’s Day week.
• KC Goudiam of B2B Match spoke at events celebrating International Women’s Day, including Women Inspire 2021.
• Several OWIT-Toronto members, including Diane Reko, and Susan Baka are included in the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub’s See it. Be it. Database. It’s a resource featuring 1000+ profiles of successful women entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, sectors, experiences and regions across Canada who have received awards for their accomplishments. Its tagline? Because women need to see successful women entrepreneurs so they can dare become one.
• Congratulations to Jessica Horwitz on becoming a partner at Bennett Jones. Jessica specializes in international trade, customs, and regulatory compliance. She represents Canadian and international clients in trade disputes and investigations, assisting clients with import/export issues including customs compliance, export controls and economic sanctions, and anti-corruption compliance and international investment matters. Jessica has been an invaluable member of OWIT-Toronto and we appreciate the ongoing support and sponsorship from Jessica and her colleagues at Bennett Jones as corporate members of OWIT-Toronto.
  

From submitting consultation papers to participating in stakeholder groups, the past year has been a busy period for OWIT-Toronto’s Trade Policy Committee members. And the upcoming months promise more of the same.

Here is where we have participated since the fall of 2020:

• Gender and Trade Advisory Group (GTAG) to provide suggestions to Global Affairs Canada (GAC) for new provisions in free trade agreements (FTAs) and to its Sub-Committee to provide feedback on gender-based analysis (GBA+) of FTAs and trade policy
• Virtual business roundtable (Feb 2021) to share views on a possible comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with Indonesia
• USMCA SME Counselling Network Pilot Program: to strengthen ties across borders and share best practices with other country counterparts
• Submission on a possible Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Feb 2021)

In the coming months, we will be submitting comments on an anticipated bilateral Canada-U.K. free trade agreement and a possible U.K. accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). We will also consider possible input to the G7 and G20 meetings (June 2021) and to the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (November 2021) at which Canada will be proposing a gender and trade related roadmap.

This is a gentle reminder to all of our OWIT-Toronto members to update and refresh your profile.  You can get access via your log-in at the top right hand side of the home page.  Your profile will be included in our Members Directory, which is accessible only to other OWIT-Toronto members.  A photo will greatly enhance your profile.

Contact us at info@owit-toronto.ca if you have any questions or need assistance.

Helen Hemmingsen, President

What is your Key Advice To Small Business Owners For 2021?

This past year has been an incredibly challenging time for small businesses, which have faced the pandemic with extraordinary resilience, innovation, and recognition that above all, we must all prioritize the health and safety of those around us. With the vaccine rollout, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

From the beginning, our government committed to doing everything it takes to support small businesses and entrepreneurs until we defeat the virus. I encourage eligible businesses to continue using support programs available to them– like the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, Canada Emergency Business Account, and the new Canada Emergency Rent Support – all of which are critical in enabling our businesses and economy to weather the storm and prepare for a quick and full recovery.

Looking further ahead, we know that advancing digital trade and e-commerce is one of the best ways we can support our businesses, introduce them to more customers domestically and internationally, and help them bounce back.

In addition, our government is also focused on creating and expanding programs and resources that help more entrepreneurs see themselves as traders globally and bring their innovative Canadian products and services far and wide. We are taking a Team Canada approach to this and ensuring all businesses have access to our Trade Toolbox: Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service, Export Development Canada, the Business Development Bank of Canada, the Canadian Commercial Corporation – all of which are there to help Canadian businesses continue to succeed internationally.

We cannot do this alone. To all the business owners and entrepreneurs who have stepped up to support our communities in one of the most difficult periods in modern history – thank you. Know that you can count on us to continue providing crucial supports to get you through this pandemic and be well-positioned for future success.

See the original article here.

EDC is organizing a webinar series on exploring opportunities in Mexico, and first session "Doing business in the agri-food sector in Mexico" was a success!

If you are interested in the market and missed the first part of the series:

Here is the recording of the event for a limited period of time.

Here is the presentation of the event.

The second session of the series "Overview of Food Labelling Requirements in Mexico for Retail Sale" was held on 21 January 2020, Thursday.

Here is the recording of the event for a limited period of time.

Here is the presentation of the event.

You can also register for the third session here.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a cabinet shuffle Tuesday that changed the leadership of senior portfolios such as Global Affairs and Transport and announced that minister Navdeep Bains is leaving federal politics.

The move will add fuel to speculation that the Liberal government is seriously considering the possibility of a spring election, even though the party was re-elected with a minority mandate a little over a year ago.

François-Philippe Champagne will move from Global Affairs in order to replace Mr. Bains as head of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. Marc Garneau is being moved from Transport to Global Affairs.

Mississauga Centre Liberal MP Omar Alghabra is being promoted into cabinet to replace Mr. Garneau at Transport and Jim Carr returns to cabinet as a minister without a department while continuing in his role as special representative for the prairies. Mr. Carr had left cabinet following the 2019 election due to a cancer diagnosis.

A senior government insider said the shuffle was triggered by Mr. Bains’ decision to step down from his position as Innovation Minister and leave federal politics. The insider said the Prime Minister was taken aback by Mr. Bains’ decision. Mr. Bains told Mr. Trudeau that his wife wanted to get back to work and he wanted to spend more time with his daughters who are becoming teenagers. He told Mr. Trudeau it was time to give back to his family, the insider said.

See full article on the Globe and Mail website.