Cameron Branston has spent over fifteen years building economic ties between Canada and the UK, working on both sides of the Atlantic to attract investment and help companies engage in transatlantic trade.

Cameron earned his Bachelor’s degree in political science from York University, while also balancing several other commitments like interning for an MPP at Queen’s Park and working in the Office of the President at York.

Not slowing down, he then moved to Edinburgh to complete his Master’s degree in social and political studies. At the same time, he also tutored at the Center for Canadian Studies and interned with the Scottish Parliament.

Upon graduation, he moved back to Toronto to take a position as an Investment Officer with the British High Commission in Toronto. Working with officials at several levels of UK and Canadian government, as well as CEOs and other senior business leaders, his focus was on sustaining and growing FDI (foreign direct investment) in the automotive, life sciences, aerospace and environmental technology sectors. Cameron spent five years in this role, before moving to southern England to take on similar roles with new organizations for another three years.

Building ties between the UK and Alberta

Looking for a new career challenge, in 2011 Cameron started his current role as a Commercial Officer with the High Commission of Canada’s Alberta-UK Office in London, England. While the new role allowed him to draw on many of his existing skills, his Ontario roots meant he needed to do some research to get up to speed on the specific needs of Albertan businesses.

“I thought that promoting international trade from a region in Canada that I was less familiar with could prove to be a great learning experience,” he explains. “I always say that working for Alberta has made me a better Canadian, in that I am now much more aware of the challenges facing Albertan companies doing business abroad and their perspective on global business opportunities.”

He was also initially concerned about his level of knowledge regarding business technology, but his subsequent study and research has since given him an advantage when working with companies.

“I invested my time to better understand business management models and global trade, which allowed me to spot opportunities and therefore add value to companies seeking guidance on trading internationally.”

His everyday work now includes promoting Alberta’s businesses and the province itself as an investment location. He also provides market intelligence, business advice, networking opportunities and introductions to Albertan businesses exporting to the UK or considering doing so. Helping businesses is a particular point of pride, as he can often see the tangible results of his efforts.

“I take great satisfaction in providing advice to companies looking to expand their sales and operations overseas. I know only too well that companies that export tend to fair better in the long term, which in turn is helpful to the Canadian economy.”

Making a big impact at the regional, national and international levels

Working in a smaller office, Cameron has had the opportunity to take on several exciting projects. Some of the most memorable have involved supporting visits from Albertan representatives to the UK and vice-versa, including government ministers.

I’ve enjoyed supporting high-level ministerial visits because they have a huge impact and are a great way to showcase key messages about the business strengths of Alberta.

“I supported an Alberta delegation’s visit to Sheffield and travelled with a reciprocal delegation and the Sheffield Master Cutler (who acts as an ambassador for the steel industry in Sheffield) to Calgary and Edmonton for the Global Petroleum Show. Both missions generated business and interest in each market. The Albertans left quite an impression on those they met in Sheffield.”

Another visit last year, involving several high-level UK politicians, further reinforced the importance of trade, both in a general sense and specifically between the two markets.

“In 2017, our office helped organize a mission for our minister, which included meetings with UK MPs and Lords. Trade with the UK is both topical and important. Our office was keen to ensure that our minister was able to share Alberta’s perspective on the Alberta-UK trade relationship with a wide audience of stakeholders and businesses. I like helping to organize these high level conversations that are geared towards fostering greater trade.”

Cameron is also now engaged in politics on a personal level as well. In 2015, he became a District Councillor in Aylesbury Vale, representing the constituents of several villages in the district, located about two hours northwest of London.

The benefits of enhancing experience with trade training and certification

In 2016, Cameron began augmenting his years of experience with FITTskills training, and earned his FITT Diploma in International Trade in 2018.

The FITTskills courses helped me to harness my everyday knowledge of international trade, putting into context this practical experience with the lessons from the courses.

“My favourite course was International Sales and Marketing. I’m interested in marketing as a concept and it was fascinating to learn about marketing as it relates to international trade. Marketing is critical and any good organization is marketing-led. I like the idea of communicating with customers, using different methods to improve the sales message to new and existing customers.”

Shortly after earning his FITT Diploma, he applied for and successfully earned his CITP (Certified International Trade Professional) designation, which he says will help him explore new opportunities to facilitate trade between Alberta and the UK.

“I felt proud to have earned the CITP®|FIBP® designation. I put a great deal of time and effort into learning the material and preparing for the exams. The CITP®|FIBP® designation is recognized and I wanted companies to be aware that I have both a theoretical and practical understanding of international trade.”

Now better prepared than ever to work with companies and continue to grow international trade, Cameron stands ready to excel in his work and continue to make an impact on both sides of the Atlantic for many years to come.

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The Canadian oil sands are one of the three largest reserves of oil in the world and currently boast over 170 billion barrels of oil in place which are recoverable with today’s technology and economic factors.

A solutions based approach is important to entering this market. Identifying an issue or area of need and then bringing a solution to that need is key to success. In order to develop a successful market entry strategy, you need to understand the following:

1. The Decisions Makers
2. Tier of Suppliers
3. Market Entry Options

The Decision Maker Map
It is important to recognize the various levels of decision makers and influencers who will affect decisions to purchase your product or service.

There are four categories: Executive, Management, Project Lead and Field Personnel

Executive – The executive is typically concerned with the decision to buy a certain product or service based on the return that purchase will bring to the company. Quite often they are a long-range thinker who makes decisions in a slower and calculated way.

Management – At the management level, the decision makers are often driven by systems and process. This includes procurement, qualifications, certifications, delivery and quality control.

Project Lead – The project lead is tasked with the specifics of their project. It is important that your solution truly meets the challenges that the project lead is encountering. If it does not enable the project lead to significantly increase the cost structure of productivity of the project, they will perceive little value in the solution and will reject it.

Field Personnel – Many solutions have been tested and work well in a lab or shop, but when transferred to the field they can fail miserably. The challenge is often scalability, and it is critical to have field personnel who are supportive of your particular solution.

The Tiers of Suppliers
Once you understand the levels of decision makers within the company that owns the project, it is important to understand how the industry around them procures and supplies their required products and services. From the owners to the engineering firms to the construction companies, each plays a critical role of which you as a supplier need to be aware.

As the following chart indicates, the types of extraction and processes will affect the role of various influencers on a project. You need to recognize this and identify where your product or service fits in the supply chain hierarchy. In some cases, this is not as clear as in other industries and markets that suppliers may be accustomed to.

Market Entry Options

Depending on the product and/or service that your company offers, you can build a market entry strategy which evaluates the forces influencing the industry including:

• Labour force challenges
• The market price for heavy oil
• The capacity of suppliers and manufacturers in Western Canada
• Impacts of high field costs encountered in installation and
• construction
• High quality standards and severe operating environments
• Environmental footprint
• Technological challenges

7 functional steps you may want to consider including in your market entry strategy:

• Virtual Office – The least expensive approach to the market is to take a local “virtual address” and use phone, email and web solicitation to stimulate business.
• Visit Strategy – This involves a commitment by a senior business development manager who is focused on the market on a continual basis but is not located in market.
• Sales Office – Hiring a salesperson in the market and from the market can be a powerful way to build up your market credibility.
• Partnership – A method of entry that can be highly effective and attractive from a cost point of view is developing a strategic partnership with an in market supplier.
• Operational facility – This solidifies your footprint in the market, which can be a powerful message on its own.
• Acquisition – If your financial means allow for it, or if you have a financial partner willing to expand, this can be an excellent market entry option. Of course, finding the right acquisition and closing a deal in a busy market can be a challenge, but many companies in Alberta are at a succession stage that would welcome this approach.
• Vertical Integration – In some cases, it makes sense for companies to expand their product of service offering to provide a more complete package to the buyer.

Be seen to succeed
In the end, the Canadian oil and gas industry is built on relationships and experience.  Companies interested in gaining market share in the supply chain should understand and respect this.  Being seen in the market on a regular basis and being available to answer questions in person will provide you a significant advantage over companies who try to service the industry from a distance.  Working with the industry to identify and develop solutions to improve the projects will be received well by these like-minded decision makers.

This perception of presence is best accomplished by having staff and a physical presence in the market.  If this is not an option, it is possible to fly in and out of the market and work it from a distance. But remember that your competition will be breaking the buyers’ doors down on a regular basis with products and services that are newer and better than yours.  Stay on top of relationship development to have success.

If you’d like to read our full report on entering and succeeding in Alberta’s oil and gas industry, you can download it for free on our website.

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