Olufemi Boyede, CITP®|FIBP®, Managing Director and CEO of Koinonia Ventures Ltd. (recently incorporated as Koinonia Global Services  Inc. in Canada), is one of Nigeria’s foremost international trade experts, with specializations in export business development, advocacy  and trade promotion.

With over 30 years of experience, Olufemi has risen to become a leader in the trade community. He is also a passionate advocate of closer trade relations between Canada and countries all across Africa, particularly Nigeria.

Olufemi began his international trade career at a very young age by assisting his mother, who worked as an itinerant trader across northern Nigeria. At around age seven, he was already keeping his mother’s financial books and monitoring credit payments from her customers.

These childhood experiences instilled both a passion for trade and a conviction within him of its importance.

The peculiar uniqueness of this ’street-wise’ education is that I have a practical approach to trade, whether it be the formulation of trade-oriented policies or the practical aspects including market access, penetration, organizing trade missions and events, etc.

Despite lacking an economics teacher at the high-school level and pursuing a French degree at University —one of six languages he speaks, along with English, Yoruba, Lingala, Hausa and Nupe—Olufemi followed his passion and pursued an international trade career.

In the early years of his career, he worked hard to secure new export contracts in Zaire (now Congo D.R.) and Senegal for a number of Nigerian companies. Olufemi spearheaded a national program to export Nigerian handicrafts to Germany, and he led Nigerian delegations at several international trade fairs.

On top of his quickly growing hands-on experience, he also earned a Certificate in General Management.

In 1996, Olufemi became Export Manager for Stanmark Cocoa Processing Company Ltd. (a full subsidiary of Cadbury Nigeria) in Lagos. He quickly became a crucial figure in the Nigerian cocoa industry, and remains deeply influential to this day.

Most recently, he was one of only two people given the Cocoa Advocate Award at an October 2014 summit for all of the key industry leaders and government ministers involved in the Nigeria’s cocoa sector.

Olufemi believes the cocoa industry, along with other non-oil resources, can grow to become a significant alternative to Nigeria’s decreasing oil trade, and that it will help to diversify the national economy.

In the past ten years, Olufemi has balanced his time and priorities between the public and private sectors.

On top of running Koinonia Ventures Ltd. for over ten years, he has sat on various government committees related to commerce and international trade, and served as an advisor to four different government ministers who were responsibility for trade.

He was, until June, 2014 when he moved to Canada, Technical Advisor to the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and is the Country Facilitator for Nigeria in the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) Trade and Enterprises Network.

Olufemi is also a passionate advocate of international trade, and has used several mediums to educate and inform others on various topics. He has written or co-written three books on international trade, and written or contributed to over 100 newspaper articles.

He is a frequent guest on Nigerian radio and television programs dedicated to national economic development, and he started and still runs a weekly television show called “Export Digest”, which airs across Nigeria.

Olufemi is also a strong advocate of encouraging Nigerian women to enter and thrive in business.

He founded and was the first National Coordinator of the Network of Nigerian Women Exporters of Services, (funded by the International Trade Centre, Geneva) and co-wrote one of his books, along with Dorothy Riddle, about strategies to help women entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

Olufemi applied for the CITP®|FIBP® designation, which he describes as the “apogee of international recognition” in international trade, after working closely with two other CITPs, Diane Girard and Doreen Conrad, and deciding he felt he wanted to be recognized as a leader in his industry.

He describes his reaction to earning his designation as “absolute satisfaction and the euphoria of personal achievement.”

I look forward to building new friendships and partnerships in Canada through FITT and my new designation, and using this to explore the very robust network that I have built in Nigeria’s public and private sectors.

The post Olufemi Boyede, CITP|FIBP – Managing Director and CEO appeared first on Trade Ready.

I recently asked three of our international business veterans, what they thought was more important for success in international trade. Was it attitude or skills?

While they had overlapping opinions on the subject, I have extracted three qualities that were emphasized by our experts.

1. Cross cultural adaptability

With over 30 years of experience in international trade, Doug Taylor has seen a lot of beginners in global trade overestimating the importance of technical skills.

   If you are thinking of pursuing a career in international business it won’t matter much what your technical or business skills are if you cannot work comfortably and professionally in other cultures. ~ Doug Taylor

“I think there are five major themes that separate those who are successful from those who aren’t;

• First is the ability to think widely and understand that your approach to solving issues is not the only one.
• Secondly all business is about win-win, and you need to understand that the pie must be shared.
• Third you must be able to adapt and listen to the cultural nuances in foreign markets.
• Fourth, you must understand that business is not about contracts but about trust and developing worthwhile business relationships.
• Finally, good businesses last over time. It is never about quarterly results, but developing a business relationship over the long term.”

Doug Taylor is a results driven, creative and lateral thinker with a wealth of international business experience.  He is the Managing Director of Pacific Business Intelligence Ltd. (PBI). www.pacificintel.com.
PBI provides professional consulting services in the core areas of international business development, strategic market planning, market research, international marketing and corporate guidance. PBI has undertaken assignments in over thirty countries in Europe, Asia, North America, the Middle East and the Caribbean for private industry, governments and international organizations. Connect with Doug on twitter: [followbutton username=’globethoughts’ count=’true’ lang=’en’ theme=’light’]

2. Willingness to work long hours

It should come as no surprise that international trade is conducted over different time zones. This usually means long hours, even if you have over 25 years of international business success like Diane Girard. I caught up with Diane last month and she drove home the same pertinent point.

“In June, I conducted three webinars from 11p.m. to 1a.m. for my clients in Indonesia who are eleven hours ahead of me. Tonight, I am booking six flights for a trip in two weeks – Toronto-Barbados-St.Lucia-Grenada-St.Vincent-Barbados-Toronto.  That’s the easy part. The prep and follow-up for each of these country visits is mind-boggling.
In addition to this trade mission I will be on, I am also working on two proposals and trying to manage a bit of vacation time with my family. My formula for international business success is quite simple: know what you need to do and get it done!”

Whether you are an international business student or a veteran, FITT has a free online tool that can be quite helpful in assessing your aptitude and/or attitude. Integrative Trade Competency Diagnostic Tool ~ Diane Girard

Diane Girard (CITP), has been involved in projects in over 50 countries.  Her areas of specialty include trade in business and professional services, trade-related capacity-building of trade promotion organizations, sector associations, business support organizations and SMEs.
Services include strategic planning, market research and development, business development, sector strategies, curriculum development, training and coaching, project management, outsourcing, marketing and communications, all with a focus on results.

3. Relationships

While already mentioned, this is one point that bears repeating. One should not underestimate the importance of developing enduring relationships.

   When I ask my students what they think (about what is important in global trade), they of course come up with the usual: language skills, patience, fat wallet, knowledge of export laws, etc. ~ Bill Kosar 

Bill has three rules of doing business internationally. It sums up what, he believes, is the most important thing about doing business internationally: relationships.

1. Do business with friends
2. If you can’t do business with friends; do business with other friends.
3. And if you can’t do business with these friends; do business with still other friends.

Prof. William Kosar, CITP, is a senior legal advisor, trainer, project manager and institutional development professional.
He has worked throughout the world assisting governments and private sector entities with legal reform, legislative drafting and capacity building and is currently with the USAID-funded Iraqi Financial Development Project as Legal & Regulatory Advisor.

There is a now popular mindset that companies should hire for the attitude and then train for skills. If you consider what our experts have mentioned above, they seem to be agreeing with the attitude ethos in the points they make.

This is not to imply that technical skills aren’t important. Our tips for international trade rookies are clear on that aspect. Practical global trade training like FITTskills is well-suited to address the challenges faced by international trade professionals.

However, like our experts have pointed out, long-term success also requires cultivating qualities that can augment any technical knowledge.

Do you agree? As a beginner or a global trade veteran, what are your thoughts on attitude vs. skills when it comes to success in international trade? Can you provide an example to support your viewpoint?

The post What is more important in global trade, attitude or skills? appeared first on Trade Ready.

Quantum leap. Diane Girard uses these two words to describe the rise in her career since she earned her designation as a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) in 2008.

“My CITP training gave me a highly structured approach to understanding and teaching the export process, while the designation itself supplied me with the recognized standing I needed—and still need—to open up doors to exciting new projects and a network of international-trade experts around the world,” says the founder and president of Global Links Network. “Earning my CITP designation is the most important step I’ve taken to develop my business.”

Why Earn the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) Designation?

The Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation is the world’s leading professional designation for the field of international business. So whether you’re new to global trade or have over a decade of direct experience, you’ll find the CITP designation can help advance your career and build your professional credibility.

The CITP designation sets you apart in the competitive international business industry because it’s proof you possess the competencies global business experts have identified as being essential for a successful career in international trade. It also recognizes your dedication to ethical business practices and ongoing professional development—both of which are desirable traits for today’s global business practitioners.

Click here and find out if the CITP®|FIBP® designation is for you

That’s no exaggeration. Diane pinpoints the moment she realized how valuable the designation was.

“I was asked to bid on an international project with a global team made up of PhDs and MBAs,” she says. “While I had several years of experience coaching businesspeople and I’d forged close ties with many schools, governments and international organizations, I found that most of the projects I really wanted to be a part of required me to have an advanced degree or credential in international business simply to qualify. My CITP designation gave me both the confidence and the credibility to join the team.”

Taking a systematic approach to understanding international trade

As a proven international-trade practitioner, Diane took the Executive Path to earn her CITP designation. This route made it possible for her to supplement her hard-won practical smarts with targeted learning via FITTskills, a series of eight comprehensive courses that teach the fundamentals people and businesses need to compete in global markets. By combining her existing knowledge with deep new insights, she fulfilled a vital prerequisite and now enjoys the power to bid on and win many satisfying, high-paying projects. Yet she finds the value of being a CITP extends well beyond that single benefit.

“I earned the designation so I could prove to people that I have the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities and experience,” she says. “However, becoming a CITP has created several unintended consequences. The most exciting of which is how FITT’s systematic approach to understanding international trade has inspired me to create my own four-stage coaching system, which I rely on to help service-related entrepreneurs achieve export success.”

Opening the door to exciting projects and partnerships

Diane’s practical approach to export training and coaching has benefitted thousands of entrepreneurs. In collaboration with some of her key associates, she has helped small businesses from more than 50 countries assess their international-trade potential and understand the key steps to take to enter new markets. As an example, she was hired recently by the government of St. Lucia to help officials in its trade development agency and some 20 prominent business owners take advantage of promising export opportunities in the Caribbean, North America and Europe. This one-year project enables her to counsel entrepreneurs from a range of industry sectors involved in the trade of services—from IT, engineering and architecture to film, music and health and wellness tourism.

“My designation as a CITP not only helped me to win the contract, but it also established my credibility instantly with the business owners I coach and mentor, opening the door so that I could share what I know and what I’ve learned.” she says, “Being a CITP also opens up doors to network and collaborate with other Certified International Trade Professionals.”

By way of example, a CITP who works for a large engineering firm in Canada will co-deliver a webinar with me for St. Lucia’s architects and engineers. I’m not sure how else I could have connected with this professional.

Diane finds it easy to partner with other CITPs, saying they share a common knowledge and shared language of international trade. Yet she doesn’t wait for these partnerships to emerge gradually. She kick-starts them by taking every opportunity to advertise her standing as a recognized expert in global business.

“If you’re a CITP, make sure you make that fact known on your business card, website, brochure, CV and proposals,” she says.

If you are just starting your career in international trade, the CITP designation is an absolute must. If you’re an international-trade practitioner but not yet a CITP, it’s well worth the time to investigate further. It’s a great way to boost your profile and credibility while opening the door to new markets and opportunities!

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