Praveeni Perera’s journey into international trade began when she was managing international development projects while working for a non-profit.  This ignited her interest in intercultural relations leading her to pursue an MBA in International Business. Upon completion of her post graduate degree, Praveeni  started  her own consulting company specializing in international expansions. 

I really enjoy meeting business people from around the world and learning about doing business in different cultures.

Praveeni’s creative and entrepreneurial spirit have led her to experience a wide variety of career highlights and accomplishments. 

Meeting business leaders and Bollywood stars

Early in her career, Praveeni took on an internship in Colombo, Sri Lanka to be part of the team organizing a Global Business Forum for the International Film Academy Awards held in Sri Lanka that year. The highlight of this experience was not only getting to meet business leaders from around the world but also seeing some of her favourite Bollywood stars. 

A plethora of career highlights and accomplishments

It was a great honor and pleasure for Praveeni to represent Canada at the OECD last year. She was the Project Manager for Canada on an international study the OECD was organizing on social and emotional skills in children.  

 As part of her education, Praveeni decided to pursue a certification in international protocol and attended the Protocol School of Washington. This proved to be a unique and memorable experience as some of her classmates included a protocol head at the Pentagon and a crew member of Air Force One.  

“I even have some souvenirs from Air Force One, this was during the Obama administration, so they all have his signature.” 

Among Praveeni’s cherished experiences is teaching the International Business Management graduate certificate program at Algonquin College where she gets to meet and teach new international students every year.  

“I truly enjoy this experience and look forward to meeting new students each semester.” 

Writing the book on relationship building

Praveeni wishes she had known the importance of networking and building relationships when she first started out in international trade. She views it as essential to network and develop a rapport with others among your target market as that can facilitate your expansion plans.  

Relationships are so important in international trade as having a rapport with someone in your target market can make your expansion or exporting activities so much easier.

Praveeni is so passionate about this aspect of career building that she wrote and published a book on it,  “Cocktails & Conversations: a guide to networking.” 

Another valuable nugget of advice from Praveeni is to appreciate cultural differences. Being born in Sri Lanka and raised in Canada, she was fortunate to experience the best of both worlds. 

Broadening the horizons of her knowledge

The logical next step for Praveeni was to sign up for the industry recognized FITTskills training in international trade.  

I really enjoyed taking the FITT skills courses as they helped strengthen and broaden my understanding of international trade. I found the course content easy to navigate and the textbooks were convenient and easy to read.

“My favourite course was International Sales and Marketing.” 

As Praveeni thoroughly enjoys marketing, this course was a great refresher for her. She particularly loved learning about how companies have adapted their products or services to better suit a specific market. She found that she could apply many of the useful pointers in there to the  fashion and lifestyle blog that she runs as a hobby. 

Praveeni applied for and was awarded the CITP designation in June 2020, viewing it as the perfect addition to her qualifications.  

Having worked in international trade for many years and completed my MBA in international business I thought the CITP would be a great complement to my current skill set.

What adds to the sense of excitement and accomplishment on earning the CITP designation is the fact that Praveeni completed four of the six courses that make up the educational requirement of the designation during the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Along with being a great addition to her existing skill set, the CITP lends the perfect finishing touch to her education in international trade.  

I hope to continue my work and consulting in international business and I definitely feel the CITP designation helps with building trust and credibility with potential clients.

Praveeni also gives back to the global business community by teaching the International Business Program at Algonquin College.  

With her ambition and deep knowledge of international trade, we have no doubt that Praveeni’s expertise will help her shine as she goes on to accomplish everything that she has set her mind on.   

The post CITP Spotlight: Praveeni Perera – Professor, Algonquin College appeared first on Trade Ready.

Being good at working closely with others as part of a team, travelling all over the world, and dealing with challenging, often unexpected problems are all characteristics of international trade professionals.

They’re also important qualities for those in the military, where Nord Mensah first began his career in international trade. Nord pursued his passions, enlisting in the Royal Canadian Navy a year after completing his degree at the University of Alberta, and eventually found a perfect fit in logistics.

“I began my career in international trade in December 2000, when I became a Logistics Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). At the time I was not aware of where my professional career might take me. However, I was very interested in business, international relations, and international trade. My career as an officer in the RCN allowed me to travel all over the world while negotiating contracts for goods and services to support both my ship and Canadian military operations overseas.

Perfecting the art of negotiations and closing deals at sea

The immense scale and complexity of the Canadian military’s logistical strategies provided a number of challenges Nord encountered that he never could have imagined before working there. Many of those came in the Middle East, where he spent a significant amount of time over the years.

“Having sailed in many of the world’s oceans, I fondly remember reconciling multiple invoices from foreign ports while transiting towards the Arabian Sea. The invoices were particularly challenging because I had to manage a total of three foreign languages before finally being able to verify all contracted work had been completed.”

As part of his responsibility to negotiate contracts, Nord took meetings with businesspeople all over the world. Over the years, he says one of the most important lessons he had to learn was to adjust his expectations regarding time management to fit with local norms.

“People around the world appreciate time differently, and all good negotiations begin with a clear understanding of how each party understands and employs time.”

In some cultures a five minute meeting is truly five minutes and may start two minutes early, while in another culture a five minute meeting is two hours, starts 45 minutes late, and involves dinner.

During Nord’s years of service, the Canadian mission in Afghanistan represented a major commitment of personnel and resources. This required vast numbers of logistical contracts and agreements to manage the needs of those stationed there.

Canada’s eventual military withdrawal from Afghanistan also presented a massive logistical undertaking, in which Nord played an important role. This work remains one of his proudest accomplishments to date.

“I was awarded a commendation by the Chief of the Defence Staff for my work and leadership in managing and eventually closing Canada’s military contracts in Afghanistan at the end of Canada’s combat mission in the country. The task entailed reconciling and terminating thousands of agreements over a period of six months.”

How the student became the teacher

Over the course of his naval career, Nord pursued several opportunities to further his education to meet his career goals. First, he earned his MBA in 2007 after two years of hard work and studying. The next year, he began his Ph.D in business administration, with a focus on management and operations.

In 2014, he not only completed his doctorate to earn his Ph.D, but also his Master’s of Defence Studies through RMC.

By 2016, with over 15 years of experience in logistics and four degrees to his name, he had built an exceptional career and accumulated a wealth of knowledge he could pass onto others.

With that in mind, he decided to take on a new opportunity as a full-time professor at Fanshawe College, one of FITT’s educational partners. He became heavily involved in the school’s international business management program, teaching courses on business administration, supply chain, logistics, finance, management, leadership and organizational design, as well as taking on design and supervising responsibilities for other courses.

In May 2017, he became the new coordinator for the program and continues his teaching responsibilities while ensuring all courses run smoothly. Shortly after, he applied for and earned his CITP®|FIBP® designation and is confident it will be highly beneficial to his work moving forward.

“I chose to apply for the CITP®|FIBP® designation because I wanted the formal recognition of my professional experience and education that is associated with the CITP®|FIBP® designation. Now as a post-secondary professor I can share the value of this credential, based on my experience, with my students and fellow faculty. I can now give them greater perspective and insight into international trade activities and opportunities.”

On a personal note, I am extremely proud of my CITP®|FIBP® designation. It is one of the most significant culminating accolades in my professional career.

As he continues to run the program there, we know he’ll do an exemplary job for students and faculty alike, fostering the next generation of trade professionals and guiding them towards a path for success.

The post Nord Mensah, CITP|FIBP – Professor and Program Coordinator appeared first on Trade Ready.

With decades of business leadership, consulting and teaching experience, Philip Cohen has a wealth of wisdom and knowledge to share with business professionals and students alike.

His long and distinguished career began in 1975. Working at his family company, he began importing ingredients and equipment from the U.S. that were used to make their products. Hitting the ground running, he quickly learned the importance of all the various requirements and limitations involved in importing and exporting.

“Do not take anything for granted regarding customs regulations, documentation requirements, and consumer and corporate affairs, as well as food and drug requirements,” he explains.

To illustrate this advice, Philip provides an example of one summer treat that became far more complicated than expected to ship across the Canada-U.S. border because of a small but important ingredient.

“I imported 8 pallets of cherry popsicles from the U.S. to Canada. Ingredients included water, sugar, flavour/colouring and stabilizer. Canadian government officials in charge of food and drug regulations came to the plant the day after the shipment arrived and said we could not sell the product in Canada because the cherry color included a red dye that would be harmful to Canadians. I returned the shipment to the U.S.”

“The following year, a friend in the U.S. called to ask if he could buy some cherry popsicles from us in Canada. I replied of course, but recommended that he check with U.S. Department of Agriculture to confirm if the red coloring we use in Canada would be acceptable in the U.S. He called me back and said “no… the red food color acceptable in Canada would be extremely harmful to Americans.”

As his skill and experience grew, his responsibilities did as well. In 1986, Philip was promoted to President of the company, a role which he would maintain until 2002. Over the course of those years, Philip was actively involved in importing and exporting a variety of perishable food products and processing equipment to and from Canada and the U.S. Philip’s work also ensured the company held a high standing as a successful processor, distributor/wholesaler and retailer of specialty food products.

Thinking outside the box to solve problems and make customers happy

In one instance, he was able to use his knowledge of food regulations, as well as a little bit of creativity, to increase his business and secure a new American customer.

“The project involved importing 40 foot containers of orange juice concentrate from Brazil, each containing 90 drums weighing 450 pounds, to Windsor, Ontario each week for a year and a half. Our American customer required OJ concentrate to make an orange drink at 1/3 of the full concentration. In order to protect U.S. orange growers, orange juice concentrate was not allowed to be imported directly from Brazil or Mexico into the U.S.”

“However, a diluted version was acceptable, so we reconstituted the frozen concentrate in Canada to a ‘brix’ level whereby U.S. customs classified it as ‘orange drink’. As a result, we were legally able to ship across the border. We sent three tanker loads per week to our customer’s plant outside of Lansing, Michigan. A lucrative contract!”

Over time, the company was growing and required additional freezer warehouse space. Philip found a solution by buying and shipping a complete building from the U.S. into Canada.

“An unusual transaction was our U.S. purchase of a prefabricated 80×100 x22’ high freezer warehouse, complete with a three bay refrigerated loading dock, which was located in Omaha, Nebraska.”

I personally numbered and marked each of the panels and pieces of steel. We then hired riggers to dismantle the building, including all of the structural steel. We loaded all of the building components onto 11 flatbeds and Werner trucking from Omaha hauled all of the trailers to Windsor, Ontario, where we reassembled the building.

“The 11 trailers arrived over a six day period, so we coordinated with our customs broker and Canadian Customs was appraised there would be 11 parts to the shipment arriving over the better part of a week.”

Making the move from doing to consulting and teaching

In the early 2000s, Philip transitioned from running his food company, Twin Pine Foods, to new ventures. In 2000, while still serving as President, he opened and became President of Philip Cohen Consultants Group, which he continues to operate today as Strategic Advantage Consulting LTD. Offering guidance in complex organizational problem solving, market entry research, supply chain management, and developing marketing and business plans, he is able to serve a diverse group of clients with a wide variety of needs.

Philip works with clients in many different industries, including those in the U.S., Canada and Asia. In one of his favourite stories, he reflects on how he was able to return to the food and beverage world.

“I was hired to help a Chinese beverage company to enter the energy drink business worldwide. I guided them through strategic planning, and  helped to develop a business and marketing plan for the venture.”

“Even though they owned their own cola bottling plant, 50 km outside of Beijing, they opted to use co-packers until they were assured that a large investment for specialized processing equipment was warranted.  A co-packer near Beijing was selected to produce for the Asia-Pacific markets, and a canning plant near Boston for the North and South American markets.”

“It was agreed that 2 different formulations were required (carbonated and non- carbonated) to meet the differing needs of North American and Asian tastes and to overcome regulatory issues. Further, it was decided to partner with a company that was currently in the global beverage distribution business, rather than distribute on their own.”

“In August 2013 sample product was run at the Chinese co-packer with limited distribution as a test market. In 2014, distribution increased in Asia and the 1st production run occurred at the U.S. plant. I was pleased to have played a part in this global product launch.”

Since 2002, he has also served as a Professor at St. Clair College in Windsor, teaching subjects as diverse as entrepreneurship, global management, trade research, supply chain management and logistics.

In another example, he was proud to help a Chinese couple with a successful children’s clothing business move to and set up business in Canada.

“Regulations and conditions in China were changing whereby it was no longer lucrative to continue their operation. They asked for help to relocate to Canada. After determining the criteria that would enable them to be successful in Canada, we prepared a 50 page ‘Canada Market Entry Research Report’, complete with pro forma financial statements. Based on the report, they visited Canada in December 2012, and we introduced them to both immigration and foreign tax consultants. In the fall of 2013, they immigrated to Canada and established their new business near the GTA, which is quite successful.”

Earning recognition from his peers and setting an example for his students

Philip has now applied for and earned his elite Certified International Trade Professional (CITP® ǀ FIBP®) designation, both to recognize what he’s accomplished and to demonstrate the importance of lifelong learning.

“I wanted to set an example for my students and to demonstrate that sufficient expertise and knowledge can earn you recognition from your peers. Learning and accomplishment should be life-long goals.”

I look forward to raising awareness about the knowledge and high standards required for the designation, and that individuals with these designations can be counted on to have a high level of expertise within the global trade field.

He also explains that having the designation will offer him greater credibility as a consultant, and makes him feel more connected to FITT as an organization.

We look forward to having Philip serve as an ambassador for FITT and the CITP®ǀFIBP® network, and know he will continue to demonstrate the high standards to which our community aspires.

The post Philip Cohen, CITP|FIBP – President and Professor appeared first on Trade Ready.

Should you stay in touch with your former work colleagues? In Helen Graham’s experience, the answer is unequivocally yes. If it wasn’t for one of her former supervisors, she may have never ended up enjoying a career in international trade.

“I was working as a Marketing Coordinator for the Canadian federal government when a former boss became the head of the international business department for the Nova Scotia government. He didn’t have any specific trade staff in my area, and asked if I would be interested in working with his staff to make sure Cape Breton Island companies were aware of all the trade opportunities.”

“I learned a lot from my mentor and his staff, and I developed a very close working relationship with the province. From that point on, I was hooked on international business and I became the go to person for international trade in Cape Breton.”

Helen continued to work there for eight years, from 1997-2005. During this time, she went back to school and earned her MBA, with a specialization in marketing.

Guiding a new generation of trade professionals in the classroom

After leaving her position with the Nova Scotia government in Cape Breton, Helen began teaching at Nova Scotia Community College, one of FITT’s educational partners. She continues to teach there today, and is also a professor at Cape Breton University’s MBA program.

“Getting students to take FITTskills courses and see international business as a viable career is very rewarding. I have helped a number of students get international business jobs.”

In 2007, she also gained her CITP®|FIBP® designation, and views it as a crucial addition to her qualifications, affirming her experience and knowledge in international trade.

It’s a professional designation that helps me to stand out, and I was very happy to earn it. As an instructor who teaches international business courses, having the CITP®|FIBP® designation has helped me validate my education and practice.

Throughout her teaching, Helen has found that examples and stories from her own career have been a helpful way to bring ideas to life in a real-world context, in both positive and negative situations.

“There are so many stories…mostly good. There are a few that I use to illustrate to my students for the ‘never do this’ category as well. International business practices have always been of great interest to me. Having the opportunity to attend trade shows/missions in many countries, it is amazing the new things you learn.”

“What is perfectly acceptable in one country may be considered very inappropriate in others. For example, I was attending a building products trade show in Germany a number of years ago and one of the German companies did a display of painting a brick design on a naked lady. ”

To illustrate a more positive example, at the same show, one of my companies met some potential customers at a party hosted by CMHC. Three years later, the company called me and said they got an order from someone they met at the party, even though they had not even kept in contact since then.”

Given the important role that international business travel plays in the careers of many professionals, she has also orchestrated annual international trips for her students as learning experiences.

“Every trip is a learning opportunity, especially with students. They often tell me that our international trip was the highlight of their business administration diploma studies.”

“I recently took a group of students to China and our Chinese tour coordinator hosted a dinner for us. We were all looking forward to trying the Peking duck until our tour guide on the bus gave us every detail about how the duck was prepared, including, unfortunately, force feeding. This really killed our appetite.”

Working with businesses to find the information they need to make the right decisions

Since 2008, Helen has also owned and operated her own consulting company, Graham Global Management Services. Specializing in research, her goal is to help clients understand the challenges and opportunities of engaging in international markets, assess their various market and project options, and make the best decision for their needs and long-term vision.

As implied by her company motto “If it is out there, we can find it”, Helen stresses the value and importance of staying informed and finding all the information needed to come to the right conclusions.

When I was getting started in international trade, the internet was only just getting started. It may now be easier than ever to find information, but that should only place even greater importance on doing your homework and ensuring you have all the research you need.

After operating her business for almost a decade, she has worked on a wide variety of projects. These have ranged from researching new markets and developing business profiles for companies to acquiring feedback from businesses and special interest groups on community-based projects.

“I have worked on so many different and interesting projects that it is hard to pick one thing that stands out above the others. Whatever I’m working on, I know that international business means constantly researching, whether it be for a new country or a new product. There is always something new to learn.”

As she continues to learn and pass along her knowledge to students and business professionals alike, Helen plays an important role in building the capacity for trade.

The post Helen Graham, CITP|FIBP – International Trade Consultant and Professor appeared first on Trade Ready.

Floyd Simpkins’ grandfather Wilfred Libby started his own business, Libby Manufacturing Inc., passing it on to Floyd’s father George Simpkins after him. Given this family history, you might assume he followed his family’s footsteps in entrepreneurial ventures.

While Floyd would later come full circle and run the business as well, it was actually his academic interests that led him towards his chosen career.

“I studied International Relations/Politics at the University of Western Ontario.  My MA thesis was on Canada’s claim to sovereignty over the High Arctic (1978) and drew extensively on the international Law of the Sea.  I became fascinated with all things international and made it my goal to work in some international field of work.”

After completing his MA, Floyd started working as a policy analyst for the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations. Over the course of five and a half years, he researched and advised the deputy minister and other senior officials on 74 different acts and pieces of legislation.

California dreaming on behalf of Ontario companies

In 1984, Floyd moved to a new role with the Ontario government as a senior business consultant with the province’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.

“This launched my career in international business, which spanned 14 years as part of a trade development and promotion team. My work allowed me a deep and practical insight into global business as the lead on numerous trade missions and trade show participations across many industry sectors in different parts of the world.”

This period of Floyd’s career also included a stint as the province’s trade and investment representative in Los Angeles. In fact, if you’ve travelled to California and taken public transit, you may have Floyd, in part, to thank for it.

Above: Floyd (third from right, with the red badge) leading the transit mission delegation to San Francisco, circa 1989.

“My most interesting projects involved several trade missions we undertook in the U.S. with the Ontario mass transit industry in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.  These were multi-city presentations where we orchestrated the introduction of our transit suppliers to transit properties in the Midwest, the San Francisco Bay area and the Los Angeles/Orange County regions.  It opened doors that would not have otherwise been opened, and resulted in millions of dollars in sales for our participating companies.”

Going home to revitalize the family business

Now with many years of experience, and seeing his family’s business go through several years of decline, Floyd decided to tackle the challenge head-on and become the general manager and co-owner.

Among the most significant changes was a total re-thinking of production and operation processes to improve quality and efficiency while reducing costs. Floyd introduced a focus on value-added proprietary products, and implemented an R&D project to develop a new product. This process included a major shift away from the automotive industry towards the specialized production of quality beds intended for use in summer camps. He also created an entirely new sales and marketing strategy, which included launching the company’s first website.

Floyd also looked outside the country for growth, and succeeded in several aspects. Under his leadership, Libby Manufacturing began exporting to the U.S. for the first time, after he established and managed important relationships with various representatives. He also ensured the company achieved ISO 9002 certification in February 1999.

Within the first two years, he was able to increase sales 62% and expand the flow of new capital investment from zero to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Floyd was also able to begin an extensive employee training and apprenticeship program, wind down unprofitable operations, and sell off some of the more profitable lines in order to continue the company’s best work.

His seven years in this role, from 1996-2003, were filled with challenges that left Floyd with a lot of experience to share and stories to tell.

“My favourite stories from this time are really about the challenges we faced in trying to modernize the company and survive with strong domestic and international competitors.  They are instructive in that they reflect both successes and failures – and I had my share of both.  I liked telling students when I began my teaching career that when I started in this venture I had hair on my head – but after seven years of facing those challenges my hair disappeared! Somewhere underneath it all I gained a lot of valuable lessons.”

Though Libby Manufacturing was sold in 2003, a small part of it was revived in 2005 as Simcor Solutions after demand from customers revealed a niche in the market for a “hobby” business. The company now exclusively focuses on bedding products for summer camps, lodges and retreats, with Floyd serving as President.

Preparing the next generation of international trade professionals

Floyd commenced his teaching career in 2003 as a professor in the FITT-accredited international business program at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario. He has taught every FITTskills course at one time or another in the years since, and enriched the careers of countless students. He feels he has benefitted just as much from the experience.

My proudest accomplishment – was becoming a teacher. It is by far the most rewarding responsibility that anyone would be so fortunate to undertake.  It also offers the opportunity to continue to learn, and that includes learning from your students.

One lesson he emphasizes to his students is the importance of preparedness and proper research before making decisions and acting upon them.

“My favourite course is International Trade Research because it is so fundamental to the pursuit of any global venture.  In my experience from counselling companies, this is something that some entrepreneurs want to gloss over or rush – to their detriment.  There is no substitute for a methodical and considered research process that leads to better decisions about which markets to enter, how, and when.”

Along with teaching the course material, he also aims to pass along other advice and wisdom, including the importance of language skills to doing business internationally.

“My advice for people working in international trade is to acquire as many language skills as you can.  I learned and practiced French but have never been confident in using it.  If it is French, or Chinese or German that you learn to speak, learn it well and practice it often.  You will be more comfortable in international encounters and negotiations.”

A perfect fit with FITT’s mission

Along with his extensive teaching credentials, Floyd has also been an active and enthusiastic volunteer with FITT, helping to develop the curriculum and serve on examination review teams.

“It is a pleasure to be a small part of FITT’s dedicated team of international professionals in advocating for and delivering high quality international education and training.”

FITT Vice-President Silvia Baptista has worked with Floyd for several years in these endeavours, and has nothing but glowing praise for him and his work as well.

Floyd is always a pleasure to work with – not only is he kind and genuine, but he goes above and beyond in providing quality services to and for FITT. Floyd has also played an instrumental role in the development of the FITTskills curriculum, which directly impacts the growth of current and future international business practitioners. His continued support is greatly appreciated!

Floyd has also earned the CITP®|FIBP® designation, and saw it as the ideal addition to his already accomplished career.

“I chose to apply for the CITP®|FIBP® designation because my education and working career ‘fit’ the credential perfectly (pardon the pun).  Everything that I had done in my life is summed up in the CITP®|FIBP® designation.  Moreover, the designation encapsulates the image of a global professional and conveys to your business contacts that you have the skill set to understand the trials and tribulations of going global and execute international ventures.”

“The designation put a finer point on my area of practical and academic specialty and I think it afforded me a greater credibility among my students.  Now that I am retired from teaching full-time and doing some counselling for businesses, the designation also enhances my ‘street cred’.”

We’re incredibly grateful for all of the work Floyd has done over the past several years, and always appreciate his help and support. His work has helped many students get their careers off the ground, ensured his family’s business legacy be successful for many years to come. Most importantly, now the companies he counsels will have the advice and experience they need for international markets.

With his many years of experience and many successes along the way, Floyd is truly a deserving member of the global trade elite.

The post Floyd Simpkins, CITP|FIBP – International Business Professor appeared first on Trade Ready.