One of the defining traits of Abdulrahman Alrifai’s nearly 30-year career has been a strong and consistent commitment to high-quality standards.

He started his career working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the food division at Al Ghurair Group (later Al Ghurair Investment), one of the largest industrial conglomerate companies in the Middle East. His responsibilities included evaluating the quality of incoming wheat, pulses and cereals shipments, and the exported processed product, implementing plant sanitation procedures and ensuring proper pest control treatment, as well as setting up daily lab procedures and inspecting ships and trucks before and after loading. This involved him and his expertise in every step of the quality control process and production.

After seven years, he became chief miller at the region’s largest flour mills, with primary responsibility for operational optimizations of intake, cleaning, the milling lines, packaging, shipment, evaluating lab results and implementing ISO and international food standards.

This work experience led to new worldwide connections, which started to lead Abdulrahman towards a more international trade-focused and entrepreneurial career path.

“While working in quality inspection, my interactions with different standards, groups, and organizations led me to build relations with people from all around the world. It was also a source of inspiration and my starting point towards me creating my own business.”

Standing out in his field as a successful consultant and business owner

In 2001, Abdulrahman started his own company, Jana Development, and continues to run it today from his new home in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Frequently still working for food companies, he helps them monitor and improve their standard operating procedures, comply with or improve health and safety regulations, perform internal assessments and audits, and various other areas from risk management to business continuity, leading them through their journey of excellence.

One of his career highlights involved the first shipment of Canadian wheat to the Middle East for the first time.

“A favorite story of mine was watching the first Canadian wheat shipment to the Middle East approaching port, and going through the inspection process using Canadian Wheat Board Standard. Even with the warm weather at the Jebel Ali port, the wheat maintained the same low temperature that it was loaded and sealed at, which was rewarding to see.”

He also offers training and audits for several ISO management systems and other international regulations programs related to health and safety, working with major organizations including the Abu Dhabi Pension Fund, Ajman Ports and Customs and the Abu Dhabi Statistics Center.

One of the most rewarding parts about his work is seeing the direct impact on the people working at these businesses and the community around them.

“I was proud to guide one UAE firm to update its infrastructure to be more accommodating to those with special needs, based on specific standards set by a German consultant and audited by a Canadian institute. I love to help businesses develop and better serve their communities.”

One important lesson he tries to reinforce when working with others is the importance of getting your business agreements on paper and signed by all parties before the start.

“Keep a well-written contract, even if it’s a tempting deal you want to accept right away. A handshake and a promise don’t always work, and you need to make sure your rights and ideas are on paper.”

Spreading both joy and knowledge to those around him

On top of his consulting business, one of Abdulrahman’s major accomplishments in the past few years has been starting and co-owning Gifty, a series of stores primarily located in Syria that are dedicated to improving cultural impact through importing and distributing educational toys items.

“I had the vision to elevate the youth of the future through learning with joy, which started this new professional journey. We now spread quality toys and educational products, for newborns up to teenagers.”

“I felt so proud when I had the opportunity to give an opening speech in front of the first gathering of the Gifty stores, inviting about 1,000 customers to celebrate 5 years of successful business. We’ve reached 13 branches in such a short time, changed the level of competition in that market, and elevated the types and quality of available products to better serve the community.”

The store also thrives online, where its Facebook page currently has about 125,000 followers.

In 2017, Abdulrahman also decided to go back to school to build his international trade skills further, earning his FITT Diploma through the International Business Management program at St. Clair College in Windsor.

He found the FITTskills courses helpful in a variety of areas of his business, and now has a broader understanding he can bring to his future dealings.

“The courses enlightened me about many of the mistakes I have made while working. I now know which strategies my suppliers used to sell me their old stocks, how costing affects product promotion, how to better use financial forecasting, and I better understand the legal aspects of trade. I recommend the FITTskills courses for all of my friends. I even found many of the same management and business theories in the courses are used in other domains like health and safety.”

As soon as he graduated from his program, he knew he also wanted to add the CITP (Certified International Trade Professional) designation to his list of accomplishments as well.

“I applied to become a CITP based on the recommendation of my professors. This is a special designation to have; in addition, I wanted to show in return my loyalty and appreciation to the faculty as they guided me and my colleagues through the path to success.

Now that I have my CITP designation, I am very happy and proud and hoping to be engaged and make a difference. I am keen and looking forward to helping services from Canada spread through geographical areas, and help other products to establish a place in Canadian markets.”

With a long record of global achievements and clear goals for his future, Abdulrahman is ready to help Canadian businesses excel and to help new businesses compete in the Canadian market.

The post Abdulrahman Alrifai, CITP|FIBP – QEHS and Food Specialist Advisor appeared first on Trade Ready.

For most people, an understanding of the importance of international trade is something that develops during their post-secondary education or in their career. For Gordon Zhang, however, it was something that developed at a young age as his parents run a food manufacturing company in China, and exporting forms the majority of their revenue.

As he grew older, he decided he wanted to take on a greater role in the business. He also wanted to improve his English and knowledge of Western culture so he could do more business in North America and Europe. In order to do both, he decided to move to Canada to pursue his studies and earned his degree in economics from the University of New Brunswick.

After graduating, Gordon took on various roles that allowed him to build his sales, business development and finance skills, and moved to the Vancouver area. In 2016, he earned his current role of International Sales Manager at Bestmaker Food, and has been thriving there ever since.

Within one year, I achieved over 6 Million RMB in sales. I helped to build relationships with a lot big name wholesalers, such as Dole, Rewe (a German supermarket chain), Walmart in Central America, and Dollarama in Canada.

I also translated all production logs, documents, audit reports and other related information from the factory to English, so that buyers have greater understanding of our practices and confidence in our factory.”

“I developed procedures within the factory to build up a folder for each client, and keep conversation records, sales records, clients’ comments and feedback, their preferences and special requirements, etc. on file. Now we are able to track down our history with every client, and we know how to continuously improve our relationships with them. We can also build better production plans based on their purchase schedules.”

Building practical skills and knowledge to excel in his role

While in Vancouver in 2016, he attended an event where he first learned about FITT.

“I joined a Meetup event where international trade professionals met to share information and ideas, as well as invite experts from the tax sector, EDC, and other fields to give speeches. I was told the events are sponsored co-organized by FITT, so I looked it up.”

He soon began the FITTskills online courses, and found them to be highly beneficial in developing the everyday skills he needed to improve his job performance, particularly in regards to finance.

“The first fundamental piece of knowledge that I learned from the FITTskills courses was Incoterms® and trade terms. I was told about FOB, CFR, etc. at work, but I didn’t know the inside differences and the risks tied with them. The courses allowed me to learn more about these terms and apply them correctly at work. It also allows me to use some Incoterms that were new to me and that are not frequently used to promote sales.”

“I enjoyed every course, and my favorite one was International Trade Finance. It not only taught me how to mitigate risks and how to use financial tools in trade, but also showed me how to solve payment issues through contracts and negotiations. Most importantly, it provided me with the method to build financial plans in the short term and long term for international business. This is extremely important to our factory since we are operating at a very tight profit margin with very tight cash flow, and having healthy cash inflow and outflow is very important.”

I would recommend FITT’s courses to others, no matter if you are new to this field or an experienced professional.

The excitement of travelling and working with others around the world

Much of Gordon’s schedule each day is based around when his various clients around the world are awake and on business hours, so he can metaphorically cover most of the globe in just a few hours.

“In the morning, I go to the office and check my emails first, because a lot clients are working and emailing in China during the evening there. After that, I will have a plan on what to do that morning and know whether I need to send a new production plan to the workshop, follow up on the status of any previous orders or ask suppliers for price updates on raw materials.”

“After talking with workshop managers and checking production, I will go back to office in the afternoon to call some domesgtic clients or those in Asia and Russia. Most countries in Asia and East Europe are coming to their morning and the start of the work day by then, so it is time for me to ask for their purchase plans, give them market updates, etc., and make records of our conversations.”

He also travels frequently for events worldwide and attended over a dozen fairs worldwide in 2017, including ANUGA Cologne, SIAL Paris, GULFOOD Dubai, FISPAL Brazil, Fancy Food New York, PLMA Amsterdam, PLMA Chicago, and the Canton Fair. Before any events of this scale, he usually spends the week before leaving working on posters, preparing samples, and connecting with clients or potential customers who will also attend.

One of his favourite stories also involves travel, when a rabbi in his 80s came to his company’s factory from Israel to supervise productions of orders from a Jewish company. Since his travel was during Passover, he had brought his own supply of bread and certain fruits, which proved to be a learning experience for Gordon about Jewish culture and Passover.

Despite his advanced age, his stamina and ability to continue without rest also astounded him.

“He flew about 8 hours from Israel to Shanghai and started working right away, even after suffering through a five hour domestic connection flight delay. After one week at our factory, he went to another factory for another four days. He said that he would fly back to Israel and have a break for around two weeks, but after that, he was going to fly again to Thailand to check some more productions!”

Advancing his career with the CITP®|FIBP® designation

After completing all of the FITTskills online courses to earn his FITT Diploma, Gordon successfully applied for the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP®|FIBP®) designation in April 2018.

“FITT’s education helped me to build comprehensive knowledge in international trade. The network of many international trade experts from different industries, backgrounds and cultures will help me in my career, and I am very excited about receiving the designation!”

Having the designation will definitely help me to grow my business.

“With another several years of experience, learning, and networking, I would like to open an international trade consulting business, to provide advice to others using what I learned from the FITTskills courses and from fellow CITPs and others in the FITT community.”

With this credential in hand, a growing career and a firm vision for his future goals, Gordon is ready to take on any challenge that comes his way.

The post Gordon Zhang, CITP|FIBP – International Sales Manager appeared first on Trade Ready.

In the late 1970s, Naveed Agha moved from England to the United States to complete his MBA at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. When he arrived, he moved into an international center in New Haven, which was home to people from 14 different countries. It was this experience which first sparked his passion for an international career.

“Living there gave me a new perspective and a respect for all of the different cultures, races and religions worldwide. It was such a rich experience that I thought building an international business career would really work for me.”

Upon completing his program in 1981, he started his first job in international trade with Singer, one of the world’s largest sewing machine manufacturers, as Marketing Manager for Pakistan.

“Working at a large global company like Singer gave me a chance to meet colleagues from all around the world. I attended two company marketing conferences every year, one for the Asia region and one for the global team, which hosted over 200 people.”

Life in 1980s Dubai and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait

In 1983, Naveed became the Marketing Manager for a food company in Dubai, and handled everything from frozen burgers and vegetables to canned food and chocolate. At the time, Dubai had not yet blossomed into the major tourist destination and global business hub it is today. As a result, there was the occasional moment of confusion when travelling overseas.

“Dubai was not yet as well known, and visiting fancy food shows in places like New York was not something we started doing until the 1990s. In fact, at one of my first visits to a major New York food show, I told another attendee I was from Dubai and he thought it was in India!”

With most major global companies still new to the Dubai market, there were also some notable trials and errors for companies adjusting to local cultural and climate norms.

“Most companies simply saw export markets like Dubai as a place to try to get rid of surplus production, and weren’t planning accordingly. One fridge company ad had a woman looking into her fridge with a giant ham inside – not a smart decision in a culture where you’re not allowed to eat pork. Food companies also didn’t realize that there were specific requirements for labelling dates, which had to be printed directly on the packaging. One company had its shipment rejected because the dates were written in the wrong order in Arabic, and in the end it had to be sent to a different country with different labelling requirements.”

“In another instance, Chrysler and Honda had the same distributor. When Chrysler launched their new New Yorker car, the distributor decided to have a promotion where if you purchased a New Yorker, you received a Honda Civic for free!”

Unfortunately, many cars there were not adopted to the local climate, where it could rise to well into the 40s (Celsius). In one of my cars, it got so hot that the rear view mirror melted off!

Naveed spent most of the next 12 years living and working in Dubai, except for the period from 1989-1991. In January 1989, he began working as General Manager for a local trading company in Kuwait and was there until one fateful day he was literally stopped in his tracks.

“On August 2, 1990 I was at the main airport in Kuwait, ready to leave on a business trip. At 2am, the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait, the event that started the Gulf War. As a result, I was stuck in Kuwait unable to leave until September 25 – almost two months! I had finally had enough, and found a way to drive all the way to Pakistan, a 5500km journey, to leave the country. That experience was a real eye-opener for me, and I decided to return to Dubai after the liberation of Kuwait in 1991.”

For the next four years, he worked for major food companies in Dubai, including Toblerone chocolate and a coffee company.

Moving to Canada to build his career, and then his own business

In 1995, Naveed and his family applied for immigration to Canada, and officially arrived in Canada in 1996. By 1997, Naveed had become Marketing Manager for Robin Hood Multifoods.

He was responsible for leading the company’s exports of Golden Temple flour, which is mainly used to make the types of flatbreads common throughout Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine. He quickly expanded sales in in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, and developed cake boxes with Arabic labelling to better reach consumers there.

He also worked in the Chinese market, and helped develop a higher-gluten flour that would sell better there.

After a few years, Smucker purchased Robin Hood and by 2004 wanted to start a total corporate culture change. This process involved letting go of their entire salesforce, including Naveed. Mere hours later, he received a call that prompted a major career decision.

“The same day I was let go, I received a call from a customer in Korea who was upset with Robin Hood’s new service and wanted to be treated better.”

I place a strong value on customer relationships, so I wanted to be the one to provide that for him and others. That year I started my own company, Raziq International Inc.

We specialize in sales and marketing for baking and food ingredients, and also serve as representatives for some major companies.”

He has since worked on a wide variety of projects, including helping a Saskatchewan lentil and pulse company develop their entire marketing strategy and distribution to sell across the U.S. and Canada, and serving as a representative for Winnipeg company Richardson International to their Middle Eastern customers.

Why you should take the time to invest into business relationships

As Naveed built his business, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of taking time to build strong relationships and adapt to the cultural norms in other countries.

“Many North American executives get upset in the Middle East or South America about the more laid-back business cultures. These executives are not used to having to build friendships and chat to understand people there before talking business. But in many cultures you need to take them out to lunch, then dinner, and know about each other’s families.”

“To give an example from another market, I was once in Malaysia, visiting a customer I had never met. I was sitting in his office, and saw a nice restaurant and suggested we go there. My customer insisted I come to his house for dinner and meet his family.”

Adding the CITP® designation to his long and impressive list of accomplishments

Naveed first heard about FITT training and certification several years ago, both through online research and from another CITP® designation holder.

“I learned about FITT through Vincent Taddeo, who was with me a very long time ago in Dubai at the Gulf Food Show. I was managing the Robin Hood booth and he was at the Cavendish Farms booth, where he was Vice President, Exports. Sadly, he passed away recently.”

After successfully applying for the CITP® designation, he looks forward to seeing how earning it will positively impact his career.

“The CITP® is such a prestigious certification, which gives me greater credibility for what I do and what I represent. I am very excited to be recognized this way in international trade. The designation is recognized globally and requires meeting certain criteria, so I’m very honoured and humbled.”

It will be most important for my consulting work, as having the designation on my business card means I have greater credibility when dealing with manufacturers or other companies, and fellow professionals will immediately know that I know what I’m doing.

Now that he can add the designation to his list of career accomplishments, we are looking forward to seeing what new exploits and accomplishments await him in the years to come.

The post Naveed Agha, CITP|FIBP – Managing Director appeared first on Trade Ready.

This means that anyone doing business in Colombia, or considering doing so in the near future, needs to keep a close eye on these changes – particularly the new players in the market. Could any of them be your direct competition, or perhaps a potential partner?

Here are some outstanding developing players, which bring remarkable new options to consumers – and should be on your radar:

1. Tostao’

A company incorporated in Panamá, with German banker Michel Olmi leading the project, Tostao’ opened for business in 2016. While the company’s motto of “coffee and bread” may be simple, its efforts to open more than 100 sites in two years were far more complex. You can now find a Tostao’ almost anywhere in Colombia.

Tostao’ brings frozen raw products from Barcelona, Spain, and bakes them at individual stores. Customer reviews demonstrate an appreciative clientele. The baguette, a type of bread that, curiously, is not usually found in Bogotá’s bakeries, leads in popularity. Tostao’s premium quality coffee is sold at the same prices as the lower quality coffee commonly sold in the city.

Tostao’ does a good job of listening to its customers, upgrading its restaurants with more seating and serving sizes based on its clients’ feedback. Bottom line: you can now find predictable, high value coffee and bakery products all around the city, whenever you need a snack.

2. D1

Owned by Grupo Santodomingo, one of the largest economic groups in Colombia, in association with the Albrecht family from Germany (owners of discount grocery chain Aldi), D1 brought the concept of discount supermarkets to Colombia in 2009, and started a massive development in 2014.

D1 offers a few prime brands, such as premium beer Club Colombia, and low cost brands with hard-to-beat prices. Among its most attractive products is a brand of Italian pasta that outperforms local options in quality, at a fraction of the price. D1 also provides great value in snacks, cleaning products and canned food for its customers.

The stores are drawing increasing numbers of customers, and are making room for more cashiers in their stores. The ability to have packaged goods at affordable prices close to your home is new for many consumers, and clearly popular with this market.

3. Ara

Owned by Jeronimo Martins S.A. from Portugal, Ara opened its first stores in Colombia in 2013. The first locations were in Pereira, a city of 474,000 inhabitants, located in the “Coffee Axis” region of the country. In 2016, a large-scale expansion began in Bogotá.

The format is that of a small supermarket, easy to see from a distance because of the intense orange color of its storefronts and logo. Prices are usually attractive, with a strategy similar to hard discount stores: offer special pricing on prominent products for a limited time.

I bought a pot in Ara for a below-market price, and it’s proven to be a high quality product. I also discovered high quality roasted chickens sold with potatoes, on sale for just USD $3.50. Ara has done an excellent job of bringing a variety of fruits, vegetables and fresh foods to the market at affordable prices.

4. Rappi

This startup led by Colombian entrepreneurs was incorporated in 2015, after being selected by Y Combinator (a startup incubator) for finance support. Basically, Rappi will purchase items for you and deliver them to your home – groceries, tech, medicine, liquor, restaurant food, and anything else you can think of. Even when you need cash, they will withdraw it, take it to your home, and charge it to your registered credit card.

You can see Rappi’s employees in supermarkets with their orange phosphorescent suits and backpacks, or on their bikes and motorcycles moving from place to place. Success has been so rapid and overwhelming that some months ago they published a letter in the newspapers apologizing for delivery delays. It seemed a sincere recognition that the company was attempting to handle more orders than it was initially prepared to receive, and is committed to working on it.

With this service you can save time while getting the same prices as you would at the store, for only a small additional fee for the service. This is something people in Bogotá can do for many stores, now that Rappi’s technology has put the ability to use it in people’s hands.

The new kids on the block are dominating Colombian business – how do you stack up?

The bottom line is that consumers in Bogotá, and increasingly throughout all of Colombia, have a growing selection of interesting and useful new options.

One immediate impact is that some small shops will have difficulty competing with new players equipped with large amounts of capital to invest. Other companies will have a tougher time standing out in this increasingly saturated market.

Their success proves, however, that Colombian customers are willing to try new products and services, and that the right offerings have the potential to attract a sizeable market.

So what’s your next step – is it time to fold on your ambitions for Colombia? Or is now the time to stay the course, or even double down on your strategy?

The post Get inspired by these 4 new companies that are kicking the competition’s butt in Colombia 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.

At FITT we had a burning question: What does the future hold for the international trade in agriculture products?

We wanted to know, what are some of the key challenges, opportunities and trends that we will see in the industry? And how would those issues affect those involved from the farmers to the labourers, exporters, and ultimately the consumers?

We decided to put this question out to the experts and the public the best way we know how, through our monthly #TradeElite Twitter chat. It was pretty ambitious to tackle a subject this big in a one hour discussion, 140 characters at a time, but with the help of a wise, quick-thinking panel of experts and a brave, skilled moderator we got to the heart of the matter.

The conversation on the future of agri-trade took place on April 14, 2016. Check out some highlights from the chat below.

Moderator: Craig Atkinson, CITP|FIBP (@CraigAAtkinson) Director, International Trade and Development Consulting with Lexmerca International Trade, formerly with the ITC, based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Panelists:

Clarecia Christie, CITP|FIBP (@ClareciaChriste) Project Manager and Team Lead, Trade Information Services at Trade Facilitation Office of Canada, based out of Ottawa, Ontario.

Miguel Garcia-Winder (@MGWMex) IICA Representatative to the USA and Head of the Center for Strategic Analysis for Agriculture at IICA, based out of Washington, D.C.

Juan Navarro (@JSNavarroe) Principal at CMX Partnerships and ArribaMexicoFoods, founding President of the Mexi-Can Forum, based out of Victoria, British Columbia.

Andrew Braun (@BraunBraun) Trade Officer, Agri-Value at Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP), based out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

What are some of trends we can expect in agri-trade?

#TradeElite Q2 A2: value added and ethnic products will increase but commodity trade will also.products experience different patterns

— Miguel Garcia-Winder (@mgwmex) April 14, 2016

What impact will multi-regional trade agreements (TPP, CETA, etc) have on agricultural trade?

A3: So, Governments and society need to work together to prepare, be competitive and succeed in FTAs like TPP #TradeElite

— Juan Navarro (@jsnavarroe) April 14, 2016

Are there any innovations/technology that are simplifying agri-food trade?

A4. I’ll answer my own question… #appropriate tech could also be a solution for small producers to move up the “value chain” #TradeElite

— Craig A. Atkinson (@craigaatkinson) April 14, 2016

A4. Food waste sucks but we have a market model where ppl only make $$ if we are consumptive. Model needs to shift. #TradeElite

— audrey ross (@tresAudrey) April 14, 2016

Q4: Food producers will need to find innovative ways of transparency to build trust in consumers for the processes/ingredients #TradeElite

— Andrew Braun (@BraunBraun) April 14, 2016

What are some of the challenges to accessing financing for agri-food exporters?

#TradeElite Q5A2 in develping countries challenges is to create formal mechanisms of finance that help reduce risk to producers/exporters

— Miguel Garcia-Winder (@mgwmex) April 14, 2016

How can the globally important role of women in agriculture receive better recognition?

A6 women are mostly the workers on smallholder lots we need to advocate for landowner rights for women in Dev countries #TradeElite

— Clarecia Christie (@ClareciaChriste) April 14, 2016

Anything else you’d like to add?

Ag in developed and developing countries has differences, however we have to work together collaborating with each other #TradeElite

— Juan Navarro (@jsnavarroe) April 14, 2016

Read the rest of the chat and follow future discussions by following the #TradeElite hashtag.

Stay tuned for the next #TradeElite chat, coming up Thursday, May 5 at 2:30-3:30PM EDT.

The post What does the future of Agri-Trade hold? appeared first on Trade Ready.

Robert Khoubian, CITP|FIBP, is the Export Sales Director for Seapass Trading, an international food trading company which specializes in frozen meat products and marketing food commodities around the world.

After moving to Canada from his home country of Russia, Robert has developed a strong sense for the global marketplace, and looks forward to continuing to grow as a leader in international sales and marketing.

Moving thousands of miles to pursue his career

Robert graduated from Rostov State Economic University in 2002 with his Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Soon afterwards, he moved to Canada to pursue a bright future for his career and his family.

“I moved to Canada with my family, my wife and one child at that time. My parents used to live in Canada and I joined them after finishing my University in Russia.”

I moved for a better life for my kids and greater opportunity in the well-established business sector of Canada.

His experience growing up and living in Russia gave him countless valuable insights into the region that became a crucial asset to his career.

In 2003, Robert became a Commodity Trader for Export Packers Co. Ltd. in Toronto, who specialize in importing and exporting food products around the world.

Once in the role, he was given full responsibility for the trade of frozen meat products to Russia and the other CIS nations from North and South America, Europe and China.

Robert’s position involved a number of different responsibilities, including ensuring all compliance laws, risk mitigation, and international rights laws were followed by everyone involved at all stages of the import/export process.

While some may have found the variety overwhelming, it was one of the things about the work that appealed most to Robert.

“I always enjoyed creating new opportunities, developing new markets and new products,” he explains.

Travelling the world to gain a competitive edge

The job also included significant amounts of research on target market specifics, domestic marketing and pricing strategies, cost assessments and potential local partnerships.

Some of the research was done internationally, particularly at trade shows and functions.

From 2004 onwards, Robert was a regular attendee of several events in France, Germany, Belgium, Russia and the U.S. in the food export industry.

Back in Canada, he would continue the research by using reports from Statistics Canada, customs brokers, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and other sources.

Robert also relied on Trade Commissioners and Export Development Canada for market research, and to connect with local firms that had the potential to become new clients or distributors.

On top of his other duties, Robert also participated in government trade missions to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Georgia,  taking part in discussions of free trade agreements with countries in the region to help develop his business network and knowledge.

“I always participated in trade missions arranged by CPI and DFAIT. This gives me an opportunity to meet key importers and government authorities, and to better understand each country’s import requirements and demands.”

Taking charge in a powerful new role

Robert moved to his current role with Seapass Trading in 2010, and has served as a leader within the company. Through his hard work, the company was able to expand its reach in multiple ways, including the office he created.

“I was responsible for setting up our Toronto office, including all of the hiring and training.”

Once again, his knowledge of the Russian market and surrounding regions was crucial to his success, and gave him an opportunity to fill a unique niche.

I’ve been able to expand Seapass into markets that they had never dealt with before, such as Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

From vendor sourcing and budget decisions to staff training and strategic partnership formation, Robert’s responsibilities span a wide group of important issues.

Despite the multitude of tasks, Robert has not lost focus on his wider goals to increase sales within the company in global markets.

By finding new partners to work with, expanding the company’s product lines and making changes in the marketing strategy, Robert has enjoyed continued success in the role.

Establishing his professional prowess

Robert has also made time to further his career in other ways.

Soon after arriving in Canada, Robert earned both his Post-Graduate Honours Diploma in Marketing from the Toronto School of Business and his Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from the Canadian Institute of Management.

In 2011, he also served as a volunteer English-Russian translator for DFAIT (now GAC) and helped organize events for Russian officials visiting Canada.

As his career progressed, Robert also sought to add a professional certification to his credentials, and applied to become a CITP®|FIBP® through the executive path.

It is an honour for me to receive the CITP®|FIBP® designation. I feel like I have earned this through all of my hard work over the years.

Now that he has officially received his designation, he is excited to see what doors it will open in his future.

“I am confident that the CITP®|FIBP® designation will bring more opportunities with potential employers, regardless of the fact that I am not currently looking for a change. In the future, I would consider working as a consultant for businesses who decided to go global.”

Wherever his career takes him, we’re sure that Robert will continue to use his expertise in exciting ways, and excel as a proven leader in his industry.

The post Robert Khoubian, CITP|FIBP – Export Sales Director appeared first on Trade Ready.