This week we’re celebrating International Women’s Day and trail-blazing women in business. FITT is proud to provide business training for the next generation of female leaders.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme was #ChooseToChallenge, a mantra that suggests a “challenged world is an alert world,” according to the official website. The words are apt, considering that this past year has created immense challenges for women in the workforce as a result of COVID-19.

A report by McKinsey & Company found that over the course of the pandemic women have been more likely to have been laid off or furloughed while mothers have had the brunt of parenting responsibilities while working through mass childcare closures.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to an increase in many females stepping away from their career advancements, either temporarily or permanently, setting back the progress that they and the broader collective of women have made in the past years.

The pandemic was also top of mind for UNWomen.org, whose theme for International Women’s Day was “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.” Their focus for 2021 was on “the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight[ing] the gaps that remain.”

Clearly, especially now, there is still much work to be done for women and the fight for equality, but there is also much to celebrate as progress is slowly blooming from tackling these issues. During the pandemic, for example, many governments around the world created funding, resources, grants, loans and initiatives to support female entrepreneurs with business recovery. The general public also saw the clear gains that all citizens make when women are supported, empowered and in positions of leadership—as was the case with New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery efforts led by their female Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

In fact, UNWomen.org reports that women-led countries have collectively fared better with their pandemic responses than male-run countries overall. These types of milestones are great cause for celebration.

Bearing this information in mind, we’ve got a few more stats about female leadership and women in business to keep you inspired for the road ahead. Here they are:

1. 41% of active Certified International Trade Professionals (CITP®|FIBP®) are women.

2. Prior to the pandemic, being a leader was an attainable professional goal for a majority of women, according to a study by KPMG. Specifically, in their report, they found that “six in 10 women (64%) aspired to be a senior leader of a company or organization in the future, and more than half (56%) of women aspired to be on the board of a company or organization.”

3. In the same study, they found that women who were encouraged to be leaders were more likely to become senior leaders than those who were not (26% vs. 15%).

4. 67% of women in the KPMG research also said they had learned the most important lessons about leadership from other women.

5. 82% percent of professional working women in the same study believed that access to and networking with female leaders would help them advance in their career.

6. According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, “as of 2015, 35% of Canadian women had a university certificate or degree, compared to 30% of men.”

7. The same foundation also found that “women and men also tend to have nearly equivalent job tenure. In a national study, both women and men report having worked for their current employer for an average of just under eight years.”

8. According to the International Women’s Day website, “Over 87% of companies are highly committed to gender equality—a huge increase from 56% in 2012. A commitment to equality often comes from senior leaders, management and male employees.”

9. According to The International Labor Organization, in Jordan, Saint Lucia, Botswana, Honduras and the Philippines, females are more likely to be bosses than men. Jordan, specifically, found that 62 percent of their managerial positions were filled by women.

10. A report by McKinsey & Company found that, at the start of 2020, representation for women in corporate America was trending upward, particularly with senior management positions: “between January 2015 and January 2020, representation of women in senior-vice-president positions grew from 23 to 28 percent, and representation in the C-suite grew from 17 to 21 percent.”

11. KPMG  asked women what advice they’d give to future female generations and found that “more than two-thirds of respondents indicated confidence—being confident in their capabilities (75%) and confidence to ask for what they deserve (67%)—[was] the key advice they would pass along.”

12. FITT’s senior leadership positions are all held by women, with the CEO and President, Caroline Thompkins, celebrating her 25th anniversary this year.

With much work to do and many women and men pushing for greater gender parity in the workforce, we salute those who keep pushing the needle in the right direction.

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This week we’re celebrating amazing women in business who inspire, achieve and blaze trails for generations to come. Megha Kandoi is a shining example of female leadership in international trade and we are proud to highlight and celebrate her accomplishments! 

A love for travel and different cultures were the triggers that pushed Megha Kandoi to move out of her comfort zone and discover the myriad of possibilities that the world had to offer. The fact that she hailed from a business-oriented family made international business a naturally desirable career option for her. She realized early on that it was essential to stay current with the latest advances in the industry and economic environment to ensure business survival, market share gains and profitability in the long run.

The opportunities seemed limitless and Megha soon commenced her journey toward her career goals by completing a bachelor’s degree in Finance and International Business from Christ University, India. This led to her first role as Import-Export Coordinator where she was tasked with facilitating operations and shipping transactions between countries. The role helped Megha develop an understanding of contractual agreements and trade laws across the world. She then decided to upgrade her qualifications a notch higher by completing her post-graduation in International Business Management.

“In my perspective, cross-cultural leadership and management skills are vital for thriving in an ever-changing global business environment.”

A career journey that transformed her into a confident woman

The opportunity to leverage her knowledge and skills across industries ranging from manufacturing and food & beverage to healthcare and technology across various countries in such a short span of time helped Megha gain valuable experience and unique life skills.

“Interacting with people from all walks of life and the ability to build strong interpersonal relationships with them is always a cherished experience. Looking back on my career journey makes me reminiscence how drastically I have evolved and grown into a confident woman.”

Getting published in a reputed journal

Megha has been deeply involved in research investigation in the arena of international marketing since her university years. The topic that piqued her interest was “the adaptation of products and services in an international market and co-creation as a method of building brand innovation and customer engagement.”

Having her work published in Scopus Indexed Journal of Management was not only a huge honour for Megha, but it also gave her the exposure to participate and present her work at various international conferences and seminars.

The Path to Success

“What we learn becomes a part of who we are and eventually leads us to success.”

Although it is easy to get swayed by the temptation to seek jobs in big, multinational companies, Megha believes that no opportunity that comes your way is any less important. There can be a tremendous learning curve and a huge scope to hone your managerial skills, even while working in an agile start-up environment.

Making the most of each opportunity, regardless of how big or small, prepares us to constantly re-invent and adapt ourselves to cope in the highly volatile business scenario.

“It’s necessary to be persistent and willing to take risks and to work hard to reach your aspirations.”

Business training that gave real-world insights into doing business globally

Megha took FITTskills courses through Sheridan College and earned the FITT Diploma in International Trade upon completion of the institution’s accredited program and after transferring her credits.

“My favourite FITTskills course was ‘Feasibility of International Trade’ as it helped me dive deeper into finding viable market opportunities through effective research analysis. It taught me that it is an absolute must to understand potential risks and related factors while developing optimal strategies to venture into an international market.”

She also enjoyed “International Sales and Marketing” because she loved learning about how companies could adapt their products and services to meet consumer needs while ensuring maximum utility.

Megha had already charted her path to earning the CITP®|FIBP® designation and, therefore, applied for the industry-recognized designation soon after receiving her FITT Diploma.

“Achieving the designation would validate my competence, skills and knowledge amidst the international trade fraternity across the world.”

She earned the esteemed credential in December 2020 and feels proud and ecstatic to be a member of the elite CITP®|FIBP® community. She aspired to earn this benchmark of excellence ever since she first heard of it and the journey to achieving it has been a fruitful and fulfilling one.

“The experience is stupendous and definitely worth investing in. It gives me immense pleasure to see my hard work and dedication pay off.”

Today, as the Enterprise/Software portfolio lead for early-stage startups at MaRS Discovery District, one of the world’s largest urban innovation hubs, Megha supports promising high-impact growth-oriented ventures raise capital, scale their team, and grow revenue globally. She has a strong passion and love for supporting entrepreneurship and is committed to increasing a venture’s odds of success.

Over the years, she has been exposed to a range of emerging technologies and has global experience across industry verticals driving strengths in business strategy, growth hacking, strategic markets & partnerships, new customer acquisitions, and technology; helping startups/small businesses expand globally.

She foresees her CITP®|FIBP® designation as a major asset in advancing her future career goals, as it will open the door to exciting projects and partnerships, giving her a competitive edge in the industry.

“Having only just begun my career in international trade, the designation boosts my confidence and gives me the credibility to conquer new opportunities. The sky is the limit for me and I believe my business alliances and partners will always have a greater peace of mind collaborating with a highly qualified international trade professional.”

We couldn’t agree more—Megha’s energy, talent and fresh perspectives point toward a promising career filled with exciting opportunities, successful outcomes and ever-expanding horizons.

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