Safaa Al-Shammari is always on the lookout for new international business opportunities. His varied international trade background includes roles with companies in Iraq, Dubai, and Canada.

Most recently, he has taken on the challenge of building his own company, and taking on freelance advisor projects of his own.

Safaa has been working in international trade and distribution for almost two decades. Taking on many different roles over his time in the industry, he has built up a strong foundation of knowledge and experience in several different aspects of trade.

Taking care of business by taking care of the customer

After working for several years under various contracts in the Middle East in logistics, customer service, account management and product development roles, Safaa took on the role of International Operations Manager at Naran General Trading LLC in Dubai in 2005.

I worked for more than five years in Dubai, UAE, which is an important global hub for international trade. There I handled a wide range of products and services, dealing with professionals from many different academic and business backgrounds.

Naran General Trading handles a large portfolio of equipment and services, trading mostly with businesses based in Iraq, Jordan and Europe. Safaa was charged with managing the operations of several companies owned and financed by Naran Group. These included Al-Usool Engineering Service Ltd, which represented many large international manufacturers in Iraq.

One of Safaa’s biggest responsibilities was ensuring positive customer relations, a pivotal role for any company. To do this, he worked closely with the logistics and accounting departments to secure smooth, on-time deliveries and payments ensuring a high level of service was met for all clients.

He established business communications with international principles, representing companies like ITT Goulds, John Crane, Parker, Alfa Laval, and Hitachi Plant technologies, among others, negotiating and finalizing contracts worth significant sums for the company.

One of the most rewarding parts of his job was coaching teams of engineers in the UAE and Iraq to liaise with customers and win orders for public tenders in both countries.

Finding the tools to excel in North America thanks to a like-minded professor

In 2012, Safaa moved to Jordan where he worked as a Freelance Advisor/Operations Manager for Technical Manufacturing Company LLC. In 2013, Jordan decided to move to Canada to pursue further training and certification in global trade in North America.

He settled in Windsor, Ontario where he enrolled in the International Business Management program at St. Clair College.

“I selected this program and St. Clair College after the first communication I had with Professor Floyd Simpkins, the program coordinator, who showed a passion for international business which matched my principles and experience.”

I found the program very useful, combining the practical approach of the FITTskills course material with high caliber business text books and the experiences of the instructors. This combination gave me an exceptionally wide knowledge base to build my skills. The courses enabled me to approach business opportunities with a great degree of confidence after graduation.

Safaa excelled in his studies, earning academic distinction for his program in all three semesters of his program at St. Clair College. He immediately saw the value of FITT certification and the elite CITP®|FIBP® designation and began the process to receive both accolades as soon as he graduated from the program.

“I recognized the advantages of the FITT Diploma in International Trade and the CITP®|FIBP® designation when I first contacted Professor Simpkins, who brought to my attention the importance of having FITT credentials as a tool in the global trade industry.”

“For me, obtaining the CITP®|FIBP® designation was a great achievement representing a major milestone in my professional career. It is not only about the self-satisfaction, confidence and credibility it presents to potential clients. Even more, it is about providing an identity for me among business professionals that gives me distinction from other professionals in my international trade expertise. I urge all business people to consider taking the FITTskills program and pursuing the CITP®|FIBP® designation.”

Putting his hard earned expertise to work on a project of his own

Since earning his designation, Safaa has been working on an exciting new project of his own – setting up his new export business. A typical day for him includes researching opportunities to export products and services of Canadian origin to the Middle East and North African markets. His previous experience in those regions, along with his extensive contact networks, are the aces up his sleeve as he builds his business.

Safaa also spends time every day reading news and theory on international trade development, including EDC’s website, and thumbing back through his FITTskills text books to keep him up to date on the industry.

He certainly has the knowledge, skills, and crucially the optimism, to make his new enterprise a success.

“During my recent research, I found out that there are many Canadian products that have the strong potential for success in new international markets, particularly in the segment of pharmaceuticals industry.”

“Recently, I approached one of the main producers of empty gelatine capsules in North America to sell their products to pharmaceutical factories in the Middle East. Despite the fact that the product faces high competition from manufacturers in China and India, there are real possibilities for success in promoting it to customers who value the high quality of Canadian products. There are also possibilities to export other Canadian products like red lentils and canola oil.”

Safaa is also hard at work developing his own website, which will be launched in conjunction with his new business venture in June 2016.

I consider it the highest honour I’ve received in recognition of my knowledge and skills to be offered the great opportunity to teach the FITTskills International Trade Research module at St. Clair College for the Spring 2016 semester.

“I believe that as a CITP®|FIBP® designate, I will be in a better position to assist new students to make the best use of their studying time, and also to support them to obtain the knowledge and experience that the FITTskills program offers. I will be delighted to help them earn their certifications and CITP®|FIBP® designation, which will be the cornerstone of their business careers.”

We are thrilled to have someone as passionate and qualified as Safaa instructing the next generation of international trade leaders in their FITTskills training, and can’t wait to celebrate his success in his new business venture.

The post Safaa Al-Shammari, CITP|FIBP – International Business Instructor and Entrepreneur appeared first on Trade Ready.

Magali Bourdeilh, PACI|FPAI (the French acronym for CITP|FIBP) is the Coordinator, Procurement and Transportation Logistics for Mosaique Surface, a company specializing in custom stone mosaics.

After building up more than nine years of experience across the globe working in the U.S, China, Africa and Europe, she is excited to take on the new challenges of her latest role.

Putting the international in international trade

As she studied international trade in France, Magali took advantage of three incredible two month internship opportunities to get her career off the ground. First, she worked as a Production and Logistics Coordinator for a company selling tax and accounting software in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Next, she took on the role of Production and Distribution Coordinator at a company selling sculptures, gifts and tourist products based in Beijing, China. In the role, she studied commercial demand and took care of product management and stock control for the company.

Her final internship was as an Import Coordinator for a food and beverage company in Port Louis, Mauritius, the capital of the small African island nation located to the east of Madagascar.

Once she completed her diploma in International Business Management, the combination of her impressive international experience and linguistic proficiency (she is fluent in French, English, and has some knowledge of Spanish) made her an enticing candidate for many companies.

Her first full-time position was as a Pre-Shipping Inspection Coordinator for Bureau Veritas in Paris, one of France’s biggest companies and a world leader in compliance measurement, inspection and certification.

Magali became part of the company’s Nigerian department, and she was placed in charge of import licenses, pre-shipping inspections and ensuring importers get their Clean Report of Inspection (CRI) to obtain the necessary customs clearance.

“I would typically validate about 180 import licenses and amendments per month, and offer information and advice to exporters and suppliers. Verifying and certifying the final documents for customs clearance and storage documentation became my responsibility. I also got to train and supervise a team of six people to help with my work.”

I had to learn quickly, but it helped me learn how to be a leader in international business, and to adapt to any new situation that comes my way.

Reaching extraordinary heights in import export

After two years with Bureau Veritas, Magali moved up to an interim role as Import-Export Manager with Proengin, an American company (the head office is based in Florida) whose subsidiary is located in France, manufacturing equipment to detect harmful chemical or biological agents.

Their equipment is marketed and used in over 45 countries by various national armed forces, civil security personnel, first responders and customs agents.

Her responsibilities included dealing with the French military to ensure all regulatory approvals were met and all import/export paperwork met the proper criteria. She also managed and monitored air exports of the company’s products.

At the end of her four months, she transitioned into a new role as International Logistics Manager for Sogea-Satom, which is part of Vinci SA, the world’s largest construction company, employing over 185,000 people.

Responsible for arranging exports and major procurement projects in countries such as Madagascar, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon in Africa, Jamaica and the French overseas departments and territories: French Guiana on the South American continent, Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Atlantic Ocean, Mayotte and Réunion in the Indian Ocean and New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean, her experiences diversified further.

In fact, one of her experiences went far beyond global trade into outer space!

For one of my projects, I was responsible for the delivery of construction materials, various equipment, and spare parts for vehicles and construction site equipment in order to carry out the launch pad for Soyuz spacecraft in Kourou, French Guiana.

“In total, the budget for the project was U.S. $212 million.”

Magali frequently dealt with a great deal of logistical issues, from import licenses and pre-shipment inspections to creating export invoices for customs, managing air and sea exports and dealing with freight forwarders.

Through these efforts, Magali and her company were able to produce some amazing results.

“We built infrastructure and buildings that improved a lot of lives in many countries: hospitals, schools, buildings, roads, a desalination plant and a wastewater treatment plant are all examples that come to mind.”

Building a well-rounded skill set through import-export training

With extensive experience in many areas of international trade already, Magali wanted to continue to expand her horizons, and found FITT courses to be the perfect opportunity to do so.

It seemed essential to go back to my studies and take FITT courses last year to update my knowledge, especially in regard to international law, international finance, business management, logistics and international transport.

After completing her courses, she was excited to apply for her elite PACI (CITP) certification, knowing it will help her to pursue future opportunities.

“I’m very passionate about working in this dynamic and rigorous field, and I feel that I have all the skills and leadership abilities to take on any challenge that comes my way.”

She recently started in her current role as Coordinator, Procurement and Transportation Logistics, and enjoys the chance to work with the company’s over 100 distributors across Canada, the U.S. and England.

With such an extraordinary range of experience already, Magali will undoubtedly help her new company grow and will continue to thrive in her career for many years to come.

The post Magali Bourdeilh, PACI|FPAI – Coordinator, Procurement and Transportation Logistics appeared first on Trade Ready.