Today, Tahir Khurshid is undeniably an expert in his field, with over thirty years of experience working all over the world and for some of the biggest companies, including Proctor and Gamble, Unilever, Mars and PepsiCo.

Like everyone else though, he had to start as a new employee and work his way up to where he is today.

International trade had always been an interest of his throughout his high school and post-secondary education. After Tahir completed his MBA from Rice University’s prestigious Jones Graduate School of Business in Houston, Texas, frequently ranked as one of the best MBA programs in the world, he looked for his first professional position in global business.  Once he started his first job with Proctor and Gamble in Geneva, ensuring a continuous supply of the company’s products to Bahrain from around the world, he knew it would become his lifelong career.

His job soon took him to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he encountered a most unusual situation that has made him laugh ever since.

“Perhaps the funniest situation there was when I was handling a small fabric softener brand called Lenor, imported from France. With a small budget and little awareness, volumes and usage were not worth writing home about. Yet one area in the east, Qatif, was using Lenor at a rate of 30 times the average national consumption.”

“Arriving there, I discovered just one wholesaler accounting for 95% of the volume. The answer was evident the moment he said, ‘Mr. Tahir, your Lenor SHAMPOO is excellent, we all have soft hair and everyone is using it. Even the farmers are using it to clean their animals!’ Oops!”

Travelling for PepsiCo: A tale of two countries

Above: Tahir standing outside of the Pepsi Concorde jet in Saudi Arabia, 1996.

Tahir later moved on to an opportunity with PepsiCo, where he stayed for over seven years in various positions across the Middle East and Africa. For two of those years, he was head of sales and marketing in Sudan, which led to a memorable travel story that instilled fond memories of the place he still looks back on today.

“While travelling from Khartoum to Port Sudan on the famous highway built by Osama bin Laden, our Toyota Land Cruiser suffered two concurrent tire blowouts in the early afternoon. One was fixed with the spare. For the other, we waited for an hour until another Land Cruiser stopped and the man simply unhitched his spare and handed it over. Five minutes later, he headed off, without any sort of payment or collateral.”

“Two days later, with our tires fixed and trip done, we headed back. Seeing a similar stalled vehicle on the side of the road, my driver handed over our spare. I just had to ask about this. ‘We are all from the same nation and the tire will come back to me, for now I have been a good person and helped a man in need!’”

“This was in a poor country that was under international sanctions. I later learned that there was a shortage of tires in the country due to lack of foreign exchange, and the informal help system was keeping trade moving.”

Sudan remains one of my best liked countries and I often sing praises of the people there.

Above: Tahir (right) with some of the locals in Sudan during his visit there in 1997.

By 2006, Tahir had set up his own consulting company, TK Associates,  in Mississauga Ontario. One of his earliest projects was another chance to work with PepsiCo, this time to set up a bottling plant in Erbil, located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

“Kurdistan is very near the current ISIS zone in Iraq and Syria. Not only was the region trying to break away from Iraq, there were different laws for every conceivable thing, including imports. Since virtually every bit of the plant was imported, the transportation of heavy equipment across Turkey, Jordan or Syria and into a ready-for-war zone had its challenging moments. We dealt with corrupt politicians, regional and racial divides, religious animosities, disregard for human rights and shortages of essentials like fuel and water. The plant did start in 2008 and remains operational, but I will never go to Iraq again.”

Above: Tahir in Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region in 2006.

Avoiding pitfalls by tuning in to cultural differences

In the years between leaving Pepsi in 2000 and starting his own consulting company in 2006, Tahir held a handful of different positions including a Commercial Director role for Bata, a major shoe company in Pakistan. As he managed all exports, retail, sales, marketing and logistics efforts there, he also saw firsthand the perils of what happened when one of his competitors failed to do his due diligence while purchasing a shipment.

“Visiting the main shoe market in Peshawar, Pakistan, with my Managing Director, the major wholesaler gave us an earful about exorbitant prices and lack of concern for traders. He proudly displayed two containers of newly imported shoes from China, which were soft, supple and cost 60% less than our product.”

“As I took the brunt of the abuse from the man, who had by then gathered a crowd of perhaps fifty from the other businesses in the market, the MD turned to me and said, “Tahir, is it okay to be wearing pigskin when you go to the mosque?” The entire consignment was made of pig leather, a completely taboo (haram) item in a 95% Muslim country! Since none of the very religious traders had ever dealt with pig leather, they had assumed it to be normal cowhide.”

“The bonfire in the bazaar lasted for more than eight hours and perhaps thirty containers of shoes were consigned to the flames, clearing out every market within a 100 kilometer radius. The seller was lucky to escape by hopping across the Afghan border and was never seen in Peshawar again.”

“The man had been on a shoe buying trip to China and had been given a too-good-to-be-true deal by his Chinese agent. He had not confirmed the origin or construction, while the agent had not mentioned it. And paperwork for import had the items listed as polyvinyl footwear.”

He also spent 18 months as an Executive VP for the Pakistan Telecommunications Company with impressive results.

Above: Tahir (front row, center) with other members of his new sales team at Pakistan Telecom.

“My proudest accomplishment overseas was to establish a national franchise and distribution sales system for Pakistan Telecom’s Wireless Services in less than one year. Prior to my taking over the responsibility, the parent organization was rife with political influences, unionized staff with no intent to work, difficult economic and social conditions, corruption, nepotism, and so on.”

“Within one year, I had established a 400 franchise network, with fewer than 50 political appointees, hired and trained an entirely new sales team, and established import relationships with Korean and European companies in addition to Chinese ones, which lowered prices to customers for telecom equipment.

Within one year we had achieved more than a million new subscribers, something the main GSM companies had not done in about ten!

“The trick was to understand local sensibilities and resist undue pressure. It is possible to build revenues and resist corrupt practices in developing countries if you put your mind to it. The company reaped more than $150 million in added sales during the year.”

Above: Tahir (right) with two other members of his team at the Khyber Pass in Pakistan.

Adding a professional designation to his expertise and local knowledge

Along with his project for PepsiCo, Tahir has helped many companies as a consultant, completing projects in Canada, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. One story in particular proved the importance of knowing as much as possible about local customs, attitudes, and culture, as well as thinking on your feet.

“I was trying to get a shipment released at Port Qasim, near Karachi in Pakistan. The customs officer had handed over an assessment that would make the import unprofitable. This was due to an error in policy application on his part, but the man did not budge. My recourse was to see his supervisor.”

“As I waited, the peon (an actual designation in government organizations in many ex-colonies) advised that the person had been a World Cup-winning Pakistan field hockey team member. Being an avid field hockey fan myself, I then recalled that he had actually scored the championship-winning goal.”

“My opening statement was to ask for an autograph, and three hours later, my shipment was cleared against which a $100 customs duty was paid. The original assessment was over $25,000! Had I not paid attention to the peon (most people would not) or known the national sport of Pakistan, I would have left the shipment to rot on the docks!”

Tahir is also willing to put in a great deal of research, which led him to discover FITT for the first time. As he was doing research on NAFTA and Canadian trade policy for a client, he found mention of FITT and wanted to learn more.

“As I read through, I figured it was worth looking into. I was encouraged that I did not have to attend physical classes for the designation, and I figured that it would be of value for an international consultant like me.”

He officially earned his CITP®|FIBP® designation in 2012, and has found it helpful as an independent consultant, as well as in his current role.

The designation is a definite talking point. A number of people have asked me about it during consulting assessments and even in job interviews.

I am currently on an extended assignment with the Saudi Industrial Development Fund in Riyadh, which helps finance local industrial initiatives. One of the focus areas is to understand high import sectors and to see if import substitution is possible.”

“Having my CITP®|FIBP® designation has given me better understanding of the trading environment for this region and insights into numerous product, category and business sectors. I imagine the competencies will continue to be of value as in my consultancy career.”

The post Tahir Khurshid, CITP|FIBP – Marketing Consultant appeared first on Trade Ready.

Today’s job market is competitive, evolving and often confusing. The media is full of stories about jobs disappearing due to outsourcing or automation.

In fact, it has been estimated that 42% of Canadian jobs are at high risk of being affected by automation, according to a study covered in this CBC article.

That’s an undeniably worrying figure. It’s no wonder students and established professionals alike are being proactive in seeking career prospects with a solid future.

Despite a certain amount of political and economic instability, global trade is a sector that will continue to create jobs. As the world gets smaller through technology, global connectivity brings with it endless opportunities for companies to do business in international markets. Jobs that drive these international activities are growing, and therefore professionals who have international competencies will continue to be in high demand.

Growing salaries often means qualified employees are in short supply.

While there is no shortage of positions available for the global business savvy professionals out there, we’ve identified the top five jobs that are growing in both demand for employees and salary.

1. Interpreters and Translators

• Demand up 6.46% (projected to grow 29% by 2024)
• Salary growth continues to rise; consistently top paying field

Education needed:  Professional accreditation and language certifications, bachelor’s degree in marketing, business administration an asset, international certification an asset

Why the demand?

A recent study found that global companies with multilingual websites performed better financially. Seems like common sense, doesn’t it? Being able to easily and effectively communicate with your target audience is undoubtedly important to your company’s bottom line.

It takes a minimum of 14 languages to reach 90% of the world’s online GDP.

Interpreters and translators who can improve communication between a company and its clients, employees and partners will continue to be sought after in the years to come. In fact, the growth rate in the translation industry has been increasing, and was at 6.46% last year. The profession is projected to grow 29% from 2014 to 2024.

Industries using the most languages include automotive, medical devices, software products, and pharmaceuticals, but opportunities exist in virtually all sectors.

Speaking a second language is a great first step, but it’s important to note that being fluent isn’t the only requirement to becoming a professional translator or interpreter. Like any other profession, it requires practice, experience, and training. Besides reading, writing and speaking fluently in at least two languages, a translator must be able to convert concepts in the source language to equivalent concepts in the target language, compile information and technical terms into glossaries and terminology databases, and relay the correct tone and style of the original language.

It is these intricate skills that keep professional translator/interpreter roles largely safe from the threat of automation. As the demand for translation increases, so will the use of machines. However, translating web content and marketing copy doesn’t equate to a simple word-for-word translation that you could get from a machine.

2. International Trade Finance Manager

• Demand up 17%
• Salary growth up 21%

Education needed: Bachelor’s degree, MBA or other master’s degree, licensure, international and financial certifications

Why the demand?

Financial institutions employ a number of trained professionals to navigate the complex and constantly changing international market, requiring a unique set of skills.

International trade finance professionals develop plans and strategies involving exchange rates, foreign investments and other factors affecting global finance.

There is no shortage of career opportunities in international banking, financial management, business development and trade.

There are financial jobs in almost every company, in all sectors. And as more companies extend their client bases through international expansion, the demand for international finance services will continue to increase.

3. Market Research Analysts

• Demand growing
• Salary growth continues to rise; consistently top paying field

Education needed:  Bachelor’s degree in market research, marketing or statistics, research and international certifications an asset

Why the demand?

Monster.ca has ranked Market Research Analysts in the top eight jobs of the future, and while it may be aided by developments in artificial intelligence and big data, you can rest assured this is one position that won’t be lost to automation in the foreseeable future.

International markets are in constant flux as the global business environment changes with political and economic developments. Companies need to stay on top of who their competition is, who is purchasing their products, and where the opportunities for growth are. This kind of intelligence is already a key driver behind most businesses, making market research analysts an indispensable member of any staff, and salaries will continue to reflect that.

4. International Marketing Consultant

• Demand growing
• Salary growth up 18%

Education needed: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Marketing or Business Management, MBA an asset, international certifications an asset

Why the demand?

Much like a market research analyst, marketing consultants have to keep tabs on the constantly changing global trade landscape and identify strategies and opportunities to sell a company’s products and services.

International marketing consultants must also stay on top of cultural intricacies, and identify the right messaging and implementation plan to succeed in markets around the world.

Companies are increasingly targeting “small or micro-markets”, highly specific niche markets within a traditionally wider region, a task that requires even more skill and precision.

Positions are available in almost every sector, so the opportunities are everywhere, but as such they vary widely in specific specialties and salaries. So look for the niche that best fits your personality and aptitude and seek related training to add to your competencies. This will give you the best shot at the competitive higher paying positions out there.

5. International Business Development

• Demand up 59%
• Salary growth up 17%

Education needed: Bachelor’s degree, MBA or Master’s degree preferred, international certification an asset

Why the demand?

International business development professionals play a key role in the global businesses they work for. Working in a variety of international markets, they are vital to their companies’ growth as they develop new customers and maintain relationships with their current customers.

IBD professionals need to be able to master and balance a handful of important tasks such as establishing the feasibility of entering new international markets, expansion planning and market entry strategies, adapting products and services, sales and marketing, and international law and ethics.

If this sounds like a tall order, it’s because it is! That’s why it’s one of the most sought after, growing positions in global trade today.

Salaries range from sector to sector and are widely affected by commission, but this can be a very lucrative position for those who have the skills.

Want to join one of these positions with the brightest futures in global trade? We can help! Find out more about the world’s leading import export training and certification and get started today.

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