The event provided a wonderful gathering of our inspiring CITP community during a time where the morale boost of support and fellowship is much needed.

As FITT’s President & CEO, Caroline Tompkins, CITP said,  

Even in this ever-changing global landscape we have this incredible and dedicated CITP community to rely on to bring calm and sense into this world of trade we’re living in today.

We can all agree that strong leadership is absolutely crucial during challenging times. We heard from the gala’s surprise guest, Canada’s Chief Trade Commissioner Sara Wilshaw, Honorary CITP, that what CITPs have in their toolkit is essential for businesses weathering today’s uncertain trade environment. 

“That ability to think about diversifying your markets, to create that resilience, the stability to help your companies and your clients in their international pursuits is more important than ever.” Ms. Wilshaw went on to say of CITPs,

Your knowledge is increasingly valuable as we navigate this uncertainty, and it is really your time to shine.

Inspirational words from a true leader.  

FITT’s Board of Directors Chair, Denise Amyot, further emphasized the importance of CITPs’ role in trade. “Trade happens between people – in people-to-people relationships. And today we are honouring those professionals.”  

When Dr. Vince Molinaro, NYT bestselling author and strategic leadership expert took to the virtual stage, we were treated to a mini-masterclass on accountable leadership. Dr. Molinaro shared with us the four main facets of being an accountable leader during challenging times.

The takeaways from this session were tailored so well to the unique situation many businesses are in right now, and how leaders can step up both as individuals and as a community. 

View highlights from this year’s gala

In an always fun and heartening segment, we heard from some of this year’s milestone anniversary CITPs directly, who shared their experiences and what it means to them to be hold the designation and dedicate their careers to trade. We then took a moment to recognize the individuals celebrating their 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 year milestone anniversaries – a truly impressive group of individuals.  

Congratulations to the CITPs celebrating a milestone anniversary this year! 

FITT announced a donation on behalf of all this year’s CITP milestone anniversary celebrants to Doctors Without Borders, an incredibly worthy cause. 

Click through the slideshow to view this year’s CITP Milestone celebrants

The event closed with a wonderful open discussion in the networking portion of the event, where we heard insights, ideas, invitations to collaborate, and some laughs were shared. With all of the excellent programming that goes into a CITP gala, the networking is often the most impactful part.  

We offer a sincere thank you, once again, for those who were able to attend and those who were there in spirit. At FITT, we are feeling more inspired than ever by this amazing community with such a valuable skillset to offer today’s businesses.  

Continue to connect with each other, with FITT, and show the power of leadership and community coming together. 

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