News 

GlobalSoft 2020 

18 October 

  
ICCC Board Members with Nalin Kohli of Globalsoft 

Nalin Kohli, Chairperson of Globalsoft gave a presentation on the upcoming Globalsoft 2020 exhibition and that is scheduled to be held in Hyderabad, India in February 2020. He gave insights into the Indian IT sector and the trillion-dollar opportunities in the new and promising areas of Cyber Security, Smart Cities, Health IT, Fintech, Online Education, Analytics, and E-Commerce and other subsectors. Indiasoft is the annual flagship event of the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), supported by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. The session provided participants the opportunity to learn about a potential trillion-dollar digital Indian marketplace that Canadian companies can avail of through partnerships with Indian IT companies; distributor and licensing arrangements; value-added reselling; and points of presence. 

Chai with CEO

 17 October

Priya Dhawan-Chahal  

(l to r) Priyanka Goyal, Premal Brahmbhatt and Priya Dhawan-Chahal 

For members of ICCC’s YPE Committee it was an absolute pleasure listening to Priya Dhawan-Chahal, District VP, Midtown Toronto speak on her journey in financial services at ICCC-YPE’s Chai with CEO event. Priya is an outstanding leader.

With extensive experience in customer experience, business development, and strategy, she is determined to take Scotiabank to new heights. Priya has always been passionate about the work that she does. As a program champion for the Scotiabank Women Initiative, she is now helping women take their businesses to the next level through access to capital, support from senior business leaders, and education tailored to their individual needs.

It’s amazing to see that the program is allocating $3 billion in funding over the first three years to support women-led businesses. At YPE, one of our key objectives is to form a strong community where everyone has an equal chance to showcase their skillsets. It is wonderful to see a strong, successful woman like Priya inspiring other women to achieve their dreams.

Vibrant Goa 

17 to 19 October  

 

ICCC delegation at Vibrant Goa with Goa Chief Minister 

Vijay Thomas, Director, International Trade & Information Technology, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, led a delegation of ICCC members to Vibrant Goa Global Expo and Summit 2019 (VG GES 2019). The prime focus of was inclusive development in key areas such as innovation, sustainability, industries, technology, youth and skill development, knowledge sharing and networking. VG GES 2019 was a one of a kind expos – something that has never been witnessed by the people of Goa and its industry. The expo showcased all the developments, newer projects and vision of growth. The knowledge summit at VG GES 2019 was organized concurrently with the Expo with an aim to bridge the gap between Goan industries and other national as well as international players. Moreover, internationally acknowledged and successful ‘Goans’ hailing from over 40 different countries shall be making a memorable visit to their native soil. VG GES 2019 was from 17 to 19 October 2019. ICCC Members including Gurcharan Kandra, Vinod Vyas, Indu Reddy, Kalpesh Joshi, among others were part of the delegation.

 10 to 13 October 

Rakesh Kumar of ITPO, Pramod Goyal of ICCC, Apoorva Srivastava, Consul General & Deepak Anand, MPP

For the first time ever, India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), a Government of India Enterprise, with the support of the Consulate General of India in Toronto, brought to Canada, भारत– India Show, at Hall No. 3, The International Centre, Mississauga from 10-13 October 2019. Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce was the Partner Organisation of the show.

Speaking at the inauguration of the program, Apoorva Srivastava, the Consul General of India in Toronto, said the organising of such a show was important because it would lead to bigger programs in the future.

Pramod Goyal, ICCC’s President, said that the From Canada, we can see the steady progress that India is making economically. This is the third multisector trade delegation that has come from India in the last two months. This is an indication of the growing strength and diversity of the Indian economy.

A shared aspect of these delegations is that the delegates have all been small businesses. Small businesses play an important role in the economies of both Canada and India. Our Chamber, which is a 42-year-old trade promotion organisation, is focused on promoting the interests of Canadian small businesses.

Over 40-50 exhibitors from India displayed a range of products including handicrafts, giftware, textiles, home furnishings, carpets, gems and jewellery, leather goods, organic foods, spices, tourism and hospitality and several other ethnic goods.

The exhibition also featured India Fashion Utsav organized by Liza Productions and Management as the official Fashion Partner for ITPO.

Leading fashion designers from India showcased their latest designs from India. Amongst those who exhibited included renowned designers Charu Parashar and Dinesh Ramsay as well as other well-known local designers from GTA.

The India Show, with the array of products on display and live fashion and cultural shows, recreated glimpses of India that are not seen in Canada. It also gave an opportunity to the Indian exhibitors to connect and network with visitors for building valuable synergies for enhancing trade between the two countries.

Interactive Session

08 October 

Vikas Gautam  

 
ICCC Board Members with Vikas Gautam of ABSLAMC 

Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) organised an invitation-only interactive session with Mr. Vikas Gautam, Chief Executive Officer, Aditya Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Ltd. on 8 October 2019.  Mr. Gautam spoke on the Indian economy and emphasised that despite claims of a slowdown, the economy has inherent resilience and is continuing on the high growth trajectory. He praised the visionary leadership of Narendra Modi, stating that under Modi’s rule and direction, India is firmly set to become an economic powerhouse soon.

The interactive session provided a great opportunity to learn first hand from an industry expert the investing climate in India. It may be recalled that in January 2018, Sun Life Global Investments completed the purchase of Excel Funds Management Inc. and Excel Investment Counsel Inc. 

 
 Small business participants pose for a photograph after B2B meeting 

   Small business participants pose for a photograph after B2B meeting 
          

Talking trade, exploring opportunities

ICCC organises B2B meetings between Canadian & Indian
small businesses for visiting TPCI and FIEO delegations

Toronto: Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce organised B2B meetings for a trade delegation led by the Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) and the Federation of Indian Exporters Organisation (FIEO) from India on 9 and 10 September 2019.

The TPCI delegation comprised 22 companies from the Food and Beverages sector and the FIEO delegation comprised 13 companies from diverse sectors such as engineering, food and beverages, furniture.

Ms. Apoorva Srivastava, the new Consul General of India in Toronto, who took charge as the Consul General on 30 August, inaugurated the FIEO B2B meetings on Monday 09 September 2019 at ICCC’s offices in Etobicoke. Mr. Saifullah Khan had inaugurated the B2B meetings with TPCI on 22 August 2019.

Participating in her first official business meeting as the new Consul General, Ms. Srivastava said her focus is to work to enhance the bilateral economic relations between Canada and India. Mr. Saifullah Khan, the Commercial Consul, at the Consulate General, was also present along with other diplomatic and government organisations.

Both the Consul General and the Commercial Consul lauded the positive role of the ICCC in promoting bilateral trade relations between Canada and India. The delegation also visited the Consulate General of India in Toronto and had a formal session with the diplomatic corps later in the week.

Mr. Pramod Goyal, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, while welcoming the new Consul General and the TPCI and the FIEO delegations, said that the ICCC is focused on promoting small businesses in both Canada and in India because of the value that small businesses add to both the economies. Following the formal inaugural ceremony, the Consul General, visited all the exhibitors and interacted with them to know more about their products, services, and their expectations of participating in the trade mission.

After the speeches and the interactive session, the B2B meetings commenced. For both the trade delegations, the ICCC had organised at least four meetings for each of the companies that was part of the delegations. In the evening, the Chamber hosted a business reception for the visiting delegates to enable the Indian companies to interact with Canadian entrepreneurs and professionals.

For the FIEO delegation, Mr. Pramod Goyal, Mr. B. K. Sethi, Director, ICCC, and Mr. Surinder Sharma, a veteran community leader, made presentations to the delegates on 10 September 2019. These presentations were about the strategies that Indian exporters should adopt to enter and consolidate in the Canadian market.

The ICCC had, in collaboration with the Consulate General of India in Toronto, also organised meetings with different bilateral organisations, export promotion zones and economic development departments for the FIEO delegation.

The delegates had an interactive roundtable with the members of the Canada India Foundation, the City of Brampton Economic Development department and the Brampton Board of Trade, all of which were arranged by the ICCC. The ICCC also arranged for the delegates to visit the Niagara Region Export Zone to get first-hand information about the export opportunities in the Niagara region.

His Worship Frank Scarpitti, Mayor of Markham and Hon. Mary Ng, Canada’s Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion inaugurated the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce’s (ICCC) Small Business Symposium and Expo 2019 at Markham’s Civic Centre.

In his welcome remarks, Pramod Goyal, President, ICCC, said that over the last couple of decades, the Chamber has focused on the small business sector because of the growing significance of small businesses to the Canadian economy.

Recent statistics available in the public domain clearly show the dominance of the small business sector in the Canadian economy. For instance, small businesses constitute 98 percent of Canadian employers, and employed nearly 70 percent of the private labour force. Altogether, the small business sector contributed 41 percent to the Canadian GDP. These are important indicators of the significance of small businesses in the Canadian economy.

Mayor Scarpitti emphasized the business-friendly policies that Markham has adopted and how the City administration encouraged small business owners from diverse ethnicity thrive.

Mayor Scarpitti said is preparing a large parcel of land to be the home of an innovation hub. Markham has designated about 770 hectares (1,900 acres) of private and city-owned lands that will be developed as a home for innovators. He says it will be one of the largest innovation districts in North America and be close to the Canadian offices of several major technology companies.

The mayor also lauded the role that ICCC has performed of promoting small businesses in Canada. He said he has had the privilege of leading three trade delegations organised by the ICCC over the last few years.  He warmly recalled his association with the Chamber which dates to over two decades.

Minister Ng spoke about the $1.8 million investment in Multi-Health Systems Inc. to be in Markham. This investment will help Multi-Health Systems innovate and create good middle-class jobs. “The Government of Canada, through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), is delivering on its commitment to support the growth of Canadian businesses and create jobs by making significant investments in innovation.”

Minister Ng congratulated the ICCC for organizing the symposium and the expo. She said ICCC’s support to small businesses is important because small business owners from diverse ethnic backgrounds often do know how to tap into the available resources to succeed, and organisations such as the ICCC fill that gap admirably.

The symposium included two panel discussions on

• Business growth – challenges and opportunities facing small businesses and
• Information Technology – SMB’s Enabler for a Level Playing Field: Growing business through technology

B.K. Sethi, Director, Small Business, ICCC, moderated the first panel discussion on business growth. The eminent panelists included Emel Iscan Demir, Manager, Major Accounts, Business Development Bank of Canada; Christina Kakaflikas, Manager, Economic Development, City of Markham; and Karl Maiterth, Manager, Export Marketing Unit, Ontario Food Exports.

Vinod Vyas, Founder and Senior Partner, Partho Technologies Inc. moderated the second panel discussion on IT and SMBs. The panelists included Baskaran Rajamani, Partner, Risk Advisory, Deloitte Canada; Anil Dasaratha, Director Sales, Wipro Limited; Akshay Kalle, CTO, Pathways Communications; and Ahmed Adel, Azure PMM Manager in Microsoft Canada.

Over 20 small businesses participated in the Expo displaying their products and services. Minister Ng visited all the exhibitors and talked to each of them about their businesses, growth and expansion strategies including exploring global markets.