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Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Turkish Canadian Chamber of Commerce (TCCC), the Toronto Japanese Association of Commerce and Industry (TJACI) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce – Toronto (PCC-T) organized a business networking program recently.

The program was part of the ICCC’s effort to create synergies amongst the small business community operating in the Greater Toronto Area and belonging to different ethnicities. The Chamber has had a long tradition of developing and nurturing multicultural platforms for entrepreneurs to come together and exploring different global markets without having to leave Canada.

The program held at the Turkish Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s (TCCC) premises saw participation all the four organizations. Sanjay Makkar, President, Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce; Yoshikazu Ito, Secretary General, Toronto Japanese Association of Commerce and Industry; Steve Pagao, President, Philippine Chamber of Commerce – Toronto; and Mehmet Durmus, Executive Coordinator, Turkish Canadian Chamber of Commerce were the main speakers for the evening.

Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Makkar emphasized that it was necessary for entrepreneurs of all sizes to globalize. “Today we are in a global scenario where even small entrepreneurs need to globalize because the markets are expanding. They are no longer operating in a cocooned and sheltered environ where they can stay put within a small area; global competition is gnawing away at everyone’s base and if entrepreneurs don’t globalize, they face challenging times.”

Analyzing the potential of business opportunities that the economies of Turkey, Japan and India possess, Mr. Makkar said, “The three countries – Turkey, Japan and India – have a combined population of over 1.45 billion, which is more than China’s population of 1.35 billion. That means the market size that our three markets present is bigger than the biggest market in the world. In addition, the combined GDP of the three countries is 7.6 trillion US dollars, almost comparable to China’s 9.24 trillion US dollars.”

Adding another dimension to the potential, the ICCC President said that the economies of Turkey, Japan and India are at different stages of development, and offer a plethora of trading opportunities for entrepreneurs willing to explore these markets. “This is undoubtedly a great opportunity for any Canadian entrepreneur to explore any and all of these markets,” he said.

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce has played a pivotal role in forging similar alliances in the past when we were part of the Greater Toronto Business Alliance where the Chambers of Commerce of China, Italy, Portugal and India came together to create awareness amongst businesses of their ethnicity about the vast market potential that they could tap without leaving Canada.

Several prominent and senior members of the Chamber, including past president Hari Panday participated in the program.

 Speakers and WEP team 

In an increasingly competitive world, it is important for an entrepreneur to create and cultivate the right image. And while image is no substitute for substance, it nevertheless goes a long way in promoting the entrepreneur’s business interests. Over a period of time, the personal and professional image of the entrepreneur blends with the brand, and both generate a buzz around the individual and the product. This helps in seamlessly enhance market presence and assists the entrepreneur to make a dent in an otherwise tough marketplace that continuously poses a challenge to everyone to be different.

The significance of image is more acutely felt by women entrepreneurs because of the daunting challenges they face in getting brand recognition. To facilitate women entrepreneurs, the Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) organized a seminar on ‘Creating your Image for Success’ on 28 January 2016 at the ICCC headquarters.

Your image is critical to making a name for yourself in the business world. But your image is far more than just what you wear and what your Facebook profile looks like! It starts at a deeper level - within your identity and mindset. In order to be the most powerful version of yourself you need to start within- and from that space create your image.

Ms. Lisa Toste, an international motivational speaker, said that successfully creating an image that is appropriate for you as well as the profession that you are in is essential for running a successful business and it also helps you in expansion of your entrepreneurial skills. She went in depth by doing a live demonstration on a member from the crowd to explain her strategy.

Ms. Renu Mehta, of Image Builders, spoke about different ways to be successful and the key points in your personal profile including personality traits contributing to success.

As the global economy enters another recessionary phase, the Canadian economy is facing an unprecedented challenge. A combination of factors such as the slowing economic growth rate, the lower oil prices and the plunging loonie are some of the major issues that the federal government in Ottawa will have to consider while formulating the upcoming budget.

Hon. Ms. Sonia Sidhu, Member of Parliament, Brampton South, invited the members of the board of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) for a pre-budget consultation at her office in Brampton on 20 January 2016.  These consultations aimed to get informed views from the board members who are small business entrepreneurs and technocrats the ways and means to strengthen the Canadian economy in the face of global economic changes, solidify economic recovery, find efficient and effective ways to attract new investment in the manufacturing sector and encourage private sector growth in the economy.

Speaking on the occasion Jagdish Bajaj, Vice President, ICCC, stated the chamber’s initiative during the India Mission 2016 to build Brand Canada in India, and promoting the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector. He said emphasized that Canada should refocus on the manufacturing sector to add value to the economy.

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) urged the Member of Parliament that industry sector should be a priority for the government and it should be incentivized so that more manufacturing sector hubs can be developed to attract investment.  

Participants at the roundtable made a series of recommendations; among them were the following:

• Awareness programs for the small and medium sector to develop export oriented products and help them in finding new consumers in the global market
• Investing in infrastructure of mega projects – this would add value to the money invested
• Motivating the investors to invest in Canada
• Cut down the red tape for speedy clearance of loans for the businesses
• Promotion of domestic tourism in Canada
• Special budgetary provisions for promoting the Canadian brands in the international market.
• Investment in the innovation centres for developing new technologies.
• Skills development and implementing the high end technology
• Diversification of resources
• Attracting international players for the mining sector.

Toronto: Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) launched its eight-city India Mission 2015 on Monday January 4, 2016,and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh Government on the first day in Agra. The 2016 trade mission is a sector-focused one. The Chamber is participating in the Uttar Pradesh Pravasi Divas as a partner organisation.

“Our focus is to take the business relations to the next level in the light of Indian government’s initiative of ‘Make in India’ and develop linkages between the small businesses in Canada and India. ICCC has lined up interactive sessions, B2B meetings, seminars, and workshops during the next two weeks,” Sanjay Makkar, President of ICCC and the leader of the delegation said.

ICCC President with UP Chief Minister    ICCC President signing the MoU

The two-week India Mission 2015 commences on January 4, and concludes on January 16. The mission will be visiting Agra, Amritsar, Delhi, Thiruvanthapuram, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Mumbai. The highlights of the Mission are participation in the UP Pravasi Divas (UPPD) in Agra. 

ICCC President Sanjay Makkar is one of the key speakers at the UP Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Agra. He will be participating in the Plenary Session. The event is also being supported by top industry organisations. Some high-profile names like Indian-American CEO of Infosys Vishal Sikka, entrepreneur Frank Islam, film maker Sanjay Khan would be among the other noted speakers at the event.

The Uttar Pradesh government would also be announcing the setting up of an NRI Corporation with regional centres in Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kanpur and Noida besides Lucknow to deal with NRI and PIO-related activities. A Migrant Resource Centre for placements.

Some the highlights of UPPD are sharing of investment plans and policies in Uttar Pradesh on sectors like, manufacturing, infrastructure development, urban transports, smart cities, industrial and social development, electronics, IT and ITeS and tourism etc., appraising steps taken for “Ease of doing business” initiatives by Government of Uttar Pradesh pertaining to industrial development and setting-up of your business, exchange of views of Indian diaspora(s) for developing Uttar Pradesh as a smart State and others.

Historic milestones of India Mission 2016

Successful launch of seventh round

Mentors and Mentees in the seventh round of ICCC's Mentoring Program

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) launched its seventh round of mentoring program in early December at its global headquarters in Toronto. The program’s primary objective is to assist newcomers from India settle faster and better in Canada. It achieves this objective by helping internationally-trained newcomers from India connect with Canadians of Indian origin who are successful entrepreneurs and professionals. More than a hundred mentees have successfully participated in ICCC’s mentoring initiative over the past five years. A total of 37 mentees registered for the seventh round of the program. The preceding six sessions held between 2010 and 2014 were successful in integrating of nearly 90% of the participating mentees into the job market. These modules witnessed participation from different sectors such as aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, marketing & communications, banking & finance, digital media; import-export business, insurance, investment, IT, and legal services. Ajay Tandon, ICCC’s Director for Tourism and Hospitality, and Affinity Programs, welcomed the new batch of mentees and introduced them to the Chamber’s operations. He explained that the mentoring program aims to enable newcomers to build useful networks and familiarize them with Canadian work culture that assists them to integrate swiftly into the Canadian work culture. “We don’t provide jobs, but we train you to get one sooner, and once you get it, our training ensures that you are culturally attuned to retain it,” Mr. Tandon said. Avin Mehra, the Chair of ICCC’s Mentoring Committee, during his presentation emphasized the methodologies used by the Chamber in the mentoring program were aimed at inculcating the right attitude amongst the mentees. “It is not that newcomers lack qualifications, it is just that they lack an understanding of Canadian work culture. And we aim to equip all the mentees with different vignettes of Canadian work culture.” He further said, during the program, the mentors provide mentees with career and settlement guidance, which includes: Developing professional networks Evolving targeted job search strategies Enhancing understanding of Canadian workplace culture Strengthen knowledge of community resources and linkages to settlement services Skills development Imparting awareness about job search, language and literacy programs available to newcomers The program is intended to benefit the mentees in the following areas: Increase their self-knowledge and awareness Obtain strategic tools for ongoing career development and success Enhance communication skills Develop professional etiquette Identify talents needed in the Canadian workplace Build networks for work and career success Find employment in their field of expertise The program equally benefits the mentors to optimize their coaching and mentoring skills, build leadership excellence, dialogue with and learn from the experiences of internationally trained people, share knowledge and wisdom and explore new ideas and perspectives about their profession.      Participants at the Mentoring Program launch Participants at the Mentoring Program launch

For more photos please click here

 Entertainment at ICCC's Winter Gala 2015

ICCC team led by President Sanjay Makkar welcoming Mr. Manish Tiwari, former Indian federal minister

Former Indian Minister for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tiwari visited the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC)’s headquarters last week to confabulate with the Chamber’s leadership about the future direction of the Canada-India bilateral relations.

Mr. Sanjay Makkar, President, ICCC, welcomed Mr. Tiwari to the Chamber and briefed him of the new direction the Chamber has taken with a focus on creating opportunities for Indo- Canadians small businesses.

The ICCC President said the Chamber was committed to forging more meaningful trade relations between Canada and India, and would be in the forefront of advocating for a swifter conclusion on the negotiations on CEPA. Mr. Makkar then cited the recent report published by the Centre for International Policy Studies of the University of Ottawa titled ‘Canada and the World – New Direction for Canada’s International Policy’.

The report specifies that the potential of Canada’s relationship with India has to go a long way. It advocated for speedier conclusion of the CEPA. One of the reasons for the slow progress, according to the report, is due to a wide range of commercial barriers, including India’s complex regulatory framework for imports of farm products and burdensome corporate tax rules that make it a challenging destination for business.

Mr. Makkar informed the former Indian federal minister that the Chamber had, in the last six months, renewed its strong linkages with Indian government by working intricately with the High Commission of India in Ottawa and the Consulate General of India in Toronto. Mr. Makkar further informed the former minister that the Chamber had actively promoted opportunities for business and investment in India through organizations such as FICCI, CII and Assocham.

One of the unique aspects of the new leadership of the Chamber, Mr. Makkar emphasized to the visiting dignitary was that each of the committees of the Chamber that is engaged in promoting different spheres and sectors of the economy  was headed by a sector expert. This made the process of guiding the Chamber’s activities and taking it to a new level in terms of output and results.

Mr. Tiwari expressed satisfaction at the good work that the ICCC’s new team had undertaken to promote trade through the India trade mission in January 2016. He assured the Chamber’s leadership of cooperation during the India mission. Mr. Makkar informed Mr. Tiwari that the India Mission 2016 would promote SME relations as most of the members are from the SME sector. Among the key sectors that the mission would promote included education, skills development, advanced technologies, cooperation in sanitation.

ICCC’s directors Mr. Ajay Tandon, Mr. Kanwar Dhanjal, and Mr. Pappur Shankar were present during the confabulations, as were members of the Chamber’s SME committee Mr. Sanjay Brahmbhatt.

Mr. Makkar & Mr. Dhanjal in conversation with Mr. Tiwari	Mr. Makkar welcoming Mr. Tiwari