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  • 14 Nov 2012 4:02 PM | Anonymous

    Mentoring Program: Getting results

    Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) launched the fourth round of the mentoring program on September 19, 2012. Unlike the previous editions, when the ICCC had collaborated with other agencies to help facilitate the program, the ICCC decided to run the fourth round on its own. Also, unlike the previous editions, where the mentees were restricted to one or two specific sectors, for the fourth round, the ICCC decided to give an opportunity to be mentored in all requested sectors.
    As a result of this decision, the ICCC was able to provide the mentoring program with 21 mentees from a variety of sectors such as aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, marketing and communications, banking and finance, digital media, finance, import and export business, insurance, investment, information technology and legal services. Altogether 13 mentors from these sectors, most of whom are long-time members of the Chamber, were selected for the program.
    Sanjay Makkar, Vice President and Director, Affinity Programs, ICCC, and an insurance professional in Canada for over a decade, was the mentor in the insurance sector. He was entrusted the responsibility of mentoring Nikhil Parchure, a newcomer with significant experience in the insurance sector in India.
    Sanjay is the Principal of KMI Brokers, a leading GTA-based insurance firm, and a thorough professional. He whetted Nikhil’s abilities during his interactions. He then put him through the works at his firm, asking him to shadow all the tasks undertaken at the brokerage. After thoroughly assessing Nikhil’s abilities and exposing him to all possible scenarios, Sanjay offered him a job at KMI Brokers.
    “He is enthusiastic and has the requisite skills for the position we have offered him. I sought the opinion of my partners, and they all agreed. We will focus on developing his abilities to sell,” Sanjay said, explaining his decision to hire Nikhil.
    For Nikhil it has been a dream come true. Describing his earlier frustration soon after his arrival in Canada, Nihkil said, “I worked as an insurance professional in India and started my preparations for a job search back in India before moving here in May 2012. The Canadian insurance market had opportunities and I believed that with my qualifications and experience, finding a job would not be difficult. Unfortunately, the reality was very different. I started posting my resumes online with every insurance company, but there was no response."
    Describing the agonizing period when he was making no headway, Nikhil said, "I started posting my resumes online with every insurance company. There was no response and I continued doing so for the next three months. I was getting frustrated and I kept thinking that perhaps I was doing something wrong. Was something wrong with my resume, did I not have adequate experience, was it the lack of Canadian experience. I just couldn't figure out the cause."
    In desperation, Nikhil started attending workshops on job search, networking and resume writing. "I modified my resume to the Canadian specifications. But that didn't help," he explains, adding, "Eventually, I shifted my focus from an insurance job to any job because I desperately needed a job. I started applying for all kinds of jobs - survival, part-time full-time, but in vain. I was about to give up and return to India."

    The turnaround happened when Nikhil responded to Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce's call for applications for the fourth round of the mentoring program. Nikhil described his sense of elation thus: "One fine day in August I got a mail from ICCC on a mentorship program. I was shortlisted as a mentee and in September we had the first session which was a formal introduction to the program. Mr Sanjay Makkar was assigned as my mentor and as the program had defined we had our first meeting."

    Nikhil observed that meeting Sanjay was one of the “best days since my landing.” He noted that the ICCC is doing a great job connecting newcomers to successful professionals from the same industry. “I would like to thank ICCC for initiating and developing such a wonderful program which is helping newcomers to achieve their dreams.”

    In conclusion, Nikhil advised newcomers facing a similar situation, "Never give up. If you ever feel like giving up, just try it for one last time and keep doing it. In five months I was never shortlisted for any interview. The day I got placed, I received five calls for interview within a week.  So you never know when the opportunity will knock your doors. Determination and patience are the only mantras I can offer from my experience."
  • 14 Nov 2012 9:30 AM | Anonymous

    ICCC's interactive session on Opportunities in Chatham-Kent



    An interactive session on Chatham-Kent and the Chatham-Kent Business Ventures Program co-hosted by the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent region drew an enthusiastic response from entrepreneurs and professionals in the Greater Toronto Area.

    The event was organized November 14 at the Grand Victorian Convention Centre in Mississauga.

    The evening’s highlight was a presentation by officials from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, and a special address by Alok Goel, President OMTEC Inc., and a long-time member of the Chamber; He narrated his positive experiences as an investor in Chatham-Kent.

    Speaking on the occasion, D. P. Jain, Vice President & Director, Finance, ICCC, emphasized that the ICCC is committed to forging new links with the third tier of the government – the cities.

    “Today’s program is a part of our Chamber’s thrust to engage smaller urban areas, which is the third tier of the government. It is in consonance with our approach to promote the cause of small businesses. Small businesses operate in smaller urban centres. So, when we promote one, we necessarily promote the other,” Jain said.

    The program was held during Global Entrepreneurship Week, which takes place from November 12 to 18. In his remarks, DP Jain said, “Our Chamber encourages and facilitates entrepreneurship because many of our members are first - generation, first-time entrepreneurs.”

    Chatham-Kent was represented by Geoff Wright, Economic Development Officer, Business Development; Audrey Ansell, Coordinator, Youth Retention and Immigration; and Katrina Moir, Marketing and Content, Newcomer Attraction.

    During her presentation, Audrey Ansell emphasized that Chatham-Kent’s geographical location makes it especially conducive to business, and among the many advantages are the several border crossings that it offers to the United States. “Chatham-Kent offers access to 25 million people within a four hour drive and over 125 million people within a day’s drive,” she said. In addition, housing costs are attractively low and the low density of population makes for an easy commute.

    Geoff Wright said the local government offers investment support to people from the GTA to relocate to Chatham-Kent. Entrepreneurs considering relocation to the area will find investment opportunities in areas such as advanced manufacturing, energy & resources, value-added agriculture and Tourism investment.  Chatham-Kent is positioned well for entry into the North American market and export markets to India and China. Chatham-Kent offers low business cost, low cost investment location and offers best in class services to support business this is called the ‘CK Advantage’.

    Katrina Moir showcased the Chatham-Kent’s Business Ventures Program, which will launch soon. The program offers online matchmaking services between investors and Chatham-Kent based business owners wishing to sell their business, and lists investment opportunities available in Chatham-Kent. This will help open new vistas for investment in Chatham-Kent.

    Addressing the gathering, Alok Goel, who moved his operations from an 1800 sq. ft. unit in Mississauga to 10,000 sq. ft. unit in Chatham Kent recently, listed the many advantages of the region, among these are the government assistance to kick start the project, lower property taxes and availability of human resources.

    A lengthy Q&A session followed the formal presentations.

    For more information on opportunities in Chatham-Kent, please contact

    Geoff Wright: geoffw@chatham-kent.ca

    Audrey Ansell: Audrey.ansell@chatham-kent.ca

    Katrina Moir: Katrina.moir@chatham-kent.ca


  • 10 Nov 2012 10:13 AM | Anonymous
    680 News interviewed Puneet S. Kohli, Vice President & Corporate Secretary, ICCC, on Prime Minister Harper's India visit. Listen to the interview here: 680 News
  • 09 Nov 2012 2:02 PM | Anonymous
    ICCC hails PM's India visit


    Toronto: Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) hailed the just-concluded visit of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to India.

    “This is an historic step forward in the burgeoning relationship between Canada and India and will pave the way for more enhanced trade between our two countries,” Naval Bajaj, President, ICCC, said in Bangalore.

    Bajaj was a member of the delegation that accompanied the Prime Minister on the six-day India trip. Prime Minister Harper was accompanied by Mrs. Laureen Harper and a high-level delegation comprising three Minister, five Members of Parliament, two Senators, senior officials and business persons, including four members of the India-Canada CEO Forum.

    The highlight of the Prime Ministerial visit was the signing of a slew of agreements including:

    • ·         The Administrative Arrangement between Canada and India that will allow the implementation of the Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA), signed between the two countries in June 2010.
    • ·         The Canada-India Social Security Agreement which will enable Canada and India to better coordinate the pension benefits and contributions for their citizens who have worked in both countries.
    • ·         Fourteen trade and investment agreements and announcements between Canadian and Indian companies worth over $2.5billion.
    • ·         The MOU between India’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Department of Industry Canada to provide the necessary framework for cooperation in the Information Communication Technology and Electronics (ICTE) sector between the two countries for establishing a strong and effective business to business partnership and cooperation

    In addition to New Delhi, Prime Minister Harper visited Agra, Chandigarh, and Bengaluru (Bangalore).   During his official engagements in New Delhi, Prime Minister Harper held bilateral consultations with Prime Minister Singh. He also called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, and the Vice President of India, Shri Hamid Ansari. Prime Minister Harper met the Leader of the Opposition Smt. Sushma Swaraj and the UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi.

    While welcoming the agreements in nuclear cooperation and social security, the President of ICCC also emphasized that the two countries should urgently conclude the protracted negotiations on foreign investment protection.

    “Clearly, the time is ripe for an agreement on foreign investments between Canada and India. This agreement would propel Canada-India trade and investment relations to more sustainable levels,” Bajaj noted.

    The ICCC President also noted that the Chamber welcomed the decision taken during the Prime Ministerial visit to elevate the discussion between Canada and India in the energy and mining sector to Ministerial level. “This will lead to enhanced cooperation in particular, joint efforts to develop capacities to maximize the utilization of energy resources ranging from oil and gas to new hydrocarbon resources such as oil sands, shale gas and other sources of energy including renewable,” he said.

    Bajaj also hailed the commitment of both the Prime Ministers to conclude the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by 2013. “It’s heartening to note that both Canada and India realise that at its current level, bilateral trade doesn’t reflect the true potential of commercial relationship,” he said.

    In particular, Bajaj welcomed the recognition given to the one-million strong Indian Diaspora in Canada by both the governments who appreciated the contributions made to both societies by the community.  “As the largest representative organization of the Indian Diaspora in Canada, our Chamber will facilitate all the efforts undertaken by both the governments to enable the Indian Diaspora to play a more active role in contributing to the fabric of the Canadian society and to the development of India.”

    The Chamber is determined to play its supportive role for unlocking the full potential of Canada-India Partnership by mobilizing the networks and resources of Indo Canadians.



















  • 01 Nov 2012 5:40 PM | Anonymous



    From Left to Right: D.P. Jain, Mayank Bhatt, Naval Bajaj,
    The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Rashi Bajaj,
    Jagdish Bajaj, Satish Thakkar, Tony Chawla

    Canada's Annual Diwali Celebrations - 01-11-12

  • 01 Nov 2012 1:56 PM | Anonymous

    Time for Year of Canada in India: Naval Bajaj



    Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, called for closer relations between Canada and India at the 12th National Diwali Celebrations in Ottawa Wednesday.

    “Friends and partners we are indeed, Canada and India, but friends we should also be doing more together,” the Prime Minister said.

    The Prime Minister will be visiting India from November 3 to 9, 2012. He will be accompanied by Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food,  Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), and Tim Uppal, Minister of State (Democratic Reform), along with representatives of the business and cultural sectors.

    The Prime Minister was the guest of honour at the National Diwali Celebration organized by Hon. Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

    Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce was one of the organizers of the event.

    PM Harper said, “Our countries relations have been developing and deepening rapidly in recent years. They are based on a solid foundation of things such as language, a federal system of government, a commitment to democracy and pluralism, and the shared cultural experiences like the event we are sharing this evening. There is, however, a lot of room for the relationship to grow, especially in areas of trade and investment. So, I look forward to another productive visit to India.”

    Speaking about the National Diwali celebrations, and linking it to the success of the million-strong Indo-Canadian community, the Prime Minister observed that the Diwali celebrations are “an annual reminder that Canada’s embrace of pluralism is not just an act of faith, but it is a product of experience. It further reminds us that Canada welcomes immigrants from everywhere on earth and provides to all a chance to get ahead, to make better lives for our families, and to contribute to our communities and our country.”

    He emphasized, “The success of Canada’s Indo-Canadian community is a testament to this fact. It is almost a million strong; you are leading Canadian doctors and lawyers, professors and teachers, public office holders, successful business men and women, and hard-working employees. All across Canada, you have prospered. And as good Canadians, you have brought and continue to honour the tradition of charitable giving that is such an important part of Diwali.”

    Addressing the gathering, Hon. Deepak Obhrai said: “Today, Diwali is truly a national Canadian celebration. People have travelled from all across the country to be a part of this national celebration. We had a guest list of over 800 people registered to attend the event. I had to request our community organizations to prune their lists, because this hall cannot accommodate all the people.”

    Deepak thanked Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his unwavering support for the National Diwali Celebration, by attending the event six times as Prime Minister. “His support has kept this dream alive. The credit goes to the Prime Minister for making this the National Diwali Celebration.”

    Naval Bajaj, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), said, “The festival light is a celebration of the good over evil and has traditionally been a time for renewal both personal and public. The National celebration of Diwali in Ottawa in the presence of Honourable Prime Minister Harper is appropriate and apt because he epitomizes renewal of the Canada-India relations like no other leader in Canada’s recent history.”

    He observed that the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to India would further intensify the bond between Canada and India. “For the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce this cooperation is a vindication of its belief that Canada and India are natural allies, especially in the economic sphere,” he added.

    The ICCC head said that the Prime Minister during his India visit should work with the Indian government to announce the celebration of the Year of Canada in India perhaps in 2013 or 2014. “This would further intensify close bonds that the two countries enjoy.”

    The Year of India in Canada was celebrated in 2011.


  • 29 Oct 2012 9:59 AM | Anonymous

    Tim Hudak Advocates Closer Ontario-India Economic Ties

     

      Hon. Tim Hudak and Hon. Christine Elliott with Naval Bajaj
    & other members of the ICCC delegation


    Toronto: Hon. Tim Hudak, Leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives and the leader of the official opposition, said last week that Ontario should work seriously to erasing barriers to free trade in order to boost the province’s economy and create jobs; he also advocated pro-immigration policies to attract job-ready immigrants to the province. Advocating strong, modern free trade agreements that include both goods and professional services, Hon. Hudak emphasized that only such agreements would give Ontario workers and entrepreneurs a level playing field to access foreign markets.

    In fact, a 2009 study sponsored by the Canadian and Indian governments found that Canada’s financial sector – widely acknowledged as one of the strongest in the world – is an ideal partner for Indian institutions. Yet foreign investment barriers hinder Canadian financial intuitions from expanding through strategic partnerships and deter others from entering the Indian market.

     

     

     

     Participants at the roundtable included...


    ...representatives of several small businesses


    A free trade agreement between the two countries could remove barriers like those in the financial sector, and inject $6billion into the Canadian economy, creating 40,000 new jobs and boosting the average family’s annual income by $500. “Given this access, they will succeed and create jobs,” he said. He also said that Ontario must maximize the latest federal immigration programs to compete with other provinces and “make sure we get immigrants who are job-ready and can contribute to our economic growth.”

    Hon. Hudak was addressing a roundtable with prominent members of the Indo-Canadian community on the state of the province’s economy. The roundtable was held at Queen’s Park in Toronto in association with the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC).

    Naval Bajaj, President of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, emphasized the role of the small businesses in the province’s economy. Giving statistics, Naval Bajaj said, Ontario has more than 380,000 small businesses that have employees on their payroll. Additionally more than 20 % of the province’s population is employed by small businesses. Almost 95 % of the province’s exporters are small businesses, accounting for nearly 40 % of export value.

     

     

     

     Skilled labour shortages & new approaches to  immigration


     were among the issues discussed


    “These are impressive numbers, and I am happy to note that soon after Hon. Tim Hudak assumed the leadership of the PC caucus, he came out with the PC Small Business Growth Plan. Some of the ideas in that plan have far-reaching ramifications in building the small and medium sector and taking it to a new level. Our Chamber has worked in this sphere to enable small businesses to become export enabled,” the ICCC President observed.

     

     

     

     Naval Bajaj, Jagdish Bajaj and DP Jain


     Hon. Tim Hudak and Hon. Christine Elliott


    Among the participants who spoke at the event included Satish Thakkar, Immediate Past President, ICCC. He emphasized the role of small businesses in giving dynamism to the provincial economy. Stephen Green of the law firm Green & Speigel (which specializes in immigration issues) pointed out that Manitoba has 5,000 provincial nominee applications and Ontario just 1,000, feels that Ontario needs to do much more to attract new applicants who wish to immigrate to Canada. He also said that the investor category has too high a requirement of capital. Baljit Sierra, the President of Novo Plastics, talked about how his company went into India and setup operations in India. Rakesh Goenka, former president of the ICCC, and an IT professional, spoke about talent shortage in the IT sector, and quoted NASSCOM President Som Mittal statement that 2 % to 3% unemployment in IT actually indicates a skills shortage.

    Christine Elliott, the Deputy Leader of the party, also participated in the roundtable. She reiterated the Progressive Conservative’s commitment to improving Ontario’s economy. The path to job creation and economic growth means that Ontario should take a lead role in advocating for new international free trade agreements and proposing a pro-growth plan to immigration, she said.The roundtable also discussed the ambitious plans for improving transit. Hon. Tim Hudak said that transit needed to be unified across the province and taken away from the cities.

  • 27 Oct 2012 4:54 PM | Anonymous

    ICCC YP's Executive team at Naach Radio


    On October 27th, 2012, the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce – Young Professionals (ICCC-YP) executive committee members (Oeishi Bhattarcharjee, Gaeru Sobti, and Prabjot Bal) made an appearance on Naach Radio with host Naveet Nanwa of the Saturday afternoon show The Network.

    On the show, the executive committee took the opportunity to promote ICCC-YP, discussed the benefits of becoming a member, and highlighted upcoming events including the India mission where ICCC is partnering with the federal government. The three executive team members also highlighted their own personal experiences and how they got involved in ICCC-YP.

    There was also a great discussion on the importance of networking and how ICCC is a great platform to serve this purpose for young professionals of all sectors, helping them connect with people from various industries and learn from peers who are ahead of them. As an example, of ICCC-YPs commitment to networking, ICCC is participating in a Networking Event hosted by Humber Business School’s Post-Graduate Students in the Global Business Management, Marketing Management and International Marketing Programs, where we are taking part in the panel and round table discussion.

    Overall, the show not only presented the committee with an amazing experience, it also allowed for ICCC-YP to establish a great media partnership with Naach Radio over this and hopefully other talks in the near future.

     


  • 27 Oct 2012 1:43 PM | Anonymous

    Canada and India are natural allies
    says Meira Kumar, India’s Lok Sabha Speaker


    In an historic visit to Toronto, Hon. Meira Kumar, the Speaker of India’s Lok Sabha – India lower house of Parliament – lauded the role of the Indian Diaspora in playing a positive role in fostering relations between Canada and India.

    Calling the two countries “natural allies”, Hon. Meira Kumar said Canada and India share many commonalities such as the parliamentary form of democracy, pluralism and rich diversity. “Believing in the same things binds us,” she said.

    The first woman speaker of the Lok Sabha was addressing a gathering of Indo-Canadian community in downtown Toronto jointly organized by the Consulate General of India in Toronto, the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and Panorama India.

    Hon. Kumar was head of the delegation comprising Parliamentarians from India that participated in the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in Quebec from October 21 to 26. The other Members of the Parliament in the delegation were Hon. M Jagannath, Hon. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon. PS Bajwa, Hon. Jose K Mani, and Hon. Dr Mehboob Beg (MPs). Senior officials from both the houses of the Indian Parliament were also a part of the delegation.

    Hon. Kumar said that economically Canada is an important country for India because of its natural resources and technical expertise. She said that there are several complementary spheres – such as energy and food security – where the interests of both countries coincide, and the recent spate of visits by ministers from both countries was an indication of the strengthening relationship between Canada and India.

    Welcoming the delegation to Toronto, Naval Bajaj, ICCC’s President said the growing economic cooperation between Canada and India is a result of new realities that have emerged during the last couple of years which take cognisance of the emerging political and economic scenarios globally.

    “This cooperation is a vindication of our Chamber’s long-standing belief that Canada and India are natural allies, especially in the economic sphere,” he said.

    He informed the Hon. Speaker that in recognition of the Chamber’s sustained work in promoting Canada-India relations, the Government of India honoured it with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) – the highest accolade given to an overseas Indian organization.

    Consul General Madam Preeti Saran drew attention to Hon. Speaker’s achievements in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), then as a Member of Parliament and now as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

    Jibanjit Tripathi, Chair of Panorama India also spoke on the occasion.

     



  • 24 Oct 2012 1:40 PM | Anonymous

    Chai with CEO: Satish Kanwar


    On Wednesday, October 24th 2012, the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce – Young Professionals Committee (ICCC-YP) kicked off its 'Chai with CEO' series at the The Host Indian Cuisine restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s Yorkville district.

    ICCC-YP was thrilled to host Satish Kanwar, one of the founders of Jet Cooper, an up-and-coming user design experience agency that specializes in creating spiffy applications for the web, mobile, and tablet environments.

    Satish is an active member of the technology, design and the start-up community, and he is the Co-Organizer of Lean Coffee Toronto –a peer group of over 800 entrepreneurs –that provides a platform for discussing lean start-up methodologies.

    But that’s not all, Satish also manages to serve as an Advisor (and previous Co-Chair) to TEDxToronto, the leading ideas conference for the City’s foremost thought leaders.

    Satish was introduced to the audience by Heena Sethi, the Event Planning Coordinator with ICCC-YP, who recognized his achievements in the most personal and humorous manner.

    Oeishi Bhattacharjee, one of the Co-Chairs of the ICCC-YP Committee and MC for the evening, said that the main objective of this event was to highlight the emerging entrepreneurs and leaders of the Indo-Canada community and to provide inspiration to like-minded young professionals.

    She also remarked at the auspiciousness of the Chai with CEO event coinciding with Dussehra.

    'Chai with CEO' is a series that ICCC-YP hosts regularly, and it features a lineup of inspiring, unforgettable business leaders.

    Through this series, members get a chance to participate in various discussions as well as network with business leaders and other young professionals in the Toronto area.

    Naval Bajaj, President, ICCC, also spoke at the event. He highlighted the prominence of ICCC in Indo-Canada bilateral relations and commented on the critical role the organization is playing in facilitating the Free Trade agreement between Canada and India in the early part of 2013.

    He encouraged entrepreneurs and business owners alike to be optimistic about the global opportunities that would come their way, as a result of this positive economic development between the two countries.

    ICCC-YP focuses on members between 21-35 years of age and provides them with a forum to get involved with ICCC in their early years.

    The committee also provides members with a forum to develop and refine their professional skills through events that highlight leadership, entrepreneurship, and soft skills through networking with fellow members.

    Visit us at www.iccc.org to learn more about the ICCC and our upcoming events.


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