Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce

ICCC's 19th Charity Golf Classic

27 Jun 2017 6:30 PM | Anonymous

ICCC's 19th Charity Golf Classic

$10,000 raised for Trillium Health Foundation

Charity for Trillium Health Partners Foundation

CIBC Representative presenting the Trophy to the winning team

ICCC had a successful 19th Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce’s Charity Golf Classic tournament at the Graystone Golf Club in Milton on Tuesday June 27.

The annual golf event is a traditional meeting place for the veteran and the new members of the Chamber. In fact, some members are regulars at the golf event, and participate in the tourney because the Chamber contributes the proceeds to a charity. This year, the ICCC contributed $10,000 to the Trillium Health Partners Foundation. The tournament was an overwhelming success with over 120 enthusiastic amateur golfers having a great time.

The team comprising Mit Patel, Ashmit Patel, Todd Burdon and Jake Michaels won the tournament. Arun Srivastava, President, ICCC, CIBC representatives and Sanjay Makkar, Chair Golf Committee presented the winning team with the rotating trophy.

Speaking on the occasion, Arun Srivastava emphasized that the Chamber has taken important measures to engage the business community to ensure accountability and rapid growth of chamber. Talking about his team’s efforts, the ICCC President said, “We have a great successful business symposium which was attended by over 120 Indian business delegates and Annual Gala 2017 early this month and provided great value to our members and stakeholders.”

ICCC Newsletter - June 2017

15 Jun 2017 9:00 AM | Anonymous

ICCC Newsletter

June May 2017

Letter from the President

Canada-India Business Symposium

Arun Srivastava, Goldy Hyder, Nadir Patel, Deepak Chopra at the CIBS

Action by private sector will break bilateral logjam in Canada-India business ties

A good day to all of you.

Friends, we organised two back-to-back mega events last week – the Canada – India Business Symposium and the Annual Awards and Gala Night. In this edition of our newsletter I want to share with you some thoughts that I expressed at the Canada – India Business Symposium. They cover the bilateral economic relations between our two countries.

Canada – India relations have been growing steadily and this is especially so on the economic front. The merchandise trade between our two countries has been registering a steady increase although between 2015 and 2016 there has been a marginal decline. In 2015, the two-way trade was $8.25billion and in 2016, it was $8.02billion, the important aspect of these numbers is that trade is on an upward trajectory

However, that is really only half the story. The other half is the excruciatingly slow pace of growth in our trade relations. What explains this sluggish pace? There are many reasons and the main one is Canada’s preponderance to trade with its southern neighbour the United States. Canada’s two-way merchandise trade with the US is close to $600billion annually. It is obvious that when you have such a great and ready market next doors, you don’t need to look around too much.

However, with the changing dynamics of global trade, it is becoming imperative for the Canadian entrepreneurs to explore other markets and especially the emerging markets such as India. In terms of investments, too, Canadian investors have been slow to acknowledge the growth potential in the Indian market and as a result Indian investments in Canada are far greater.

Click here to read the: Letter from President

Insight

Is Canada an essential country, at this time in the life of our planet?

Address in the Canadian Parliament by Minister Freeland on Canada’s foreign policy priorities

Mr. Speaker,

Here is a question: Is Canada an essential country, at this time in the life of our planet?

Most of us here would agree that it is. But if we assert this, we are called to explain why. And we are called to consider the specifics of what we must do as a consequence.

International relationships that had seemed immutable for 70 years are being called into question. From Europe, to Asia, to our own North American home, long-standing pacts that have formed the bedrock of our security and prosperity for generations are being tested.

And new shared human imperatives—the fight against climate change first among them—call for renewed, uncommon resolve.

Turning aside from our responsibilities is not an option. Instead we must think carefully and deeply about what is happening, and find a way forward.

By definition, the path we choose must be one that serves the interests of all Canadians and upholds our broadly held national values; that preserves and nurtures Canadian prosperity and security; and that contributes to our collective goal of a better, safer, more just, more prosperous, and sustainable world. One we can pass onto our children and grandchildren, with a sense of having done the right thing.

This is no small order, Mr. Speaker. It is what I would like to spend few minutes talking about today.

Since before the end of the Second World War, beginning with the international conference at Bretton Woods in 1944, Canada has been deeply engaged in, and greatly enjoyed the benefits of, a global order based on rules.

These were principles and standards that were applied, perhaps not perfectly at all times by all states, but certainly by the vast majority of democratic states, most of the time.

The system had at its heart the core notions of territorial integrity, human rights, democracy, respect for the rule of law, and an aspiration to free and friendly trade.

The common volition toward this order arose from a fervent determination not to repeat the immediate past.

Humankind had learned through the direct experience of horror and hardship, Mr. Speaker, that the narrow pursuit of national self-interest, the law of the jungle, led to nothing but carnage and poverty.

Two global conflicts and the Great Depression, all in the span of less than half a century, taught our parents and grandparents that national borders must be inviolate; that international trading relationships created not only prosperity but also peace; and that a true world community, one based on shared aspirations and standards, was not only desirable but essential to our very survival.

That deep yearning toward lasting peace led to the creation of international institutions that endure to this day—with the nations of Western Europe, together with their transatlantic allies, the United States and Canada, at their foundation

In each of these evolutions in how we humans organize ourselves, Canadians played pivotal roles.

Click here to read the speech: Insight

In the News

ICCC's Director for Trade, Commerce and Affinity Programs, Kanwar Dhanjal has been nominated as the global ambassador of by board of Brampton Board of Trade (BBOT) and was awarded the Chair’s award by BBOT 2107 Business Excellence Awards held May 11, 2017


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ICCC 2017 Annual Awards and Gala Night - Aiming Higher

10 Jun 2017 6:00 PM | Anonymous

2017 Annual Awards and Gala Night

Aiming Higher

2017 Award winners, ICCC leadership and VIP guests


Arun Srivastava		Bardish Chagger

Nadir Patel		Vikas Swarup

CP Gurnani

A succinct and heart-warming message from Canada’s Prime Minister Honourable Justin Trudeau; a rousing speech by Canada’s Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism, Honurable Bardish Chagger; insightful intervention by His Excellency Vikas Swarup, India’s High Commissioner to Canada and His Excellency Nadir Patel, Canada’s High Commissioner to India; prescient and precise tech-talk by PC Gurnani, Tech Mahindra’s CEO and MD; and the presence of a who’s who of Indo-Canadian community leaders, diplomats, corporate honchos, academics, entrepreneurs large and small, representatives of the media, bankers, lawyers – the 25th Annual Awards and Gala Night of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) held Saturday, June 10, 2017, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) was a uniquely memorable event.

Incumbent President Arun Srivastava put the celebrations in perspective when he said that on the occasion of the 40th year celebrations of the ICCC, it would be pertinent to remember the contributions of hundreds of Indo-Canadians over the last four decades that had helped build the Chamber into such a robust institution that has endured in its relevance. A short congratulatory video message from the Founder President of the Chamber, Kishore Doshi, was played for the benefit of the audience. But, as Arun emphasised, organisations look at the past only for inspiration; their main task is to shape the future, and that was the reasoning behind the 2017 theme of Aiming Higher. On all parameters of evaluation – bilateral trade ties, creating opportunities for members, enhancing membership, increasing sponsorship, conceiving effective programming – the ICCC’s 2016-17 leadership had proved to be among the best the Chamber has had in its four decades history.

The highlight of the Annual Awards and Gala Night was the presence of the two high commissioners of Canada and India. This is, indeed, a rare occurrence. In his short but deeply insightful speech, India’s High Commissioner, Vikas Swarup said that the biggest natural resource India has is the Indian. It is the Indian who has and will shape the destiny of the world. Citing the examples of the UK, Canada and other parts of the world, he said, people of Indian origin have been elected to parliaments in many western countries, and therein is the strength of India, a strength that is unparalleled and one that is growing. Nadir Patel, Canada’s High Commissioner, said that Canada has a keen desire to develop strong ties with India, both economic and people-to-people. The visits of nine Canadian ministers to India in the last few months are an indication of the seriousness with which Canada aspires to be closer to India.

Minister Chagger repeatedly drew attention to the theme of the year – Aiming Higher – in her speech and said that it is important for both Canada and India to strive continuously to improve relations. She cited numerous instances of B2B collaborations between Canadian and Indian entities in different spheres. In his remarks CP Gurnani on Tech Mahindra said that both the Canadian and the Indian economies are committed to digitalisation, which will pave the way for future collaborations. Drawing attention to the fact that India was the fourth on the list of countries with most startups, Gurnani said he saw the possibility of consistent involvement between Indian startups and the University of Waterloo, which is developing into one of world’s best educational institutions for innovation.

Even as the audience listened to the speeches attentively, the awards process was initiated.

The following is the list of ICCC’s 2017 Annual Award winners:

Category	Winner	Award Sponsor
Female Entrepreneur	Balwinder Takhar President & CEO Chalmers Group	The Host Fine Indian Cuisine

Male Entrepreneur	Ray Gupta Founder Sunray Group	RBC Royal Bank

Female Professional	Indra Narang Director, Sleep Medicine Hospital for Sick Children	SBI Canada Bank

Male Professional	Anil Arora Chief Statistician Statistics Canada	Air Canada

Young achiever	Sameer Sharma Director Crown Group	Silver Hotel Group

Technology Achievement	Kundan Joshi Founder & CEO TheAppLabb	CIBC

Corporate Executive	Peter Dhillon CEO Richberry Group	TD Bank

Humanitarian of the Year	Mina Mawani President & CEO Crohn’s & Colitis Canada	Bromed Pharmaceuticals

Lifetime / Outstanding Achievement	Pradeep Sood Chairman Highbury Canco Corp	ICICI Bank

Member of the Year	Jatinder Bawa Accountant CPA, CGA	ICCC

Canada - India Business Symposium

09 Jun 2017 9:00 AM | Anonymous

Canada - India Business Symposium

Setting the agenda for the future of bilateral economic ties


Arun Srivastava	Nadira Hamid

Dinesh Bhatia	Francois-Phillipe Champagne

Michael Chan	John Tory

Nadir Patel	Vikas Swarup

Deepak Chopra	Indian delegation

With over 130 Indian companies and an equal number of Canadian companies participating, the Canada – India Business Symposium held in early June 2017, turned out to be an unprecedented event that paved the way for a new agenda for bilateral economic relations between Canada and India.

The high profile participants included the High Commissioners of both Canada and India, members of the Canadian and the Indian diplomatic corps, and especially the Consul General of India in Toronto Ambassador Dinesh Bhatia, corporate honchos, academics, small entrepreneurs, political leaders from federal, provincial and city governments, stakeholders, members and sponsors of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, leaders of the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber, key influencers from the Canada-India corridor.

Deepak Chopra, CEO of Canada Post, in his keynote address, observed that India is a dynamic economy and Indian entrepreneurs should step forward to do business with Canada taking advantage of the Trade Commissioners’ network in India. He urged entrepreneurs on both sides to break barriers by utilising by e-commerce. Entrepreneurs should encourage local product and utilize the best talent. They should have back-up plans and should be adaptable to changes.

Launching the symposium, Arun Srivastava, President of the ICCC, said, “The purpose of the symposium is to set the agenda for the Canada – India bilateral economic relations with special emphasis on creating opportunities in trade, commerce and investments. We are hopeful that the various deliberations that have been planned for today will lead to policy formulations in the future that will enable a more productive business environment between our two democracies.”

His Excellency Nadir Patel explained further that Canada needs more India, and that there is a need to create more business opportunities in favour of India as they are only at 17% of the total trade as compared to Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and Bhutan who are doing better despite India having all the better resources such as

Knowledgeable Youth
Advance Technology
Cheap Labour
Cost Effective
Higher level of Consumption

He said that there was a remarkable increase of 260% in the number of students coming from India for education. The requirements of India from Canada include buying planes, investing in smart cities, developing for the advancement of highways, bridges, and the metro rail service. Central level of relationship with the Prime Minister sharing the profits in proportion and working together towards development.

Ambassador Dinesh Bhatia in his remarks spoke about the Indian and Canadian SME relationship and how it should be more involved with one another. He talked about the key factors regarding science and technology and that there is a 47% growth in this sector. He said Make in India, Start-up India, Swatch India and Skill India. In 2016, Canada invested 7.30B CAD in business which should be increased and diversified in other sectors such as Pulses, Education, Leather Trade. Also, the ministry of commerce should be actively involved in making the business people aware. India should be actively participating in the business development. Various prospective departments for Canadian markets to import are –

Pearls Jewellery
Pharmaceutical
Native Clothing
Woman Clothing

The inaugural session was followed by panel discussion.

The first panel discussion was ‘The Canadian Value Proposition for India' – Exploring what Canada has done to become the ideal business partner for India

The moderator was Mr. Goldy Hyder, President and CEO, Hill Knowlton.

The panellists were:

Ms. Sandra Pupatello, director of business and global markets, PWC
Mr. Harinder Takhar, CEO, PayTM Labs
Mr. Sriram Iyer, President and CEO, ICICI Bank Canada
Mr. Kerry Adler, CEO, Sky Power Global

The second panel discussion was ‘The New India – a changing business landscape’

The moderator was Mr. Jordan Reeves, Consul General of Canada in Mumbai.

The panellists in the session were:

Mr. Amir Singh Pasrich, Managing Partner, I.L.A Pasrich and Company
Mr. Carl Rodrigues, CEO, SOTI
Mr. John Farrow, Chairman, LEA Group Holdings
Mr. Harsh Dhingra, Bombardier India
Mr. Rakesh Nangia & Co. LLP.

After these two sessions, His Worship John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, gave a luncheon address He gave a brief of how Toronto is the number one city in Canada in terms of technology and number three when it comes to Financials, and how there are various centres for the growth and development for the Indo-Canadian community in Canada.

Post Lunch, there were remarks about the symposium by the Minister of International Trade, Hon Michael Chan, and the Minister for International Trade for Canada, Mr Francois-Phillipe Champagne who flew in from Paris to attend the symposium.

Minister Champagne said he believes in India and met the Indian trade minister and thanked ICCC and also appreciated the leadership of ICBC and ICCC for organizing the symposium. He pointed out to similarities in both the countries such as demographics, diversities and both the countries are made for each other. Also, lots of international students come to Canada to study. The investment should be made bigger and bolder to promote a digital and smart India.

Ms. Nadira Hamid, CEO, ICBC, spoke about the development of India and Canada’s bilateral business and that there should be annual conferences and high level meetings and emphasised that leaders should encourage and strengthen the bond.

In the post lunch session, the topic of the third panel discussion was ‘Innovation driving two-way trade growth’

The moderator was Ms. Nathalie Bechamp, Director of General of investment and Innovation, Global Affairs Canada

The panellists of this session were:

Mr. Ashish Chauhan, CEO, Bombay Stock Exchange
Ms. Ilse Treurnicht, CEO, Mars Discovery District
Mr. David Lisk, VP, National Research Council
Mr Suneet Tulli, CEO, Data Wind
Mr. Shankar Das Gupta, CEO, Electrovaya

H.E. Vikas Swarup, High Commissioner of India to Canada, closed the symposium and thanked the businesses in Canada and India. He said the Indo-Canada Partnership will sustain for a long duration. He laid emphasis on the digital India promotion and large scale chains. He applauded for the hard work and great efforts put forward by ICCC and ICBC in order to make this Indo-Canada Business Symposium a great success and wished that many more should be organized in the future. He shared a knowledgeable PPT regarding the development of Indo-Canadian bilateral trade.

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce
924 The East Mall Toronto ON M9B 6K1
Tel: 416-224-0090416-224-0090 .

Fax: 416-916-0086.
E-mail: iccc@iccconline.org

Website: www.iccconline.org

West Bengal invites ICCC to global business summit

25 May 2017 2:00 PM | Anonymous

West Bengal invites ICCC to global business summit

ICCC team with Rajiva Sinha and other officials of the West Bengal team

Mr. Rajiva Sinha, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal, visited the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce’s office today and discussed the 4th Edition of Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) scheduled to be held between 16th and 17th January, 2018.

The summit sets the stage with a stable Government, remarkable growth, improved governance, ease of doing business and record social and physical infrastructure. The two-day long BGBS 2018 will bring together policy makers, corporate leaders from around the globe, delegations, academia, opinion makers to explore business opportunities, forge partnerships and collaborations.

Mr. Arun Srivastava, President ICCC said that earlier in January under the aegis of India Mission 2017, the Chamber delegation visited the state of West Bengal and had a good business interaction with the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Bharat Chamber of Commerce. He assured the visiting additional chief secretary that chamber will consider participating in the summit.

West Bengal is the 4th largest state economy in India with GSDP of US$ 140.21 billion (2015-16) and growth rate of Gross Value Added (GVA): 12.02% (2015-16). Strategic location of the state – Gateway to Southeast Asia and North-East India, border shared with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, well connected with the booming hubs of Asia such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia and a mineral rich state works to its advantage.

West Bengal today is committed towards inclusive and sustainable development. Investments made by the government in industrial infrastructure, simplification of Tax regime and e-governance, Single Window Service and Simplification of regulatory burden initiated for environmental procedures are just few of the steps taken to build West Bengal into a manufacturing hub.

Me & My ICCC-Let's Benefit - ICCC's new networking platform

24 May 2017 6:00 PM | Anonymous

Me and My ICCC - Let's Benefit

ICCC's new networking platform

Posing for a photograph post event

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) introduced a new networking concept for its members when it launched the ‘Me and My ICCC – Let’s benefit’. This is a theme-based networking introduced by the ICCC’s Trade & Commerce committee.

Speaking on the occasion, Arun Srivastava, President, ICCC, said, “These theme-based monthly networking events will open doors to new opportunities for our members, going a long way in fulfilling the ICCC’s mandate of creating business and professional opportunities for Indo-Canadians.”

Pappur Shankar, Vice President, Finance, informed them of the upcoming Canada-India Business Symposium that the Chamber is organising in association with the Canadian and Indian governments’ diplomatic corps.

Kicking off the program, Kanwar Dhanjal, Director, Trade and Commerce, said, the purpose of the concept and the program is to create opportunities for the entrepreneur members of the Chamber to offer their services to other members.”

The purpose of the series is to

Create a platform for ICCC members to explore mutually beneficial business opportunities
Create a network of business connections that assist businesses become efficient and optimize costs
Create an environment that nurtures entrepreneurial zeal
Create opportunities for interaction between new entrepreneurs and established stalwarts
Create a robust internal, member-based network of codependent businesses that promote growth
Create awareness amongst ICCC members of the immense potential of business lead generation within the ICCC membership

Puneet Kohli a technocrat financial consultant from India made introductory remarks.

For the first program under the ‘Me and My ICCC – Let’s Benefit’, was 'Start Ups' is the theme for the first 'Me & My ICCC' networking event.

Jayesh Menon, the acting chair of the Trade and Commerce committee, introduced the details of the program

The program will offer following benefits to members:

Encourage members to become resourceful in exploring and creating internal opportunities
Business pitching for ICCC members (at discounted rates)
An orientation on business assistance and support services
A special section in the ICCC monthly newsletter that highlight discounts by members for their services

Trade and Commerce committee member Meenakshi introduced the panelists.

The panelists

Remitr: Gurpreet Singh Bedi, Vice President – Canada operations of Remitr payment simplified online remittance start-up made the first presentation along with the co-founder of the company. Remiter is a global bank-to-bank payments platform that is simple, inexpensive and automated. Its operational base is in Canada and the UAE and is headquartered in the USA. It offers direct payout network to 30 countries that will grow to 120 countries by the end of Q4.

Amaze Group Inc.: Dave Virdi, a realty agent made a presentation on his services and highlighted the services that he offers including free market evaluation, consistence feedback until sold, competitive commission packages, top negotiation skills, conduct open houses, dedicated professional team of realtors. The group’s other arm – La Capitale offers lifetime disability plans, customised life insurance protection for skilled trades, self-employed and small business owners, benefits plans for individuals and businesses.

Invisor: Invisor is an life and health insurance agency that provides goal-based solutions, low fees, and convenient online platform. It is a fully managed portfolio solution that takes care of everything so that the clients don’t have to worry about these matters. It is a completely paperless, online experience so that the clients can get started in minutes. It costs low and has no minimum investment amount to help reach goals sooner. It gives access to InvisorGPS to help clients set goals and track progress.

BDC: Manny Mann of the BDC spoke about the service the Business Development Bank of Canada offers to businesses. BDC finances working capital to give entrepreneurs peace of mind and extra cash to expand their businesses and invest in technology. We also lend money to purchase commercial real estate, buy new or used equipment, and a variety of other business needs. BDC leverages indirect channels to increase its impact on Canadian SMEs by providing capital to financial intermediaries. By doing so, we encourage other institutions to provide continued economic support to Canadian businesses.

Power Savings Systems Inc. Surinder Sharma, a director with the Mississauga Board of Trade, and a veteran member of the ICCC, made the final presentation about his company Power Savings Systems Inc. The company helps organisations shifts from a culture of consumption to a culture of conservation and save dollars. The company serves as an outsourced energy department of its clients, performs in-depth energy audits, offers project management capabilities, assist in applying for government incentives and create a corporate culture of conservation.

In future, the Trade and Commerce committee will identify a key theme for each of the monthly networking event and it will then endeavor to bring together businesses related to the theme. Entrepreneur members will be invited to pitch their services to other members.

ICCC announces 2017 Award winners

22 May 2017 9:00 AM | Anonymous

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce announces

2017 annual award winners

XX

This year, the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) is celebrating its 40th year and the 25th anniversary of its annual awards. Fittingly, the theme for the annual gala, where ten Indo-Canadians will be honoured for their achievements and contribution to the Canadian society, is Aiming Higher.

The Annual Gala and Awards Night is a marquee event where we promote trade and commerce between India and Canada and recognize the achievements of Indo-Canadians from all across Canada by way of an award presentation. The Advisory Board independently chooses the award recipients in the following Award categories:

Female & Male Entrepreneurs
Female & Male Professional
Young Achiever
Technology Achievement
Corporate Executive
Humanitarian
Lifetime / Outstanding Achievement

Two additional awards are presented – the President’s Award, for unsung heroes, and the Members’ Award, for voluntarism and community services.

The awards began in 1992 and are celebrating their 25th year in 2017. And this year’s proud winners are:

Click here to buy table/ticket: Annual Awards & Gala Night

The 2017 roll of honour

Female Entrepreneur: Balwinder Takhar

XX

Balwinder is the President and CEO of Chalmers Group of Companies for the last fourteen years, which has manufacturing plants in Ontario, BC and the USA. She is also the chairperson of the board of directors for all of Chalmers’ associated companies. Under her leadership, Chalmers Group has emerged as a global OEM supplier of transportation and medical equipment, acquired two new companies and diversified into real estate. Balwinder is actively involved in the community and has served on the Board of Sheridan College, Peel Children’s Aid Society and as an advisor to a community school. During her spare time, she has contributed generously as a volunteer at local long-term care centres, as well as religious and political organizations.

Male Entrepreneur: Ray Gupta

XX

Ray Gupta founded the Sunray Group in 2006, Sunray Group is a family owned, multifaceted corporation specializing in hospitality and development. The group is successfully building an ever-increasing portfolio of award-winning brands, which include partnerships with Marriott, Starwood, Radisson, Best Western, and Choice Hotels. It has developed prominent global and Canadian brands. Sunray Group owns and operates 30 hotels and employs over 1,500+ talented individuals across Ontario and Quebec with many new developments on the horizon. The Sunray Group holds the top position among privately owned hotel groups in Canada. The Group has been the recipient of many awards including the top 10 Hotel Groups in Canada and was awarded the Pinnacle Award as Regional Company of the Year in 2016.

Female Professional: Indra Narang

XX

Dr. Indra Narang is the Director of Sleep Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. She also holds simultaneous appointments as an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and a Senior Associate Scientist with the Sick Kids Research Institute. Dr Narang is a recognized leader in the field of Sleep Medicine and has developed the largest and most comprehensive paediatric Sleep Program in Canada. This program has advanced the clinical care and treatment of sleep disorders in children. Dr. Narang has also developed a state of the art clinical research program. In 2015, Dr. Narang was invited to be the chair of the paediatric section of a Canada wide sleep network, the Canadian Sleep and Circadian Network.

Male Professional: Anil Arora

XX

Anil Arora came to Canada from India at the age of 11 and after a stint in the private sector, he found a calling with the federal government. As he progressively took on positions of greater responsibility, his vision has been to use leadership positions to bring greater prominence and inspiration and build high-performing diverse and inclusive teams who can in-turn serve a rich and diverse Canadian society. Anil has been recognized for his contributions by the Association of Professional Executives with a leadership award, by the Canada India Ottawa Business Chamber as well as been on the A-list for the last two years. Anil mentors and coaches a number of upcoming leaders in the public service, ensuring diversity exists at all levels.

Young Achiever: Sameer Sharma

XX

Sameer Sharma graduated from University of Toronto with Honors Degree in Bachelor of Commerce in 2013 and was the Director of Marketing for the University’s Commerce Society. He connected students with various Fortune 500 companies in order to allow his peers to gain an understanding of the practical implementation of their academic knowledge and promote graduate employment. Following graduation, Sameer helped create his family business as Vice President of hospitality operations known as Crown Group of Hotels, which at the time had one hotel. In 2014 to 2016 the company saw further growth as they acquired four more hotels and now own and operate five hotels under internally known flags such as: Marriott, Hilton, Best Western and Choice.

Technology Achievement: Kundan Joshi

XX

Kundan Joshi is the award-winning founder and CEO of TheAppLabb, a leading product innovation firm focused on strategy, design and development of cutting edge apps. With 6 global offices in Toronto, New York, Hong Kong, Melbourne and India, TheAppLabb has created over 500 apps for clients such as Unilever, Samsung, Dell, Electrolux, Frigidaire, RBC, Hudson's Bay, Teknion, Toronto International Film Festival, Canadian International Auto Show, Rapala, Park N’Fly, Banff World Media Festival, Ontario Real Estate Association. TheAppLabb powers innovation through its four divisions – the Services division, the R&D division, the Incubator – StartupLabb, and the Products division. Kundan also serves as partner, investor and advisor to 20+ tech startups. Kundan serves as an advisor on boards such as Centennial College, George Brown College, Startup Weekend.

Corporate Executive: Peter Dhillon

XX

Peter Dhillon is the CEO of the Richberry Group of Companies, an agribusiness enterprise with operations in British Columbia and Quebec. The Richberry Group consists of cranberry companies, which combined, are one of Ocean Spray Cranberries largest shareholders and suppliers. Dhillon is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ocean Spray Cranberries Ltd. - the youngest and first Canadian to hold the position. Peter is known for giving back to the community with his philanthropic and charitable service, including health care, child humanitarian support, education and sport. In 2009 he was honoured with The Order of British Columbia in recognition of his services. In partnership with the Sauder School of Business the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics was established recently.

Humanitarian: Mina Mawani

XX

Mina went from being persecuted and expelled from Uganda and living in a refugee camp to sharing her time with humanitarian organizations at the forefront of empowering communities. Mina’s early years as a refugee shaped a strong determination to become an empathetic and inspiring leader, deeply committed to helping others, with a strong devotion to the not-for-profit sector. Her early struggles ignited a passion to help disadvantaged communities. As an Advisory Board Member for the UN Women National Committee Canada, Mina supported the work of the United Nations in its efforts to empower women and achieve gender equality worldwide. As an evaluator for The Loran Scholars Foundation, Mina helped identify and support exceptional young Canadians who demonstrate character, service and leadership to grant scholarships for undergraduate studies.

Lifetime/Outstanding achievement: Pradeep Sood

XX

Pradeep Sood is a highly-respected entrepreneur and community builder. He is a tireless champion of both the not-for-profit and business sectors. Strengthening inter-cultural relations has been one of his aspirations and something he has been working on since arriving in Canada nearly three decades ago. In one of his roles as Chairman and co-founder of Highbury Canco Corporation, Pradeep has become to be known as a “tomato guy.” In the three years since his group purchased the Heinz plant in Leamington, Highbury has become an efficient food processor, generating over 500 jobs and processing over 300-million pounds of tomatoes annually. Pradeep has the distinction of being the first Canadian who has been Chairman of both the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and President of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce.

Member of the Year: Jatinder Bawa

XX

Jatinder Bawa is more than just an accountant with over four decades of work experience. He is a Chartered Accountant from India, a CPA from the United States, and a CGA from Canada and has worked internationally in India, Middle East and Canada. In addition to being an accomplished accountant, Jatinder is a devoted family man and a leader within the community. Over the last decade Jatinder has volunteered his to support the seniors, women and new immigrants. He also helps seniors with information on Canadian Taxes and helping them with queries regarding their tax returns. He taught accounting to women at the Community for Women Settlement Program and at Microskills for Women and helped many obtain gainful employment or launch successful entrepreneurial endeavours.

The President’s Award is not being awarded this year.

Click here to buy table/ticket: Annual Awards & Gala Night

CIBC's Royce Mendes analyzes the economy

13 May 2017 11:36 PM | Anonymous

CIBC's Royce Mendes analyzes the economy & predicts

Continued rise of the housing market

Royce Mendes of CIBC

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) in collaboration with the CIBC organised its annual state of the economy talk at the Mississauga Convention Centre last week. Royce Mendes, Senior Economist, CIBC Capital Markets delivered a presentation on the economies and a forecast for the future trends.

Arun Srivastava, President of ICCC, welcomed the guests and informed them of the upcoming Canada-India Business Symposium that the Chamber is organising in association with the Canadian and Indian governments’ diplomatic corps. Venki Raman of the CIBC spoke briefly about the long established relationship between CIBC and the ICCC, and said it is a relationship that has helped both the entities grow.

In his brief but pointed presentation, Mendes began by analysing the impact of the Trump administration’s policies on the US economy. He said the US market is not rising and investors seem to have lost faith in the Trump administration’s ability to be a catalyst of change. The talk of 3 to 4 % growth in the US economy is nothing but fake news. The reason for this is that capital is not going to become expensive. The interest rates are going to continue to be low; also the nature of growth is that there is less capital needed and less investment because the US economy is moving away from manufacturing and it will become near impossible for the Trump administration to revive manufacturing in the US.


Raman, Mendes, Srivastava and Shankar	Srivastava with CIBC officials

Mendes said global outlook continues to be optimistic especially with India continuing to rise exponentially. Since 2013, the Indian economy has continued to maintain its growth rate and at 7.5% annual growth rate it has created an enviable pace unmatched globally. India will continue to bring labour into urban area.

Speaking about the Eurozone, Mendes said the Eurozone economies have shown resilience and potential to bounce back which needs to be acknowledged. The growing populism that is sweeping the economies in the Eurozone is because unemployment in the young demographic of 18-26 is endemic and unlikely to change dramatically.

He added that the economic recovery in the developed world has taken nearly a decade, but the recovery is all set to stay for a considerable time, resulting in the Eurozone stock value rising and the value of the Euro also rising. On the other hand, post-Brexit, the British pound has gone down and the disengagement will adversely affect the economy. However, the measure is irreversible.

Canada’s economy suffered from the oil shock and the measures undertaken to revive the growth rate haven’t quite worked. The primary reason for the failure of the revival plans has been the approach which is based on a two-economy model, when in reality the model should have been adaptable to multiple economies.

The growth continues to be fuelled by consumer spending and the housing markets, both of which the economic establishment have tried to rein in. We will experience a 4% growth in the first quarter and get back to near full employment by the end of 2017. Some challenges are likely to be encountered and these include changes in NAFTA, the border tax imposed by the US, changes in environment policies in the US and the changes in the personal income tax in the US.


Srivastava giving welcome remarks	Raman setting the pace

In the near term, it is unlikely that the Canadian dollar will appreciate to any great degree. The housing market will continue to grow steadily, and the trend in this sector is the growth of the condo housing, a trend that mirrors similar developmental stage in the sector in other cities such as New York and Berlin. The provincial government’s approach to control the galloping housing market by introducing new regulations in the sector as well the changes in the rental control act have largely yielded the desired results. But there is a real shortage of housing in Toronto, so the prices will continue to rise.

The lecture was followed by an engaging Q&A that lasted for nearly half-an-hour.

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce
924 The East Mall Toronto ON M9B 6K1
Tel: 416-224-0090416-224-0090 .

Fax: 416-916-0086.
E-mail: iccc@iccconline.org

Website: www.iccconline.org

ICCC Newsletter - May 2017

13 May 2017 9:52 PM | Anonymous

ICCC Newsletter

May 2017

Letter from the President

Canada-India Business Symposium

Canada-India Business Symposium & Business Expo

A good day to all of you.

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission in India, the Consulate General of India in Toronto and the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber (ICBC) is organising a day-long Canada-India Business Symposium (CIBS) and a Business Expo on Friday, June 9, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency in Toronto.

The business symposium, which is part of the ICCC’s 40th anniversary celebrations, and coincides with Canada 150 and the 70th year of the Indian Independence, aims to give tangible deliverables to economic relations between Canada and India by focusing on sunrise sectors expected to dominate trade in the near future.

More than a hundred Canadian small businesses are expected to participate in the symposium and the expo, enrolment for which has already commenced. In addition, the ICBC will be leading a delegation of over 60 Indian small businesses to the event.

The symposium will see participation of prominent Canadian and Indian business leaders, political leaders, government officials, and key influencers, who will, through the five panel discussions, attempt to give a new dimension and a concrete new direction to bilateral economic ties.

The panel discussions are on subjects relevant to both the Canadian and the Indian economies and include topics such as the ‘Canadian Value Proposition for India’, the ‘New India, a changing business landscape’, ‘Innovation, driving the two-way trade’, ‘Elimination of Fossil Fuel by Renewable / Sustainable Sources of Energy’, and ‘Innovation and Technology’.

Click here to read the: Letter from President

Insight

Indo-Canada relations: Opportunity in the waiting

The Free Press Journal chats with Jordan Revees, the Canadian High Commissioner in Mumbai

It has been almost 18 months since Jordan Reeves, Consul General of Canada arrived in India. And all this time, the Indian-Canadian bilateral talks have been in new high as well. In 2017 alone, four Canadian Ministers have visited India, Reeves believes this has lot of do with Canada’s increasing appreciation of India as an important trade partner. Before being appointed as Consul General in Mumbai, he served as senior trade commissioner in Saudi Arabia, with concurrent responsibility for Bahrain, Oman and Yemen. Prior to his role as senior trade commissioner, he was in Ottawa to work as a policy adviser to the assistant deputy minister for international business development and was selected to serve on a team supporting the department’s work on Canada’s Global Markets Action Plan, which was released in 2013. He has a long-standing relationship with Asia where he served for nine years with various countries like Taipei and China.

What is the value of trade between India and Canada?

The present trade between both countries is in the range of USD 8 billion. This is very small but there is huge potential for both countries to see it increase substantially.

Which are the priority sectors for Canada in India?

Agricultural products have a huge potential. For Canada, this is one area where the potential is large, both in terms of meeting India’s food security, as well as providing it the nutritional supplements that are usually in short supply.

In fact, our biggest agricultural exports to India are pulses which accounted for US$1.2 billion. Politically, food security bill is important to India. On the other hand, there is a great scope for Canada here in India due to food security bill. We can offer both technology and farm products. In fact, we could bring in our expertise on the entire food chain, which could increase incomes for farmers, and provide the country with more value-added inputs. It would also reduce the huge wastage of food in the country.

The new entrant in agri space is Canola oil and we are optimistic that the demand of this product will pick up in India. Agriculture is our priority sector followed by energy sector and innovation.

There are lot of work done by AGT (This is one of the largest suppliers of value-added pulses, staple foods and food ingredients in the world. The company has been doing good business with India and also have an office based in Mumbai) to develop health properties. These developments will benefit India. There is a lot of opportunity in R&D and we are looking at exploring this enormous opportunity.

Click here to read the interview: Insight


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Roundtable on food processing with Indian delegation at ICCC

02 May 2017 11:00 AM | Anonymous

Advocating for stronger Canada-India ties in Food Processing

Roundtable at ICCC with Indian Food Processing delegation led by

Jagdish Prasad Meena, Special Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India

Indian Food Processing delegation with ICCC team and CG Dinesh Bhatia

Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) organised a roundtable with a high-powered Indian delegation on Food Processing Industries at the ICCC office on 03 May 2017. The delegation was led by Mr. Jagdish Prasad Meena, Special Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India. Mr. Dinesh Bhatia, Consul General of India in Toronto also participated in the roundtable.

Mr. Arun Srivastava, President, ICCC, welcomed the delegation and said that the Chamber has been actively engaged in promoting B2B relations between Canadian and Indian entities and government relations in this sector for many years.

“Canada needs India more than India needs Canada, he said.” This is because India is the largest market for Canadian food grains including pulses and wheat. Canada and India have strong trading ties in agriculture and agri-foods sector. While the relationship encompasses all sectors of the value chain, and includes a wide range of merchandize, including manufactured and processed food, it is dominated by India’s import of food grains (peas and lentils). The bilateral trade in the sector is estimated to be over $600m.

Amb. Dinesh Bhatia, Consul General of India to Toronto said that the Government of India is actively engaged in taking the commerce and business relations between Canada and India to a new level. Canada is an important country for India and there is a lot of scope for the cooperation among the two countries. He emphasized that the Consul General office in Toronto would always be open to help the businesses to grow.

Mr. Jagdish Prasad Meena, Special secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India gave a detailed presentation of food processing sector in India. He said that as the second largest developing economy of the world. India is 6th largest food and grocery market and second largest retail potential in the world. India has 1.25 billion consumers.

Food processing is a priority sector under ‘Make in India’ campaign started by the present government. India is setting up 42 mega food parks across the country and there is provision of 100% investment in the sector. Dairy, fisheries, fruits and vegetable, meat and poultry are the other sectors where the investment opportunities are available.

Canada and India can work together in the sector as Canada has developed technologies used in the food processing sector and collaboration in this sector can take the bilateral trade and commerce to a new level.

Indian delegates and ICCC think tank discussing food processing opportunities

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce
924 The East Mall Toronto ON M9B 6K1
Tel: 416-224-0090416-224-0090.

Fax: 416-916-0086.
E-mail: iccc@iccconline.org

Website: www.iccconline.org