Toronto, Canada – May 30th, 2024
The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), a non-profit organization fostering economic and business ties between Canada and India, recently held its inaugural Speakers Forum at the Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport featuring two distinguished guests. Karna Gupta, Vice Chair of Export Development Canada (EDC), and David Agnew, President of Seneca Polytechnic, shared their valuable insights on timely topics. The event brought together over 80 industry leaders and SMEs from Toronto and the adjoining regions.
Guest Speaker Karna Gupta speaking on “Why Canadian companies should go global” from an EDC perspective
Canadian Businesses Encouraged to Go Global
Karna Gupta, Vice Chair of Export Development Canada (EDC), a Crown corporation that assists Canadian businesses in international endeavors, spoke on "Why Canadian companies must go global." Mr. Gupta emphasized the importance of Canadian companies looking beyond the US market and embracing international opportunities, while also understanding the cultural nuances of their target markets. Taking the example of India, Mr. Gupta underlined the immense potential of the Indian market, highlighting the significant gap between current trade value and its ideal capacity. Mr. Gupta also opined that Canadian businesses must simultaneously focus on faster growing developing markets such as the Indian-subcontinent and Africa while not ignoring the local North American markets.
Keynote Speaker David Agnew
Building Bridges Through Education
David Agnew, President of Seneca Polytechnic - one of the largest Canadian post-secondary educational institutions - delivered a keynote address titled "Education: Building bridges, connecting countries." Mr. Agnew addressed the current challenges in the Canada-India relationship and the impact on international student enrollment. Mr. Agnew highlighted the need for the Canadian government to play a more active role in supporting the education system and for Canadian institutions to prioritize quality and diversity over quantity and uniformity. Mr. Agnew also presented the growing opportunities in transnational education and discussed the importance of collaboration, program innovation, and maintaining high-quality education to attract international students in a changing global landscape.
ICCC Board of Directors and staff with the speakers. (Back, Left to Right): Chirag Shah, David Agnew, Karna Gupta, Prashant Srivastava, Indira Khurana, Harkirat Bajaj. (Front, Left to Right): Tejas Aivalli, Deepak Shamnani, Mukesh Narula, Sandeep Mamgain, Alok Nagpal
Prominent Figures Facilitated the Discussion
A welcome address was delivered by Mr. Chirag Shah, President, ICCC. Mr. Shah is a technocrat with vast experience in delivering boutique consulting services to Indo-Canadians. Mr. Shah was supported by Mr. Kam Rathee, Chair of the Advisory Board of ICCC and the mind behind the ideation of the Speakers Forum. The forum was moderated by Mr. Prashant Srivastava, Corporate Secretary of ICCC. Following the keynote speeches, Mr. Tejas Aivalli, Executive Director of ICCC, delivered the Vote of Thanks. The evening concluded with dinner and an informal networking session, providing valuable opportunities for further discussion and relationship building.
The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) is a 47-year-old (established in 1977) Toronto-based bilateral trade promotion organisation fostering economic and business relations between Canada and India and creating business opportunities for Canadian small businesses. It is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. The programs and policies foster individual initiatives and the ability of members to make a significant contribution to Canada's economic, cultural and social fabric.
Chirag Shah - President, Prashant Srivastava - Corporate Secretary ICCC.
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