SBC September 13th – Christopher Theeparajah, Account Manager & Aerospace Lead, Export Development Canada

Well…it feels like we last met just a few days ago, my how time flies! So after a great summer of hot weather & activity it’s certainly time to get back to networking and early morning meetings.

Trade & export related issues have been dominant through the summer and now continue strong into the Fall. The majority of our Peninsula Industry sector companies operate export based business models. What happens with trade, exports and tariffs directly impact our regional Industry sector. So I’m thrilled to announce Christopher Theeparajah, Account Manager & Aerospace Lead, Export Development Canada as our  September 13th SBC speaker.

Chris Theeparajah has 15 years of Canadian Banking and Finance experience, in the private Sector, most recently with First West Credit Union.  In 2014 he joined Export Development Canada (https://www.edc.ca/EN/Pages/default.aspx), as a Account Manager of Trade Finance, where he manages the relationships with the Banks and Business’s across the entire Vancouver Island region.   Chris has helped companies of all sizes, realize opportunities both domestically and internationally, and provided knowledge and expertise in helping these companies, increase their revenue, and grow their brand.  He is passionate about promoting Vancouver Island, and the amazing things that are happening here, and is dedicated to make sure, that the global spot light is shining on the Island, its business’, and its people.

Chris will be talking about the recent export business environment and more specifically, how recent developments with NAFTA and the US Government impact our export based businesses. Chris will talk about how we can mitigate the risk for companies, provide intelligence and ensure that they have the capacity to execute on foreign business.

As always, the meeting is held at 7am on the 2nd Thursday of every month at the Victoria Flying Club Dakota Café. Please join us on Thursday / September 13th / 7am and RSVP (john@harbourdigitalmedia.com) only if you plan on attending.

“Export Development Canada (EDC), is Canada’s export credit agency and a Crown corporation that operates at arm’s length from the Government, and reports through the Ministry of International Trade.  Our job is to support and develop Canada’s export trade by helping Canadian companies respond to international business opportunities, whether that be in Blaine, Washington, or Gaborone, Botswana, and everywhere in between.  If your business is selling products or providing services, outside of Canada, you should be engaging with EDC, regardless of the size of your business.  We are here to provide support to ALL Canadian companies who are proudly displaying the Maple Leaf, outside of Canada, and promoting their brands.   

In 2017 we helped nearly 9,400 Canadian companies do business in most markets around the world. The majority of companies were small businesses, and 30 per cent of this business was conducted in fast-growing emerging markets. Using our financial products and services, our customers’ export sales and investments approximated $104 billion. We estimate that this helped generate $67 billion of Canada’s GDP, nearly 4 cents for every dollar earned, and helped sustain 523,808 jobs – https://youtu.be/PZsVw3pnPOA.”