What skills are needed to succeed in global trade?

International business professionals in our Twitter community came together last month for a #TradeElite chat on the topic of skills in global trade. Speaking from a variety of backgrounds, levels of experience and geographic locations, they discussed the skills, knowledge and abilities that are needed to succeed in the industry.

Daniella D'Alimonte

With her background in writing, marketing and business journalism, Daniella focuses on crafting quality stories and relevant content to inform and inspire the international business community.

Six steps to finding out if you’re ready for international trade

But even if you have a product or service that seems to have international appeal, your company may not actually be ready for international trade. Doing business overseas is much more complicated than staying at home, and any successful exporter will tell you that they looked very carefully at their company before they decided to go abroad.

Resources for exploring Asian trade and foreign direct investment opportunities

Many Asian jurisdictions understand the strategic roles that trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) play in their economic development and economic well-being.

Giovanni Gonzalez, CITP|FIBP

Giovanni, CITP|FIBP, has experience in various international business and socio-economic development projects, including foreign direct investment (FDI) facilitation, investment promotion, trade promotion and facilitation, market assessments of developed and developing economies, expansion of companies to Canadian and foreign markets, start-ups, sourcing, alternative income, small business support and capacity building. His professional experience has taken him to Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, China, Canada, and the United States to witness firsthand economic developments, trade relations, market opportunities, and initiatives to create employment and improve living standards.

Why skills development is vital to the growth of your global trade career

Ted Benson has over forty years of experience in international trade. He has learned through trial and error, time and again, that skills development is essential to be successful in the industry.

Madison Abraham

I’m the Marketing and Communications Assistant at Forum for International Trade Training (FITT). My background is in web content writing and web communications, and I love using my writing to convey an important message.

Digitization of business is eliminating global trade barriers for SMBs

Barriers of entry to international markets are being lowered through higher visibility and reach provided by the digitization of business on a global scale.

Ali Lajevardi

Ali’s international experience has been focused on enhancing organizational performance through developing new strategic opportunities, deploying innovative technologies and accelerating business transformation. He has worked across various industries and geographies where he introduced or enabled new services and products into dispersed domestic and international markets. Ali has a background in Biomedical engineering with an MBA in International Business (IMBA) and is Certified International Trade Professional (CITP).

Is Mongolia the next emerging market for your international business strategy?

Mongolia is looking to capitalize on its unique culture and attractive scenery in a bid to open the world’s eyes to many of its strengths as a place to visit and do business.

Ryan Weaver

Ryan is a Marketing Analyst at Mentor Works and holds a B.A. in economics, as well as a M.Sc in management and several published works including two book publications. Ryan is actively engaged with business owners and executives to educate them about government grants and funding available to accelerate their growth and cash flow planning activities.

Zeeshanali Fazal, CITP│FIBP — Underwriter and Advisor of Financial Guarantees

Zeeshanali Fazal is an Underwriter and Advisor of Financial Guarantees at Export Development Canada (EDC) in Montreal, Quebec. He was born in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he spent his childhood. Zeeshanali moved to Pakistan in the early 1990s, and by the late 1990s he moved to Canada where he completed his high school, CEGEP and university education in finance.

Madison Abraham

I’m the Marketing and Communications Assistant at Forum for International Trade Training (FITT). My background is in web content writing and web communications, and I love using my writing to convey an important message.

How to break down market characteristics of your target Asian country to identify trade opportunities

Break down the market characteristics of your target country to identify opportunities: market research is the first step in the internationalization process. Expanding into foreign markets, especially Asia is a complex and resource intensive activity.

Giovanni Gonzalez, CITP|FIBP

Giovanni, CITP|FIBP, has experience in various international business and socio-economic development projects, including foreign direct investment (FDI) facilitation, investment promotion, trade promotion and facilitation, market assessments of developed and developing economies, expansion of companies to Canadian and foreign markets, start-ups, sourcing, alternative income, small business support and capacity building. His professional experience has taken him to Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, China, Canada, and the United States to witness firsthand economic developments, trade relations, market opportunities, and initiatives to create employment and improve living standards.

The basics of global trade transactions for your imports and exports

A company that has decided to export its products to a new market or to buy from a new supplier in a different country cannot take for granted that the potential transaction(s) will be viable, profitable or provide goods at a price and quality that are competitive. From a financial point of view, a transaction may prove unrealistic if the cost of entering a market is too high, the competition is gruelling, or the price the company needs to charge in the new market is not competitive.

Jacob Varghese

Jacob is the VP of Marketing and Technology at the Forum for International Trade Training. Focused on improving the customer experience. A Content chef; words, images, some code and a healthy serving of web analytics.