Introducing ICCC Halifax Business Council

 

Introduction 

The Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) – Halifax Business Council was officially launched on November 21, 2007 at a gathering held at the Halifax Club, by Sunil Jagasia, President and Chair of the ICCC National. ICCC is the premier, not-for profit business organization with over 1000 members across Canada. The organization was founded in 1977, with the main objective of facilitating trade and commerce between Canada and India. It provides a platform for its members and non-members to network, share ideas, information and experiences in order to create synergy and business success. Over the last two years, the National office has expanded and has created a presence from coast to coast, with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and lastly, Halifax. There are also discussions underway to start a business council in Winnipeg. 

The Halifax Business Council

The Halifax Business council is the latest addition to the ICCC provincial councils. This council will serve the entire region of Atlantic Canada and promote awareness about India and business opportunities in this market. The Business council is governed by a Board of Directors, headed by Chair of the Business Council. The Halifax Business Council has adopted the following objectives for its operations.

• To promote the interests of member organizations with respect to India and trade development/export development and investment attraction to Atlantic Canada
• To provide a platform for networking for businesses and professionals with a vested interest in India
• To provide learning opportunities through presentations, guest speakers, seminars and by disseminating trade information related to India
• To become the first point of contact for inquiries related to doing business in India for Atlantic Canadian firms and vice-versa

The Board of Directors

 

From L to R : Pat Ryan (VP & COO, NSBI) , Tom Puthiakunnel (Director – Membership, ICCC), Rakesh Kochhar (Director – Events and PR, ICCC), Venkatesh Thyagarajan (Chair – ICCC Halifax), Satish Mehta (Consul General of India in Canada), Sunil Jagasia (President ICCC National), John Ludovice (Director Investment Attraction, ICCC Halifax, Bob Daigle (VP Business Development, NSBI) . Missing Tarun Biju, Director Business Development, ICCC Halifax and Justin Daoust, Associate Director, Events and PR.

The current ICCC – Halifax Business council is headed by Venkatesh Thyagarajan. In addition to Venkatesh, there are four more directors and one associate director. Directors in the board are (alphabetically) John Ludovice (NSBI), Rakesh Kochhar (Assante Capital Management), Tarun Biju (SNC-Lavalin) and Tom Puthiakunnel (United Travels). Justin Daoust, a student at St.Mary’s University, serves the role of Associate Director, Events and PR.  The board can be reached at the email Halifax@iccc.org

Year Ahead

 2008 is the first year of operation for the Halifax Business Council, but that does not mean that there will be a shortage of networking opportunities and events. On February 19^th, the Business council hosted a luncheon at the Halifax Club and our guest speaker Don Robertson spoke on the topic of ‘Exporting to India’. The event was attended by over 35 guests and it was well received. Our next event is scheduled for March 19^th and it will be a dinner event and the topic will be ‘Doing Business in India’. Our guest speaker for that event will be Mr. Peter F Walker, who served as the Canadian High Commissioner to India from 1997-2000. The board is also working on bringing other valuable networking opportunities to its members, including a charity fund raising golf event later in the summer.  

Who should become a member?

ICCC is for any individual or organization that has an interest in the growing trade relationship between India and Canada. Small businesses, service providers, students, venture capitalists, academics – all could benefit from being part of a national organization that has a wide reaching network. By being a member of the organization, you are always in touch with the latest happenings in the mutual trade relation between the two countries. Information about trade missions, networking events, prominent members in the trade world etc are disseminated to the members at regular intervals. Members also receive member prices to the ICCC events and within a short time, the savings itself would have paid for the membership fees. Members of the Halifax business council will receive a waiver of $100 (admin fee) when they join the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

 How do I become a member? 

 Membership applications can be downloaded from our website at http://www.iccc.org . Alternatively, you can contact the Halifax Business Council at Halifax@iccc.org with your request and one of our Directors will be in touch with you to speak about membership options and details.