Exporting to Canada?
International business expansion expert, Canadian Diplomat, and Representative of the Government of Ontario, Aaron Rosland, took time to speak to us at BBP Media while attending the UK Northern Powerhouse Exhibition at Manchester Central.
Aaron is usually based at Canada House in London but pursues a busy schedule of round table meetings and discussions with business groups throughout the UK. He promotes the benefits of exporting to and establishing an office in Ontario and is excited by the energy and enthusiasm he is finding.
He said that while Canada may not be the first country that comes to mind when we start to think of exporting, Canada is a great fit for UK businesses, particularly as the UK already has strong trading links with Canada, being Canada's fifth biggest world trading partner.
Although science, technology and clinical research are particularly strong areas of UK-Canada trade, other opportunities exist across the board. As a couple of examples, Ontario boasts the 2nd largest IT cluster in North America after California and the 2nd largest financial services sector after New York. US –Canadian trade is estimated to be worth $2 Billion per day.
The benefit of sharing a common language and cultural similarities cannot be understated either, and make that first step into exporting a relatively straightforward one; additionally there are a great many UK businesses already established in Canada to show the way. Then too Canada is a safe and politically stable country from which to grow your business internationally, particularly if you envisage expanding into North America.
It can be quite daunting when you first plan to grow your business through export. You need to research your market and any trade barriers or tariffs, decide how you are to transport your goods, where they are going to be stored and decide on a marketing plan, but if you are planning to take the transatlantic plunge, Ontario offers an ideal landing place.
Aaron and his team’s mission is to provide tailored advice and assistance to companies around the UK that are considering expansion into North America using Canada as a scale up platform, and also to help and advise companies from Ontario who would like to set up a base here.
While Aaron has been active in chairing meetings and round-table sessions throughout the UK, including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, he has taken the opportunity to get to know our diverse business community and introduce companies from Ontario to their counterparts in the UK.
Recent round table meetings across the UK included one in Leicester where local businesses interacted with and learned from another local business which has expanded into Ontario. He also brought a delegation from Northern Ontario, including a Mayor, to talk to businesses in Sheffield and Leeds about the export opportunities in Canada. Aaron said he prefers these more informal discussions to standing on a podium delivering a lecture, and finds they are much more productive, people are more willing to ask questions and they generally engender a more lively debate.
Recently Aaron also worked with Innovation Birmingham to set up a business exchange program to support two Midlands companies to export and establish an office in Ontario. The same program helped two Ontario companies export to and establish offices in the UK.
On the current political uncertainties surrounding Brexit and our trading relationships with the rest of the world, Aaron said he would strongly encourage businesses thinking of exporting to Canada to seize the opportunity presented by the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) to establish a Canadian footprint while we are still in the EU, describing it as a golden opportunity.
Aaron is uniquely qualified for his role, having travelled extensively and worked in countries as diverse as the USA, China, India and Mexico. He has set up businesses all over the world and is personally familiar with the complexities of setting up a company or branch of an existing business in a foreign country. His varied experience when coupled with his passion for Ontario and Canada and the Canadian people means that he says that he feels privileged to be promoting Ontario to the wider world.
For more information about exporting to Canada visit, https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-trade, where you will find help and advice from the Department of International Trade, (DIT) which helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy, it also helps overseas companies bring their high-quality investment to the UK’s dynamic economy.