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ICBC Mission - To strengthen, promote and foster bilateral trade, commerce, and economic relations between India and Canada .org.inDELHI | MAHARASHTRA | GUJARAT | BENGALARU | KOLK ATA

JULY to AUGUST 2015

On November 1, 2015, Air Canada is launching its new Toronto-

New Delhi service. The first flight will arrive the evening of

November 2 and marks a noteworthy step in facilitating

business relationships and promoting increased trade by

connecting both countries’ largest urban centres. In light of

this important development, and in conjunction with the

arrival of the flight, ICBC interviewed Mr. Gary Cross, Senior

Director Global Sales (International), Air Canada, in New Delhi.

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The Wait is over! New Delhi Gears to Welcome the Non-Stop Air Canada Flight this fall

Excerpts from the interview below –

ICBC: Travellers in India and Canada are

excited about Air Canada resuming its

Toronto-Delhi-Toronto non-stop flight

after a gap of 7 years. What’s new and

different for the passengers this time?

Gary: Its the hard work of an excellent

India team of Air Canada, who left

no stone unturned to make this a

reality again. The renewal process

took this long; hence, the efforts

can’t be underestimated. We have a

new version Dreamliner 787-900 built

for a route like India.. A green plane,

resolving the payload problem, new

class configuration are some of the

features of this plane which bring

newness to the whole experience of

flying in a new aircraft. Integrating with

all this is serving to the travel needs

of the passengers flying to various

destinations in North America. The

transit process in Toronto ensures

seamlessly transiting to US by clearing

US immigration in Canada. This also

means you easily make it to the

Domestic connections and arrivals and

to all first connections in Air Canada’s

network. The Toronto bound flight

arrives at 5am . Canada is now certainly

closer than ever before to the Indian

market and at the right time with a

right aircraft.

ICBC: A highly productive visit of PM

NarendraModi to Canada indicates

elevating bilateral relationship to a

strategic partnership through various

important initiatives. How do you view

this in the context of Air Canada’s flight

renewal with New Delhi and how will

it foster trade and commerce between

the two nations?

Gary: PM Modi’s visit and his presence

in Canada was by far the most powerful

message in itself. The tipping point

of this exchange of dialogue has

been the renewed optimism and

confidence in Canada and India’s

business environment. For Canadian’s

Visa-on arrival will open doors in a

big way to promote the ongoing

efforts of increasing bilateral trade

and commerce and multi-cultural

exchanges. Canada feels that India

has a competitive market and the

prospects of expanding investment

and business opportunities offers

great advantages to the communities

Gary Cross

http://icbc.org.in

ICBC Mission - To strengthen, promote and foster bilateral trade, commerce, and economic relations between India and Canada .org.in

Interviewer – Pikee Sharma, Manager Coordination & Communication, Delhi Regional Council, ICBC.

of both the countries. Canada is a

home to abundant natural resources

and leads in sectors like energy,

education, engineering, infrastructure,

manufacturing, agriculture, banking

and finance. India has great traditions

and family values and from business

point of view it definitely represents

tremendous opportunities for Canadian

companies. We believe that this is

an opportune time to realise true

commercial potential from each side.

ICBC: It cannot be denied that the

wide use of the Internet has opened

many Online Ticketing opportunities for

everyone from around the world. What

are Air Canada’s plans on promoting

online bookings?

Gary: Today the Internet is a far easier

option for customers to purchase airline

tickets and gone are the days when

travellers settled on a single fare when

booking flights. The advantages range

from quick and easy ways to book

online and print boarding passes at

home. Being an airline, we do recognise

the fact that 70% of the bookings are

done through online channels. In India,

people still prefer to visit a travel agent

who helps tremendously in resolving

issues like obtaining visa and managing

different itineraries. Air Canada has

its own website offering all kinds of

information related to travel, fares,

holiday packages etc. and, of course,

extending ease of ticketing. We have

tie-ups with agencies like makemytrip.

com, cleartrip.com, Expedia and Yatra to

help passengers book through various

online portals using CCs from VISA,

Mastercard and AMEX.

ICBC: The AC flight will be operating 4

times a week. Any plans of establishing

connectivity with other big cities

of India to diversify the routing

and increasing the frequency of its

operation?

Gary: Yes, the flight will operate 4

times a week. We do plan to start daily

service from October 2016 onward,

another ambitious part of the plan.

Again, here we look at increasing

the aircraft availability to cater to the

demand that results from the launch

in November and afterwards. In fact,

Mumbai is another point we hope to

target soon depending on the success

of Delhi-Toronto sector.

ICBC: Lastly, given your experience of

working with the STAR Alliance, how

helpful it would be for Air Canada

to broaden its horizons in the Indian

market?

Gary: The flight’s arrival in November

this will give us the chance to carve

more connection opportunities

across other cities through codeshare

agreements with STAR partner - Air

India, Lufthansa and Swiss (latter

two being our Trans Atlantic Joint

Venture Partners) and with Jet Airways.

Middle-East is another market that

offers great potential for more viable

connection options and Dubai is a new

destination where Air Canada at the

same time as India start 3 flights a week

Toronto-Dubai-Toronto. All this is in the

pipeline with an objective to maximise

connections and increasing the number

of red-eye flights.

Gary Cross, Pikee Sharma & Arun Pandeya, Country GM-India, Air Canada


On the occasion of the Launch of Industrial Mission of Andhra Pradesh at Visakhapatnam on 29th April 2015, there was a one-on-

one meeting of Canadian companies and Mr. Sidney Frank, Counsel General of Canada with Hon’ble Chief Minister Chandrababu

Naidu facilitated by Ms. Nadira Hamid, CEO, Indo-Canadian Business Chamber. The Hon’ble Chief Minister chose Dr. P. Krishnaiah

to be the contact person from the Andhra Pradesh Government and it was decided that Ms. Nadira Hamid, from ICBC would be

the point of contact for representing the Canadian Companies.

The discussions resulted in setting up of a Consortium of all the Canadian Companies led by Dr. M.P. Raju, Managing Director

of LEA Associates South Asia Pvt. Ltd. This was followed by a high-profile Roundtable

between the Canadian Companies, facilitated by ICBC and Canadian High Commission

in New Delhi on 16th July 2015. Dr. P. Krishnaiah, IAS (Retd.) Executive Chairman, APIIC,

explained the opportunities in the state in general and the Tricity area in particularly the

two developmental corridors presently happening in Andhra Pradesh with external aid

namely VCIC and CBIC. LEA Associates South Asia Pvt. Ltd gave a presentation elucidating

the scope of developing Tricity region and about the competence and experience of the

Canadian Companies.

Connecting with the High Commission of Canada


Events Roundtables/

Meetings @ ICBC

DELHI REGIONAL COUNCIL

7th July 2015 :

DRC Board Meeting, DRC Annual General Meeting and Farewell to Ms. Rosaline Kwan, Senior Trade Commissioner (Northern India) & Deputy Commercial Programme Manager

Delhi Regional Council organized its

quarterly Board Meeting and Annual

General Meeting on 7th July 2015

at Club Canada, High Commission

of Canada. The meetings witnessed

sharing and discussion of

DRC’s performance,

challenges and

achievements in the FY 2014-2015.

ICBC also bade farewell to Ms. Rosaline

Kwan, Senior Trade Commissioner

(Northern India) & Deputy Commercial

Programme Manager, who served as

the Ex-Officio of Delhi Regional Council

Board. Ms. Nadira Hamid extended her

heartfelt thanks to Ms. Kwan for her

unwavering support and commitment

and wished her success in her future

posting. Ms Kwan said, “I can’t believe

time flies so fast! I would like to take this

opportunity to simply thank all of you

for high quality service and excellent

performance.”

16th July 2015Third Thursday Connect

ICBC organised her Third Thursday

Connect on July 16th, 2015 at Taj

Mahal Hotel, New Delhi. Mr. John

McCullough, Regional Director – Asia,

The Micronutrient Initiative, was the

Guest of Honour at the event. As

Regional Director Asia, John seeks

to lead and coordinate MI staff in 6

countries to make a significant impact

on the lives of vulnerable women

and children through working in

collaboration with governments, the

private sector and other agencies, to

reduce micronutrient deficiencies. The

Connect was well attended by guests,

including Mr. Jess Dutton, Deputy High

Commissioner of Canada to India and

esteemed members of the ICBC. The

opening remarks were made by Mr.

Peter ter Weeme, Chairperson Delhi

Regional Council and Partner, Junxion

Strategy. The evening saw whole

hearted participation by all, leading to

productive discussion on the issues of

health and nutrition amongst women

and children in India.

21st August 2015Third Thursday Connect

ICBC organised her Third Thursday

Connect on August 21st, 2015 at Taj

Mahal Hotel, New Delhi. His Excellency,

Nadir Patel, High Commissioner for

Canada to India and Mr. Brian Parrott,

Minister Commercial, High Commission

of Canada interacted with ICBC

members (new and existing) and

guests and provided valuable insights

on the current state of Canada-India

economic relations.

BANGALORE REGIONAL COUNCIL

Canadian Government confers Award of Excellence to Mr. Vittal Nath, Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada, Bangalore


The Indo- Canadian Business

Chamber, Bangalore Regional Council

in association with the Consulate

General of Canada, Bangalore hosted

an interactive session on Managing

People on Friday, 24th July’ 2015 at the

MPR, Consulate General of Canada,

Bangalore. Mr. Cheenu Srinivasan,

Happiness Coach, Use Time Pvt Ltd

conducted the session on Managing

People.

12th August 2015 knowledge session on Social Security Agreement presented by KPMG

The Indo- Canadian Business Chamber,

Bangalore Regional Council, in

association with the Consulate General

of Canada, Bangalore and KPMG

conducted a knowledge session

on Social Security Agreement on

Wednesday, August 12th, 2015. Mr.

Surendra Pareek, Partner, KPMG Tax

Practice and Mr. Rambir Dalal, Director,

KPMG Tax Practice (ex-Regional PF

Commissioner) who has about two

decades of experience in Social Security

related matters were the speakers for

the session.

MAHARASHTRA REGIONAL COUNCIL

Farewell Dinner for Richard Bale, Consul General, at Rontu Basu’s residence attended by Board Members of the Maharashtra Regional Council, ICBC & friends of CanadaMr Richard Bale Consul General

Mumbai recently moved to his new

posting in Vietnam after completing

a 30 month stint. A farewell dinner

for around 30 people was hosted by

Rontu Basu-Immediate Past President

ICBC, at his residence in honour of Mr

Richard Bale, where other attendees

from the Consulate, included Mark

Scullion, Acting Consul General & Senior

Trade Commissioner. The evening was

attended by Board Members of the

Maharashtra Regional Council, ICBC

and other senior representatives of

Canadian companies, like Harlequin,

Fairbridge Capital etc. Rontu Basu in his

remarks, praised Mr Bale, as being one

of the most approachable & business

minded Consul Generals, with a deep

curiosity & appreciation about Indian

culture, history & business. A farewell

gift was presented to Mr Bale, by Ms

Kashmira Mewawala, Board Member

& Head Business Development of Tata

Capital, on behalf of ICBC. Mr Bale in his

remarks was deeply appreciative about

ICBC’s role in promoting economic

engagement between India & Canada.

Mr. Vittal Nath received Foreign Affairs,

Trade and Development Canada

(DFATD) Deputy Ministers’ Award of

Excellence for ‘Life Time Achievement’,

the first comprehensive Awards and

Recognition Program launched in 2015.

Mr. Nath joined the department in 1990

in Mumbai Consulate, where he worked

until he was transferred to Bangalore

in 1996 to establish the new Canadian

Government Trade Office. Over the

years he contributed significantly to

promote Canada- India trade relations

and in establishing the ICBC Bangalore

Regional Council. Mr. Nath was the

first recipient of LES award instituted

in India recognizing him as the top

performer from among approximately

350 employees in India and Nepal. In

2010, he received excellence award

for outstanding performance and

contribution over an extended period

of time. In 2011, he was the first co-

recipient of the Ken Sunquist Award

for Service Excellence in International

Trade, amongst the many very strong

nominations received globally. In 2014,

he received LES award in recognition of

outstanding leadership to advance the

Government of Canada’s objectives.

24th July 2015 Interactive Session on Managing People


Narayanan Ramaswamy,Partner and National Leader for Education and Skilling Sector, KPMG India

For more information, contact:[email protected]

Indian education sector: A seizing opportunity for Canadian educational institutes

With an explosion in the demand for higher education in India, Indian educational

institutes (IEI) have started to engage and collaborate with those overseas to

increase access and quality. Some forms of collaboration include twinning

programmes, research collaborations, joint degrees and probable branch campuses.

Twinning programmes enable Indian students to spend half of their time in Indian

colleges, and the other half in foreign educational institutes (FEI). This programme

promises a foreign university degree, making it more attractive amongst the student

community, and a lucrative situation for Indian students, as well as FEIs and IEIs.

Students have access to a wide range of programmes, valuable degrees, lower

tuition fee compared to studying abroad, better employment opportunities and an

opportunity to transfer with credits to a foreign university for further education. On

the other hand, educational institutes overseas can expect to receive well-prepared

students, productive joint research projects, at minimal investment and increased

income. Indian institutes could gain in terms of increased access, new programmes,

courses and curriculum, adding a global perspective.

The concept of twinning programmes gained popularity in the mid-1990s.

According to a study conducted by the Association of Indian Universities, there has

been an upswing of foreign education providers in India; from a strength of 144

in 2000 to 631 in 2010. Of these, 49 are operating under twinning arrangements.

In an attempt to bring out the best of both worlds together, getting a leading

education at a price lesser than that of a conventional foreign degree, the United

Grants Commission (UGC) enacted the Promotion and Maintenance of Standards

of Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutions

Regulations, 2012 on 21 September 2013. These guidelines apply to non-technical

and private Indian colleges offering such programmes.

Among the various opportunities provided under these programmes, Canada is

one country which offers work permit to students, allowing them to work for a year

while they study to support their basic needs. Students are also eligible to apply for

residency in Canada after completion, hence, attracting students and encouraging

them to join the twinning course offered by Canada in India.

A leading Canadian University’s School of Business has partnered with a Mumbai

based Management and Research Institute, and the Education venture of a leading

Infrastructure company in Hydreabad. Recently, the institute also opened a new

campus for an MBA in India with the help of the twining programme in Hyderabad.

Such initiatives by one of the most reputed business schools across the globe is an

indication that India’s higher education sector, especially the twinning programme,

is gaining significant momentum. Other than MBA programmes, IEIs, are offering

the same programmes in engineering as well, giving a wider scope of participation


for foreign universities to propose such programmes, courses and curriculum across

various subjects in higher education.

India is an excellent market, with roughly 50 percent of the country’s population

under 25 years of age. As one of the fastest growing economies that is expected to

be the world’s third largest economy in the coming decades, FEIs, especially those in

Canada, have a huge potential in India’s higher education sector.

With the recently launched ‘Skill Development’ initiative gaining momentum in

India, foreign countries are also utilising various opportunities this mission has to

offer them, and vice-versa. The National Skill Development Corporation has been

given the target to train 150 million Indians by 2022, enabling FEIs to play a bigger

role in achieving this target.

A recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Canada has provided a platform

for the signing of 13 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) between Canada

and Indian educators, aimed at India’s massive skills training requirements and the

country’s goal of training 500 million people by 2022. Some of the leading Canadian

institutions who have entered into MoUs include Algonquin College, Bow Valley

College, Camosun College, Canadore College, College of New Caledonia, Durham

College, Fanshawe College, Fleming College, Seneca College, and Southern Alberta

Institute of Technology. Sectors to be focussed on will include architecture, apparel

and textiles, automotive, aviation, construction, green economy, water, healthcare,

hydrocarbons, IT, telecommunications and electronics, and sports.

As India embarks on an ambitious education reform, such new framework for

collaboration is likely to pave the way for initiatives pertaining to curriculum

development, teaching and learning, resource development, occupational

standards, testing and certification, and labour market reforms. Given the vast

experience, expertise and strong reputation that Canada is blessed with, such

collaborations could revitalise the Indian economy, boost job creation by matching

the skills of India’s workforce to employers’ needs.

In the education sector, India has emerged as one of the world’s most expansive

education systems. With the wave of vocational education and training in the

country, collaborations with foreign colleges can help India overcome challenges

of inadequate infrastructure and shortage of job offers. Collaborations in higher

education are likely to further enable the country to provide globally relevant

curriculum to its students and better employment opportunities, in turn, improving

the country’s growth prospects.


Anand Choksi, Founder & Business Owner, RE/MAX ADVANTAGE is a “Certified Professional Realtor” accredited by ACRI (Association of Certified Realtors of India). He has worked with multinational and fortune 500 organizations in India and Canada and has a total work experience of more than 14 years in different management & sales positions. He has been a visionary and a protagonist in growing RE/MAX ADVANTAGE leaps and bounds in a span of 4 years and believes in providing 100% customer centric, transparent and professional services and has mentored and grown more than 70 Real Estate professionals in RE/MAX. Mr. Choksi has been instrumental in around 1400 transactions, established builder tie-ups and taken exclusivity for many projects in Ahmedabad.

Sanjeev Jain is a practicing CA from last 20 years in the field of Direct and Indirect taxes with an arm of outsourcing Company (Megasoft) in the field of Payroll, HRIS and related matters. Megasoft has international operations in Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Dubai and Bangladesh etc.

New Member Updates

Anand Choksi Founder & Business Owner, RE/MAX ADVANTAGE

Sanjeev Kumar Jain MD & CEO, Megasoft Solutions India Pvt. Ltd.

ICBC Mission - To strengthen, promote and foster bilateral trade, commerce, and economic relations between India and Canada

On the Horizon

EDU – CANADA CANADIAN MBA SHOWCASE TOUR 2015/ SEPTEMBER 19 TO OCTOBER 3, 2015 -

Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh

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Contact Us DELHI REGIONAL COUNCIL4-7C, DDA Shopping Centre,New Friends Colony,New Delhi 110025Fax: + 91 11 4710 7399Email: [email protected]

GUJARAT REGIONAL COUNCIL 14, Aaryans Corporate Park, Near Shilaj Railway Crossing, Thaltej-Shilaj Road, Thaltej, Ahmedabad 380 059 Tel: +91 98 2467 5954 Email : [email protected]

MAHARASHTRA REGIONAL COUNCIL D-25, Dhanraj Mahal, CSM Road, Apollo Bunder, Mumbai 400001Fax: +91 22 6654 5666 Tel: +91 22 6654 5660 Email: [email protected]

BANGALORE REGIONAL COUNCIL CGI Information Systems and Management Consultants Pvt Ltd,Tower 2. Electronic City Phase I (West), Bangalore 560100Fax: +91 080 6642 1200Tel: +91 080 6642 2222Email: [email protected]

EAST & NORTH EAST REGIONAL COUNCIL‘VISA House’, 4th floor,8/10 Alipore Road,Kolkata 700 027Fax: +91 33 3011 9003Tel: +91 33 3011 9000Email: [email protected]

ICBC TeamNadira Hamid Chief Executive OfficerEmail: [email protected]

Rashmi Mallick Manager, Finance & AdminEmail: [email protected]

Pallavi Saxena Manager, Bangalore Regional CouncilTel: +91 080 6642 2222Email: [email protected]

Pikee Sharma Manager, Coordination & Communication, Delhi Regional CouncilEmail: [email protected]

Ms. Bina Awasthi Executive Director, Gujarat Regional CouncilTel: +91 98 2467 5954Email: [email protected]

Ms. Olinda D’mello Executive Co-ordinator, Maharashtra Regional CouncilTel: +91 22 6654 5660 Email: [email protected]

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