ImportInfo Newsletter September 2022

Allison Boulton: new TFO Canada Regional Trade Representative in British Columbia

TFO Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Allison Boulton as the new TFO Canada Regional Trade Representative in British Columbia.

Allison is a seasoned trade professional with deep experience in the export of processed Canadian agrifoods with a focus on Asia. Her role as the Vancouver based TFO Regional Representative for British Columbia has her working across sectors to promote trade, and increase the knowledge of exporters and Trade Support Institutions around the globe.

By way of background, Allison grew up on a mixed farm in rural Manitoba and headed west to obtain a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Victoria. She spent a decade in Canada’s wine industry, building a thriving boutique Canadian winery with exports to over 20 countries. Allison relocated to China and the Middle East to earn her MBA and work as the China Director of Marketing and Trade Sales in the beverage industry. Upon returning to Canada, she worked as an International Trade Advisor with Small Business BC and started her own firm assisting entrepreneurs grow globally.

In conjunction with the provincial and federal governments, Allison was part of the team that developed B.C.’s Export Navigator program, an ongoing economic development initiative to grow B.C. exports. She led a team of Export Advisors advising on export issues and assisting hundreds of SMEs across the province. Throughout her career, Allison has shared her extensive knowledge in cross-border trade, international sales and cross-cultural communications with audiences around the world, and continues to contribute to supporting SMEs as a writer, mentor and speaker.

Vietnam: Export Offer

TFO Canada is pleased to announce that we will be featuring export offers from our beneficiary countries along with information on partner Trade Support Institutions (TSIs) to support you in your search for new international markets. This month our featured export offer is from Vietnam in partnership with the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE)

The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) is a governmental organization under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the S.R of the Viet Nam, responsible for national regulation of trade and investment promotion for the development of industry and trade. VIETRADE provides a wide spectrum of services to assist Vietnamese and foreign enterprises in their business development and expansion. This includes:

Providing business information to trade support institutions and enterprises;
Conducting market research and analysis for the purpose of formulating national trade promotion policies;
Assisting Vietnamese and foreign enterprises to identify business opportunities, customers, suppliers and partners through dispatching trade missions abroad, hosting foreign business missions to Vietnam and organizing business meetings, seminars and conferences for Vietnamese and foreign enterprises;
Training Vietnamese enterprises and trade support institutions in trade and in investment promotion for industry development;
Co-operating with international and foreign organizations in trade and in investment promotion for industry development.

The top exports from Vietnam include broadcasting equipment, integrated circuits, sports footwear, parts and accessories of automatic process, coffee, and rice. Here are some useful links for an overview of select sectors in Vietnam: