Market opportunities

Zeeshan Fazal is a Regional Manager at EDC, responsible for a team of Relationship Managers supporting Canadian companies to penetrate, grow and succeed internationally. He is also responsible to strategically increase EDC’s support to Québec companies in Agriculture and Agri-food sectors.

Mr. Fazal has significant experience in assisting Manufacturing, Technology and Innovation companies to go, grow and succeed internationally. Prior to his appointment to the Business Development team, Mr. Fazal held various underwriting positions for Accounts Receivable Insurance, Bank Guarantees and Loan Guarantees. He was also a Lean Sustainability Advisor where he collaborated closely with internal stakeholders to help lead projects, improve operational efficiencies and client communication processes.

Outside of EDC, Mr. Fazal was a lecturer at McGill University where he taught International Finance, Corporate Finance and Financial Statement Analysis. Most recently, he also taught a course on Business Valuation at the Smith School of Business at Queens University. Furthermore, he taught CITP professional designation courses on Global Value Chain and International Trade Finance.

Mr. Fazal holds a Master of Business Administration from the Smith School of Management (Queens University), a bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting and Biology from McGill University. He is also a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP | FIBP).

With over 20 years in the organic food sector, Kim brings a wealth of supply chain and non-profit experience to the role of Member Relations & Business Development Manager at the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA). Honoured with the 2016 Canadian Health Food Association Organics Achievement Award, Kim continues to diligently strive to bring value to the organic sector. Kim serves COTA members through an array of benefits programs and funding opportunities which assist members in strengthening their organic businesses.

COTA is the national membership-based association for organic agriculture and products in Canada. Members include growers, processors, handlers, certifiers, provincial organic associations, distributors, importers, exporters, manufacturers, brokers and brand management companies, consultants, retailers, and all points along the organic value chain.

The COTA mission is to promote and protect the organic sector and encourage the universal adoption of organic. To achieve this mission, COTA works on regulatory affairs, government relations, trading relationships, market research, market access, organic integrity, and builds public trust in organic through a variety of consumer-facing programs. Through industry task forces, webinars, or buyer missions, COTA assists businesses, whether in start-up phase or established players, to navigate the organic marketplace to discover ways to optimize their organic business portfolios.

BK Sethi, President of BK Sethi Marketing Ltd. with over 35 years of experience in importing, distributing and marketing authentic ethnic food products from around the world, offers his experience as a consultant to many multinationals, trade consulates, exporters and merchants, providing planning, execution, channel selection and communication strategies in the growing Canadian ethnic market.

His practical, hands-on experience is key to short and long term business growth plans for progressive companies who want to enter and grow their business in the Canadian market, a gateway to North America.

Sarab Hans is the president of Hans Dairy, a Mississauga, Ont.-based family business specializing in South Asian dairy products. The company was founded in 1997 by Sarab’s parents. She joined the company more than a decade ago and has steadily grown Hans Dairy from independent grocery stores and small mom-and-pop shops to big banner chains. Hans Dairy is now widely distributed across Ontario, a no small feat for a company that caters to a niche market of South Asian dairy consumers. Hans Dairy makes yogurt products, smoothies, fluid milk for further processing, rice pudding, and a butter line. The company’s USP is its clean ingredient deck and taste that offers a home-made feel.

With decades of grocery retail experience, Jamie Nelson is a key member of the executive leadership team of the Pattison Food Group. Jamie began his career in the grocery business as a retail clerk in Mission, B.C., in 1980, and steadily rose through various levels of management at Save-On-Foods before joining the company’s leadership team in 2012. Today, as Chief Operating Officer of the Pattison Food Group, Jamie holds overall management accountability and strategic direction for the operations of all Pattison Food Group banners – including Save-On-Foods, the group’s largest company.

A widely respected leader throughout the grocery industry, Jamie was named the recipient of the 2023 Golden Pencil Award – the highest distinction in Canada’s grocery industry – for his lifetime contributions to the industry he considers himself fortunate to be part of. Jamie’s passion and expertise in the grocery industry has parlayed into active participation on industry boards, including that of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, for which he is chair.