DAY 3: Branding our Global Vision

Hello from Junior Team Canada’s third full day here in Singapore. Today we opened our eyes to the world of international trade and the importance of communication skills in relaying the successes of our mission.

After a hearty breakfast, we headed to the Marina Bay Financial Centre where we were greeted by Klaus Houben from Export Development Canada and Gregory Ross from the Canada-ASEAN Business Council. Through fruitful discussions with the two officials, we spoke on issues relaed to how Canadian businesses operate in Singapore and Malaysia and the importance of Canadian investment in the region. Klaus and Gregory also shared the implications of the new CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) and our ambassadors asked a widen array of questions. These ranged from the insurance capabilities of EDC for companies as well as the ethical concerns of trade relationships.

After a long discussion, we headed to Singapore’s McDonalds which is much more varied in its menu than its Canadian counterpart. We had a quick bite to eat before pressing on to the next meeting of the day in the Orchard Road neighbourhood. Here, we met with Karen Ho who is the regional director of ASK Media Group, who taught us about self-branding, the importance of digital citizenship, and how we market ourselves and our mission to the world.

As our time in Singapore now starts to wind down, our visit to ASK Media got us to reflect and think about how we will showcase our time here with Global Vision to everyone. The ambassadors left here stronger in their love for Singapore and hungry to continue growing their knowledge about the international importance of this city. After that meeting, we headed back out onto the Singapore streets for some more great food and great experiences.

To conclude, today showed us Singapore’s importance as an economic powerhouse of Southeast Asia and for the world. The nation’s place on the world stage can not be understated nor in its importance to Canada. Singapore is truly an Asian tiger and is a key part of our great global vision for our nation.