Saudi Canadian SME Business Forum – April 25th to April 30th, 2016
/Canada-Middle East Consulting (CMEC), in partnership with the Canada Saudi Business Council, is pleased to report on the success of the Canadian business trade mission to Saudi Arabia.
Together, the two organizations led a 67 member Canadian trade delegation, to Saudi Arabia from April 25th to April 30h 2016. The eleven-member CMEC team included business leaders, academics and government officials from the Region of Waterloo.
During the trade mission, the delegates had opportunities to meet with Saudi government officials and business leaders as well as the Canadian Ambassador and Canadian Trade Commissioners.
The Saudi Canadian SME Business Forum, held in Riyadh, provided the venue for Canadian companies and organizations to meet Saudi companies and organizations who are interested in acquiring Canadian expertise in the following sectors: Healthcare, Education and Training, ICT, Manufacturing, Mining and Agriculture.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a large, growing G20 economy that is undergoing rapid development. It has a young demographic and a growing middle class. As a result, it has significant, and growing needs for goods, services and infrastructure (it is the world’s 21st largest importer).
The Canadian trade mission coincided with a historic event in the Kingdom. On April 26th, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman unveiled ‘Vision 2030’. The document sets out an ambitious blue print for the comprehensive transformation of the Saudi economy.
The message is clear: the KSA is open for business. In order to participate in this huge business advantage, Canada and Canadian businesses must act quickly. The rest of the world is lining up as we speak.
The CMEC team was led by Shawky Fahel, CMEC’s President and CEO. The team left Canada on April 25th and returned on April 30th. While at the Forum, Fahel participated on speaker panels on topics ranging from entrepreneurship in Canada to investment opportunities in Canada. The Waterloo Region was highlighted along with the its innovative business support structure including the University of Waterloo’s Velocity program, the Waterloo Accelerator Centre and Communitech.
The CMEC team of delegations were:
· Shawky Fahel, President and CEO, Canada-Middle East Consulting
· Ahmet Jakupi, Principal and Chief Strategist, Ahmet Jakupi Financial Solutions
· Dr. John Lewis, Faculty Member, University of Waterloo
· Don Bourgeois, Lawyer
· Mark Whaley, Entrepreneur and City of Waterloo Official
· Ray Simonson, CEO, Coreworx Inc
· Dr. Rafat Faraawi, Rheumatologist. Faculty Member, McMaster University
· Klaudios Mustakas, Immigration Consultant, Pace Law Firm
· Doug Carruthers, CEO and Board Member, Titan Management
The CMEC team expresses it sincere thanks and appreciation to Ahmed S. Islam, the Secretary General of the Canada Saudi Business Council, for his tireless work and expertise in planning and coordinating the Canadian delegation to this important event.
We also express our thanks and appreciation to the host Saudi-Canada Business Council for their generosity, hospitality and for an excellent program of B2B opportunities.
Link to Photos of the Trade Mission
About The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has significant ties to Canada. Bell Canada built the Kingdom’s telephone system over 40 years ago. Saudi medical doctors began coming to Canada 35 years ago for medical training. Today, more than 1,000 Saudi doctors are being in Canada.
Canadian architects, engineers, physicians and other professionals have been in, and with, Saudi Arabia for decades. In 2016, there are more than 20,000 Saudi students in Canada. When they return to Saudi Arabia, these students will be the decision-makers and consumers of tomorrow. They will be familiar with, and have, a fondness for Canada, and Canadian goods and services.
Letter from Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waterloo (pdf link)
Letter from David Jarworski, Mayor of Waterloo, Ontario (pdf link)
Canada-Middle East Consulting: Trade Mission Delegation Profiles
Shawky Fahel, President and CEO, Canada-Middle East Consulting
Shawky Fahel started JG Contracting Ltd in 1979. He now owns and operates several successful businesses under the umbrella name JG Group of Companies including a successful woodworking shop, a property development company and, most recently (2015), Canada-Middle East Consulting Inc. (CMEC). Fahel’s companies are based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Shawky arrived in Waterloo from Jaffa in 1968. He still maintains strong connections to the Arab community and the Middle East. A Palestinian, he has written extensively about improving relations between Palestinians and Israelis. Fahel has helped establish several organizations including one that nurtures medical research ties between Canada and Palestine while another distributes medical equipment to the developing world.
Fahel has served as an advisor on Middle East matters to the Canadian Departments of External Affairs and International Trade. He has been a delegate on Canadian trade missions (MENA) to Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the West Bank.
Fahel studied political science and Near Eastern Studies at Canada’s Wilfrid Laurier University. He is the distinguished recipient of several honours and awards including Waterloo’s Citizen of the Year, Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellowship Award as well as several humanitarian and outstanding volunteer awards.
Ahmet Jakupi, Principal and Chief Strategist, Ahmet Jakupi Financial Solutions
Ahmet Jakupi was raised in Kitchener, Ontario. He completed his medical degree in Europe, through diligence and determination; he put himself through school by currency trading. His passion did not stop there.
When he returned to Kitchener he decided that the medical field was not for him and instead decided to pursue a career in the finance. Having a medical background, being an entrepreneur and a passionate financial advisor, Ahmet amalgamates an exquisite array of qualities and skills that brings the best of both worlds; Medicine and Finance.
He inherently prioritizes his clients’ needs, proactively identifies areas that may need attention, devises and tailors strategies and solutions that meet these needs, ensuring their psychological, emotional and financial comfort in the process of building their relationship and discussing their financial affairs. Knowledge and experience aid in the process of building strategies for clients. Lateral thinking allows him to move beyond the step by step traditional approach.
Dr. John Lewis, Faculty Member, University of Waterloo
Dr. John Lewis is an urban planner and engineer with professional and research expertise in the areas of urban planning and environmental design, geo-design software development, sustainability planning and community engagement.
He has worked professionally as an urban planner for the City of York, as an environmental planning consultant for the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, the Yukon Government and the Government of Canada..
Through his work with Vidyā, he is currently developing and licensing geo-design software for government agencies, universities and land developers.
A faculty member at the University of Waterloo’s School of Planning since 2005, Dr. Lewis is also a community planning advisor to the Province of Ontario.
Don Bourgeois, Lawyer
Don Bourgeois is a lawyer who practices primarily regulatory law, and charitable and not-for-profit law.
Mr. Bourgeois was General Counsel for a large regulatory and law enforcement agency in Ontario, reporting to the Ministry of the Attorney General, for almost a decade, during which time he also served as Deputy Registrar, Director of Licensing and Registration, and Director of Legal Services.
Mr. Bourgeois has extensive experience in public policy and public law. He is the author of Public Law in Canada, and several texts for the charitable and not-for-profit sector, including The Law of Charitable and Not-for-Profit Organizations, and Elections Law of Canada.
In recognition of his contributions to his community and profession, Mr. Bourgeois is the recipient of several honours and awards, including The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, AMS/John Hodgson Award, The Amethyst Award, Kitchener-Waterloo Arts Award, and the Canadian Gaming Association’s Industry Leadership and Outstanding Contribution.
Mark Whaley, Entrepreneur and City of Waterloo Official
Mark Whaley is well known as “the man with many hats.”
As an elected official in the City of Waterloo, Canada, he is a four-term Councillor who has often represented his Region on the world stage,including its recognition as “the world’s most intelligent community” by the Intelligent Community Forum in New York.
In business, he is a partner and president of two highly successful technology companies, Horizon Engineering Solutions and Canadian Lite Incorporated, both located in Waterloo, Canada, in the heart of the nation’s technology hub.
He also sits on the board of directors of a number of for profit, charitable and research organizations.
Mark is an award winning environmental activist who has been honoured locally with his city’s highest award of merit, his provinces premiere recognition for volunteerism and the Canadian Urban Leadership Award.
Ray Simonson, CEO, Coreworx Inc
Ray Simonson is the CEO of Coreworx Inc., an enterprise software system that enables Oil and Gas companies, Mining companies and Engineering companies to automate major capital project best practices to mitigate schedule and cost risk through the entire capital project lifecycle.
Founded in 1997, Coreworx customers manage a portfolio of more than 900 capital projects valued at over $1.2 trillion. Coreworx has offices in Houston, Calgary, Waterloo and Abu Dhabi. The company is currently expanding its market in China and the GCC.
Ray brings a 32-year record of accomplishment with a deep technology expertise in enterprise software development and a proven entrepreneurial approach to Coreworx.
Ray has attracted a top class management team which has raised over 30 million dollars for Coreworx. Ray led the 2010 MBO of Coreworx which has grown rapidly since then.
Dr. Rafat Faraawi, Rheumatologist. Faculty Member, McMaster University
Dr. Rafat Faraawi is a licensed Rheumatologist in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
Dr. Faraawi is also an Associate Clinical Professor in the Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, at McMaster University. During his outstanding career he has been the Principal Investigator in over 30 clinical research trials and has authored more than 50 abstracts and publications.
Dr. Faraawi is the Principal Investigator with K-W Musculoskeletal Research Inc and he is the Consultant Rheumatologist with both the Grand River Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital in the Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
Klaudios Mustakas, Immigration Consultant, Pace Law Firm
Klaudios Mustakas is a former senior manager with the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). He has 37 years of federal government service, including international diplomatic assignments in the United States and the Middle East.
Kaudios retired as Chief, Enforcement (CBSA) in December, 2010.
Klaudios has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo and a diploma in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has twice been awarded the Governor-General of Canada’s Peace Officer Exemplary Medal for twenty and thirty years of exemplary service in the Canadian Government.
An expert in Canadian immigration and enforcement matters, he has extensive knowledge of all levels of the federal and Ontario governments.
Klaudios also has extensive ties with business and cultural communities in southern Ontario. He is frequently requested to speak on immigration and citizenship issues.
Doug Carruthers, CEO and Board Member, Titan Management
Douglas Carruthers has a BA from McMaster University. Douglas has over forty years of management experience with complex business models.
He executed very successfully as VP Corporate Development at Organic Resource Management Inc. a TSX.V listed company. He is a skillful planner, communicator and team motivator.
During his career he has held various senior executive positions in public companies and sat on two public company boards. He also worked as sales manager of a large Canadian commodity trading organization, a credit risk analyst with one of the major banks and a business analyst with a venture capital firm.
In the fall of 2015 Douglas executed a consulting engagement with Titan management developing a more comprehensive strategic planning process. He produced an independent report thoroughly defining Titan’s prospects and challenges. In February 2016 he joined Titan’s board of directors and accepted the role of CEO.
He has worked professionally as an urban planner for the City of York, as an environmental planning consultant for the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, the Yukon Government and the Government of Canada..
Through his work with Vidyā, he is currently developing and licensing geo-design software for government agencies, universities and land developers.
A faculty member at the University of Waterloo’s School of Planning since 2005, Dr. Lewis is also a community planning advisor to the Province of Ontario.
