Toronto Lithuanians will join the 2016 Lithuanian business mission to Canada

“The idea to bring together professionals of the community has been brewing for a couple of years now. It was inspired by similar organizations that operated 25-30 years ago when Lithuania was plowing its way to the free world. This meeting is one more important step. We believe that this team will become a platform for collaboration, mutual assistance and development of Canadian and Lithuanian liaison,” suggested one of the founders, Canadian-born Stan (Statys) Kuliavas, sales and development vice president of one of the largest private aviation maintenance centers in Canada and the world, Pilatus Canada.

His partners in this initiative are Algis Ankstinas, marketing and customer service director for WIND Mobile, the fourth biggest mobile technology firm in Canada, Darius Kuras, senior consultant of the largest public strategy and communication firm in Canada Navigator, Tomas Kuras, sales director of one of the fastest-growing Canadian IT firms Intelex, Vija Kuras, operational director of Tuckshop Co, and Victoria Radziunas, marketing director at one of the largest agencies in the world J. Walter Thompson.

Kotryna Stankutė-Jaščemskienė, the head of Global Lithuanian Leaders, invited the professionals to get actively involved in bringing positive changes in Lithuania and become partners of the country by participating in many various economically and educationally valuable projects. One of them – Lithuanian business mission being organized by Enterprise Lithuania in 2016.

Interest in the Canadian market has especially grown in the last years as Lithuanian export volumes in the Eastern markets hace decreased and when the EU and Canada signed a trade agreement, which will eliminate up to 99% of the overall customs tariffs.

During the visit to Canada, the representative of Enterprise Lithuania Aistė Zapalskytė met with Canadian Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development representatives, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Asssociation as well as the EU Chamber of Commerce in Canada. During the meetings the potential of Lithuanian companies and areas of interest were discussed.

According to Jonas Skardinkas, the authorized minister of the Lithuanian Embassy in Canada, the Canadian market has a lot of untapped opportunities for Lithuanian firms, and in order to establish successful relationships in 2016, Lithuanian companies have to consistently prepare for it now.