CUCC meeting with Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine-Trade Representative

Please join us for an online meeting initiated by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the Deputy Minister for Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture – Taras Kachka
 
The Zoom meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 19th from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Topics of the discussion during this meeting will be the current economic situation in Ukraine and potential opportunities for development and trade.
Prior registration is required for non-CUCC-member companies. Please contact us at skavetskyi@cucc.ca to get Zoom link details.

Ukrainian-Canadian business leaders voice distress over Russian invasion – The Globe and Mail

Business leaders in the Canadian-Ukrainian community say they are extremely concerned for the safety of friends and employees in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country Thursday.

Zenon Potichny, president of the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 200 companies that do business in the two countries, said the situation on the ground is very serious.

He said he hopes all of Canada stands with the people of Ukraine, especially as more than a million Canadians are of Ukrainian descent.

Mr. Potichny is the president of Zhoda Petroleum, a company invested in two oil projects in Ukraine. The company lost control of one of those projects, an offshore drilling operation in the Black Sea, after Russia annexed the Crimea Peninsula in 2014. He said his company is still pursuing ownership of the project through international courts.

Production at the other, an oil field in Lelyaki in central Ukraine, was shut down Thursday because of the dangers of rocket attacks or tanks rolling through the area, he said.

The company also has a dozen employees in Kyiv, who are bunkering down at their homes.

“We did ask if, perhaps, we can assist them,” Mr. Potichny said. “Perhaps we can help them, move them at least to Western Ukraine or that area, but at this point they actually decided to stay with their families in Kyiv.”

He said Western countries should cast a wide net on sanctions to punish hundreds of Russian businessmen close to President Vladimir Putin and isolate Russia from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system.

Borys Wrzesnewskyj, a former Liberal MP and the owner of Future Bakery, a chain of bakeries in Toronto, said he is anxious about the humanitarian disaster unfolding. He said the large size and well-organized nature of Canada’s Ukrainian community means that this country can safely take in a large number of refugees, if necessary.

“Our ability to absorb and to bring Ukrainian refugees into our communities, into our homes, we have a capacity to do this on a very large scale,” he said.

As well, he said he is concerned about the living conditions and food supply in other countries that rely on Ukraine’s agricultural experts. He pointed to Lebanon, which is going through its own humanitarian disaster and relies on Ukrainian food for nearly half of its population’s caloric intake. Yemen and Libya are two other countries that rely heavily on Ukrainian grain exports, and a shortage of those products could cause dangerous spikes in food prices.

As a prominent member of Toronto’s Ukrainian community, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj has experienced his own share of aggression. One location of the bakery, which was founded by his grandparents, was vandalized with pro-Russian graffiti earlier this month.

“It was more than an attempt at vandalism,” Mr. Wrzesnewskyj said. “It was an attempt at intimidation. … The messaging that was spray-painted was hateful and clear in what it was saying.”

However, he said he did not believe the attack to be reflective of the Russian-Canadian community as a whole, only of some individuals who had been influenced by the propaganda of Mr. Putin’s government.

Mr. Wrzesnewskyj also said he was hopeful that Western countries would place a full economic embargo on Russia and make sure that Mr. Putin could not channel funds through other, third-party countries. He also urged the Canadian government to cancel the domestic broadcasting licence of RT, a Russian state-controlled television network.

As Ukrainian-Canadian organizations begin to organize fundraisers, some members of the community are rushing to send money directly to their loved ones.

Taras Pidzamecky, chief executive officer of the Ukrainian Credit Union Ltd., a Canadian credit union that serves members of the Ukrainian community, said he has seen a sudden surge in members wanting to wire money to family abroad.

He said the credit union is trying to quickly check on the status of the banking system in Ukraine, but that it is still not clear what is functioning.

“We just want to be careful, for example, that somebody doesn’t try to send some money and then it gets stuck somewhere because there’s nowhere to land or there’s been a disruption at the other end,” he said.

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Webinar “STRENGTHENING POLICIES & PROGRAMMES TO SUPPORT DIASPORA AND MIGRANT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY”

?Join us for the final webinar titled “STRENGTHENING POLICIES & PROGRAMMES TO SUPPORT DIASPORA AND MIGRANT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY” in our 5-part series under the “#DiasporAid: Opportunities for diaspora engagement to advance Ukraine’s economic development” initiative organized in collaboration with UkraineInvest, IOM Ukraine and Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce. This webinar will be dedicated to discussing smart diaspora economic policies, programmes to stimulate diaspora engagement in Ukraine’s economic development.
?Registration: https://cutt.ly/JTzdnwP

Business opportunities in Ukraine

On September 22, 2021 CUCC conducted a free webinar about the potential for business development in Ukraine. Our guest experts discussed the Ukrainian market, the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, and its opportunities for Canadian companies to do business with Ukraine. Particular emphasis was made on the overview of a booming ICT sector in Ukraine and the presentation of few software development companies.

In case you have missed this online event, we have a recording available.
Please follow the link and learn more. (https://youtu.be/izdJ38e1m1A)

Should any questions arise, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@cucc.ca & skavetskyi@cucc.ca

Business opportunities in Ukraine

Broaden your knowledge of international trade and ask our guest experts your questions.Virtual activities and content.
The speech will be delivered in English only.

Registration deadline: September 22, 2021.

REGISTRATION

Principal Sponsor

Caisses Desjardins

Speakers

Desjardins International Meetings in a nutshell

International trade is one aspect of the economy that has been most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Do you have any challenges or questions you’d like to discuss? We are offering you an opportunity to get answers via our webinars. Guest experts will discuss their point of view on international trade and provide tips on how to make it through the pandemic and get ready to resume your business.

Topics discussed in this Desjardins International Meetings webinar:

Join us for a free webinar on September 22 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) to learn more about the potential for business development in Ukraine. Our guest experts will discuss the Ukrainian market, the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement and the opportunities it presents for Canadian companies to do business with Ukraine. Particular emphasis will be made on the overview of a booming ICT sector in Ukraine and the presentation of few software development companies.

A unique opportunity to:

  • Identify the challenges and opportunities in this market;
  • Understand the business environment in Ukraine;
  • Learn important information about the market and the current situation;
  • Gain first-hand knowledge from professionals who deal with bilateral trade on a daily basis;
  • Get tips on how to seize business opportunities in this market;
  • Benefit from expert advice and experience to succeed in your international business growth;
  • Learn more about ICT in Ukraine, a fast-growing sector providing first-class services to customers around the world, including Fortune-500 list companies;
  • Get introduced to selected IT companies, their expertise, knowledge and how they can help your business.

Who is this Desjardins International Meetings webinar for?

  • For Québec companies with internationalization potential;
  • For entrepreneurs looking for new business opportunities in Europe, especially in Ukraine;
  • For Quebec companies with a need of digital transformation or outsourcing software development services;
  • For entrepreneurs and SME managers who need or depend on the development services offered.

Activity schedule

10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m.: Introduction by Alexia Barbier, Advisor, International Market Development, Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal
10:05 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.: Welcome remarks by Zenon Potoczny, president of the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce
10:15 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.: Panel Discussion

  • Julia Buss, Senior Trade Commissioner, and Yury Mardak, Trade Commissioner at the Canadian Embassy in Ukraine
  • Petro Petrenko, Counsellor of the Trading Section at the Embassy of Ukraine to Canada
  • Emma Turos, Managing Director of the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce
  • Natalia Mitrofanova, Vice President on International Cooperation and External Relations and Strategic Partnership Executive of the IT Ukraine Association, Wirex

10:35 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.: Case studies with Ukrainian companies in the IT sector, presented by the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce and N-ix
10:50 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Question period and wrap-up

Prices

FREE
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN UKRAINE, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 FROM 10 A.M. TO 11 A.M.
*One transaction per participant, by email. This transaction entitles one person to access the event.
**If you have any questions, please write to us at reservations@ccmm.ca.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN UKRAINE, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 FROM 10 A.M. TO 11 A.M.$0 *

Contact et informations

Online:

REGISTRATION

By phone:

514 871-4001

For more information:

Alexia Barbier
Advisor, International Market Development
514 871-4002, extension 6212
abarbier@ccmm.ca

Registration deadline: September 22, 2021

DiasporaAid: Opportunities for diaspora and migrant engagement to advance Ukraine’s economic development

DiasporaAid: Opportunities for diaspora and migrant engagement to advance Ukraine’s economic development

We are organizing a series of online webinars which aim to launch a more structured discussion in Ukraine on how to activate and engage the potential of Ukraine’s diaspora and migrant community in Ukraine’s economic development. 

Join us as we bring together Ukrainian diaspora, Government of Ukraine, international community and other diasporas of the world, for discussion and debate

Stay tuned for the following online events on economic engagement of diaspora and migrant community

  1. STRENGTHENING DIASPORA AND MIGRANT INVESTMENT IN UKRAINE
  2. ROLE OF MIGRANTS AND DIASPORA IN STRENGTHENING SMEs IN UKRAINE
  3. COVID-19 AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENHANCE DIASPORA ECONOMIC ENGAGEMENT WITH UKRAINE THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DIASPORA AND MIGRANT COMMUNITY
  4. STRENGTHENING COMMUNICATION WITH THE DIASPORA AND MIGRANT COMMUNITY IN SUPPORT OF UKRAINE’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
  5. SMART DIASPORA POLICIES: STRENGTHENING POLICIES & PROGRAMMES TO SUPPORT DIASPORA AND MIGRANT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY WITH UKRAINE

STRENGTHENING DIASPORA AND MIGRANT INVESTMENT IN UKRAINE

June 29, 2021

Agenda

Link for registration: https://bit.ly/3d6B8mq

Focus of this webinar will be on the development of mechanisms and platforms for retail investors from the Ukrainian diaspora and migrant community to invest in Ukraine.  We will also explore international experience and learn about different diaspora and migrant investment instruments that can potentially be transferable, scalable or adaptable to the Ukrainian context.

Moderator:  Natalia Nemyliwska, Director Economic Prosperity and Investment Committee (EPIC), Ukrainian World Congress

16:00 – 16:30 Opening remarks
MFA representative (TBC)
Lenna Koszarny, Chair, EPIC and Vice President, Ukrainian World Congress (TBC)
Sergiy Tsivkach, Executive Director, UkraineInvest
Michael Newson, Senior Labour Migration and Human Development Specialist, IOM Regional Office Vienna
   
16:30 – 16:55 Role and experience of international organizations and stakeholders in developing and promoting migrant and diaspora investment
Kateryna Ardanyan, Migration and Development Officer, IOM Ukraine
Karim Karaki, Senior Associate, PwC Luxembourg

Mariia Volkovska, Manager,  PwC Ukraine

   
16:55 – 17:10 Engaging economically the Ukrainian diaspora and migrant community: potential, experience and expectations
Zenon Potoczny, President, Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce, Canada
Emma Turos, Managing Director, Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce, Ukraine
   
17:10 – 17:40 International experience: good practices and lessons learned
Manoela Lussi, Programme Manager of Diaspora project, IOM Albania
Yohannes Assefa, Board Member, Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund
 
17:40 18:00 Questions and answers

 

Member News: N-iX Achieves AWS Advanced Consulting Partner Status

N-iX, a leading software development provider, announced today that it has achieved Amazon Web Services Advanced Consulting Partner status in the AWS Partner Network (APN). It is the second-highest tier for AWS Consulting Partners, and N-iX has become one of only 9 Ukraine-based companies that obtained this accreditation. Also, out of over 9,000 AWS partners worldwide, only 13% have been able to receive the Advanced or Premier Consulting tier.

“N-iX partnered with AWS early in 2020 and has since solidified its position in AWS Partner Network, moving up several tiers in just one year. During this time, we have invested a lot into presenting our work to AWS, validating the quality of services, providing training, and motivating our engineers to get certified. Having all this recognized by AWS and reaching the important milestone of Advanced Tier demonstrates our ongoing commitment to delivering business value and driving customer success together with AWS,” comments Orest Furhala, Head of Partnerships at N-iX.

To reach the AWS Advanced Consulting Partner status, companies have to undergo a rigorous approval process and demonstrate extensive technological expertise, proven customer success within the AWS ecosystem as well as training and certification of the company’s specialists. This accreditation allows N-iX to work more closely with AWS, ensuring the company continues to develop its expertise and deliver high-quality AWS solutions.

“N-iX is honoured to be recognized by AWS as an Advanced Consulting Partner,” said Nazariy Zhovtanetskyy, Chief Strategy Officer at N-iX. “This achievement reflects the experience and value our experts bring for each of our customers. A lot of our partners, including Gogo, Currencycloud, Lebara, TuneIn, and others have already enjoyed the benefits of AWS, such as reduced costs, increased security, better flexibility, faster time to market, to name a few. So, we are determined to grow further our cloud expertise to help our clients drive maximum value from their cloud investments.”