Young NB Ambassadors to Bring Atlantic Canadian Business to China
FREDERICTON–Three entrepreneurial young people are heading from New Brunswick to China to get the message across that Atlantic Canada is open for business.
Deloitte business technology analyst and UNB software engineering student Daniel Orozco, UNB business student Gillian Miller and Fredericton High School senior Srijain Man Shrestha are of the 40 young Canadian leaders chosen to participate in Global Vision’s Junior Team Canada Trade Mission to China.
The mission aims to promote Canadian industry and culture while being immersed in the culture of the destination. Daniel Orozco explains he and other representatives will set up meetings and networking events with industry leaders, high schools and universities to promote Canadian industry and attract foreign investments.
“I participated in another trade mission back in 2012,” Orozco said. “I was just looking to find what I wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to take my education and career and fortunately I got a lot of opportunities after my trade mission then to Colombia and Panama.”
Orozco is also passionate about leading new ambassadors who haven’t done anything like a trade mission before. He and fellow ambassadors established Global Vision Fredericton, a network of young professionals looking to work with community leaders to help students develop skills and stay competitive.
“I wanted to give back and this year I’ve been really involved with the organization,” he said. “I wanted to mentor other first time ambassadors going on the mission this year and bring my expertise to the mission and help as much as possible.”
Orozco and his fellow ambassadors are looking to raise $5,500 each by getting local business partners on board with their mission. This money goes to Global Vision to pay for costs associated with the mission.
“Once we get a sponsorship through a business, we perform different mandates for them abroad, such as getting new potential clients, getting distribution set up, finding key contacts, getting market intelligence, helping them navigate Chinese regulations, attracting foreign investment, funneling Chinese companies looking to come to Canada or North America and funneling them to specific services here in Atlantic Canada,” Orozco said.
Orozco hopes to help the province make a name for itself as a place with potential in industries like wine and liquor as well as IT and technology. He also hopes to bring attention to the post-secondary education opportunities here to appeal to international students.
“I’ve noticed that there are a lot of groups out there that try to engage youth and better the community, but I found there was nothing that really gave youth a mentorship opportunity in a more informal way,” Orozco said.
“Right now it’s extremely hard to find a job. I think giving youth the opportunity to create these personal connections in the community can go a long way.”