CANADA RWANDABOARD OF TRADE
CANADA RWANDACanada-Rwanda Board of Trade (CRBOT) is one of the most influential forces in the regional economic development. CRBOT is actively involved in promoting bi lateral trade, art and culture, scientific and academic exchanges and friendship between the people and businesses of Canada and Rwanda. CRBOT provides valuable resources to its members, politicians and its stake holders both in Canada and Rwanda to make Rwanda a gateway and the open door to the countries positioned in central Africa. CRBOT is a non-profit, none political advocacy organization mostly run and operated by a group of distinguished Canadian and Rwandan’s who believe a positive and permanent change is only possible only by dialog, fair trade and exchange of ideas. CRBOT offers unprecedented benefits and opportunities to make Rwandan businesses prosperous and open the African markets to Canadians wanting to discover the unprecedented opportunities in the world’s oldest continent. CRBOT is excited to pave the way for a growing regional economy as Africa venture into the new millennium.
Canada-Rwanda Board of Trade (CRBOT) is one of the most influential forces in the regional economic development. CRBOT is actively involved in promoting bi lateral trade, art and culture, scientific and academic exchanges and friendship between the people and businesses of Canada and Rwanda. CRBOT provides valuable resources to its members, politicians and its stake holders both in Canada and Rwanda to make Rwanda a gateway and the open door to the countries positioned in central Africa. CRBOT is a non-profit, none political advocacy organization mostly run and operated by a group of distinguished Canadian and Rwandan’s who believe a positive and permanent change is only possible only by dialog, fair trade and exchange of ideas. CRBOT offers unprecedented benefits and opportunities to make Rwandan businesses prosperous and open the African markets to Canadians wanting to discover the unprecedented opportunities in the world’s oldest continent. CRBOT is excited to pave the way for a growing regional economy as Africa venture into the new millennium.
E-mail: info@canada-rwanda.com
Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Joan Bush started her career with a major international oil and petro-chemical company. With a background in Mechanical Engineering her career was focused in numerous technical endeavors including leading edge organizational design in a production environment. In later years her career took on a global focus bringing innovative technical design and services marketed in Canada, the first of its kind in the oil industry.
Since 1994 Joan has been President of Jointventure Finance Inc, a company specializing in mergers and acquisitions in high technology and manufacturing sectors. Joan has been involved with many charitable and community causes around the world including Bam Earthquake relief, Tsunami and Oxfam relief funds. On numerous occasions visiting many of these areas, including India, Iran, Iraq and various African nations, her work has primarily focused on women’s issues such as poverty, homelessness and education. Ms. Bush currently serves her second term as a Governor of The Trent University on the Board of Governors.
She has contributed extensively to the community through numerous charities including local hospitals, scholarship funds and youth and women’s shelters.
John Capobianco has been involved in the Canadian political process for over 20 years. As well, John has spent close to 10 years in the financial sector. In 1995, John moved to the provincial government serving an Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament, a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Minister of Education. For the past nine years, John has worked in the government relations and public affairs industry serving clients in all the major industry sectors.
He is currently Senior Vice President & Partner, National Public Affairs Practice Lead for Fleishman-Hillard Canada where he works in both the Toronto and Ottawa offices. John is a well-known figure in Canadian politics and as a regular commentator and political analyst in the media. John earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Economics at York University. He currently sits on the Board of the Albany Club of Toronto, is the Immediate Past President of The Canadian Club of Toronto, and Chair of the Board for the National Broadcast Reading Services Inc.
Neil Fleshner, M.D. is Head of the Division of Urology at University Health Network (UHN) and Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. His practice focuses on the prevention and surgical treatment of urologic malignancy, with an emphasis on prostate cancer.
Dr. Fleshner is certified in both urology and epidemiology. He earned his Master in Public Health degree from the School of Public Health at Columbia University. His oncology training was completed at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. His current projects include two randomized trials of nutritional intervention in prostate cancer. Dr. Fleshner oversees a basic research laboratory, which focuses on the assessment of oxidative biomarkers and cell cycle regulation in prostate cancer cells exposed to micronutrients. His research is or has been funded by the National Cancer Institute of Canada, Medical Research Council of Canada, Canadian Prostate Cancer Research Foundation, Canadian Institute of Health Research and National Institute of Health.
Dr. Fleshner has authored more than 100 publications. He has also served on the faculty of numerous postgraduate courses and has been an invited lecturer around the world.
The acclaimed Rwandan filmmaker, Eric KABERA made his studies in psychology, pedagogy and law. After a training offered by Reuters Foundation in London, he became a radio journalist for 3 years with the national broadcaster and a freelancer for the Africa Section of the BBC. Eric KABERA is now, the official correspondent of GRN (Global Radio Network) in East Africa.
Since 1994, his company, Link Media Production whose production credits range from the first feature length film on the Rwandan genocide 100 Days to multiple documentaries and shorts specializing on the Great Lakes region and Rwanda. His productions have been acclaimed in prestigious film festivals such as Toronto International Film Festival, Vues d’Afrique (Canada), Milan, FESPACO, Los Angeles, ZIFF, Göteborg, New York, African Film Festival,Tribeca, Cape Town World Cinema Festival, Cinema Africa Tokyo etc. Eric has also given talks and presentations at various reputable universities and institutions such as Tufts University (USA), the Dramatic Institute (Stockholm / Sweden), the Gothenburg Film Festival, UCLA, Cal Arts.
Even though he was still living in the DRC when the Rwandan Genocide started in April of 1994, Kabera was compelled to tell to the world the plight of his country by producing the first feature film on the Genocide with Nick Hughes, a movie titled 100 days. A film that paved the way to many other films that followed dealing with the same subject. 100 days employed no professional actors, rather the filmmakers used actual survivors to act out the script, and was shot on location at the actual scenes where acts of genocide occurred.
Kabera also made “Keepers of Memory” a 2004 acclaimed documentary in which he interviewed both victims and perpetrators of the genocide against the Tutsi and also “Africa United” that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2010.
Farsad Kiani is President and CEO of the Ensil Group of Companies, Exceltion Medical Innovation and President and CEO of Oxyne Electronics Inc. The Ensil Group is involved in research, development and manufacturing of electronic systems and assemblies used in the fields of defense and aerospace. Exceltion Medical Innovation is primarily involved in research and development of medical diagnostic equipment for the detection of HIV and cancer markers.
In 1983, Mr. Kiani graduated from the State University of New York with a degree in Electrical Engineering and in 2007 with a MBA from KWU.
Mr. Kiani has served on various boards in the private and public sectors, and currently is a member of Board of Governors at Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, Member of the Leadership Council of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Director of the Princess Margaret Hospital , Director of Royal Commonwealth Society Foundation and Director of Kiani Foundation. For nearly ten years Mr. Kiani was also a Director of the York Central Hospital Foundation and member of the executive committee.
In 2003, Mr. Kiani became a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee for meritorious service and citizenship.
Charles J. McMillan, Professor of Strategic Management, Schulich School of Business, is the author of nine books and monographs related to international business and global management, including the Japanese Industrial System (published in English, Japanese, Malaysian and Russian), The Strategic Challenge: From Surfdom to Surfing in the Global Village and Focusing on the Future: The New Atlantic Revolution, issued by the Council of Atlantic Premiers. He has written and lectured extensively on globalization, international strategic planning, corporate governance, international financial reform, technology policy, and industrial restructuring. His articles and papers appear in prestigious publications such as McGill Law Journal, Canadian Public Policy, The New York Times and The Globe and Mail. In 2007, he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship at Brandeis University, International Business School.
Active in public affairs and public policy, Dr. McMillan has served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, and on boards of several public and private corporations. He has extensive knowledge of board responsibilities in areas like fund raising, corporate governance, and financial controls. He has served on several voluntary boards, including the Asia Pacific Foundation, the National Ballet School of Canada. He has worked extensively with various national and provincial governments, and financial institutions across Canada as well as multinational and international organizations around the world.
Anna is a senior corporate executive with many years of upper management experience within the heavy equipment and financial sectors.
In 2004 Anna was promoted to Regional Vice President for Volvo Construction North America, and in 2007 became a member of Strongco Executive Management and later on was appointed as the Vice President of Operations for the largest division with in the Strongco.
Anna is a Board Member of the Canadian Association Equipment Distribution (CAED), an Executive Member of Strongco LP, and Executive Guild Member, Holy Trinity School.
Strongco is Volvo’s second largest distributor in North America with nearly half a billion in revenues and over 700 employees and has been the largest volume Dealer for Volvo Finance and has been awarded the top performing dealers for all various key business partners.
Mr. Stratton is the Chair of the Firm’s Financial Services Group and practices in the areas of financing, business law with a special emphasis on wholly-owned Canadian subsidiaries of multi-national enterprises. Lee has lobbied the federal and provincial governments for policy and legislative changes and litigated various tax and trade issues. Lee serves as a director of several private corporations.
For several years, Mr. Stratton taught International Business Law at the Faculty of Law, Queen’s University and also the law course for the Forum for International Trade Training national certification program. Lee has lectured and presented papers on directors’ duties, Canada’s competition laws, the North American Free Trade Agreement, product distribution and international transfer pricing to various professional and business groups.
Mr. Stratton graduated from York University, B.A. (Honours) 1979, Queen’s University, LL.B. 1983 , University of Ottawa, LL.M. 1993 and called to the Bar in 1985.
The Canada-Rwanda Board of Trade will be acclaimed as a leader and catalyst in facilitating value for its members by optimizing their competitive viability in the regional, national, and global marketplaces.
