The Canadian International Council – National Capital (Ottawa) Branch’s Mentorship Program presents…

CAREERS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE: INSIGHTS FROM TRADE PRACTITIONERS

Thursday, February 12, 2026 | 5:30 – 8:00 PM EST

Exclusive Event for Mentorship Program Participants!

REGISTRATION

This free event is exclusive to participants of CIC’s 2025-2026 Mentorship Program. If you are a participant, and wish to register, please email ottawa@thecic.org.

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Careers in International Trade – Insights from Trade Practitioners is an exclusive and unique event designed for the CIC Mentorship community. It will bring together CIC mentees with an interest or involvement in the international trade arena with seasoned trade practitioners to discuss opportunities and skillsets needed to navigate a career in this dynamic field.

Discussions will take place through a series of small roundtables each led by a seasoned trade practitioner (Guest Mentor) who will outline his/her career path, offer advice regarding skills needed in the current trade environment and respond to wide ranging questions from participants. Guest Mentors will rotate to alternate tables after 30 minutes to maximize the engagement and allow participants to hear from a variety of experienced trade practitioners.

Guest Mentors will comprise senior private sector trade practitioners, government trade facilitators, trade finance experts, international business education representatives, international trade consultants, international trade lawyers etc.

CONFIRMED GUEST MENTORS

Marvin Hough
President, MIRA Services

Marvin draws on 30 years of experience with Export Development Canada (EDC), where he worked in various locations including Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Beijing, New Delhi and Mexico City while supporting Canadian exporters through financial and risk management services. He served in senior roles including Regional Vice President for both Latin America and Asia Pacific.

Following his retirement from EDC, Mr. Hough joined the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa where he taught in the international business area and supervised international business research projects.

Since finishing his tenure at Telfer, Mr. Hough has published two books related to international business – “A Career in International Trade” and “The International Business Culture Pathfinder.” He mentors young professionals through organizations such as FITT, OWIT, CIC and guest lectures at colleges and universities while providing international trade advisory services through MIRA Services.

A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Mr. Hough, received a Bachelor of Commerce degree (with Distinction) and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Alberta. He also holds the CITP/FIBP designations from FITT.

Peter MacArthur
Executive Director of the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum

In 2022, Peter completed a 40-year career in Canada’s foreign service, more than half his time overseas. He served as Ambassador to Indonesia, Timor Leste and Philippines from 2016-2022 and 3 years as Canada’s APEC Senior Official during the Peru, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea host years.

His diplomatic assignments across the Indo-Pacific included India, Hong Kong, and Russia. He served as Minister (Commercial) in Japan. Peter completed a 2 -year secondment to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra. In Ottawa he was Director General for South, Southeast Asia and Oceania which included India and ASEAN relations. Peter was also DG for Global Business Opportunities focused on industry sectors, international education, science, and technology.

In 2024 Peter became Executive Director of the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum and is a CIC NCB board member. He is a graduate of McGill University and studied at l’Institut d’études politiques de Paris. Since 2023 his CIC mentorship has included 5 mentees.

Paul Brennan
Former Vice President International, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan)

Paul led a division which significantly expanded the scope and presence of the network of 135 Canadian colleges, institutes and polytechnics in over forty countries around the globe. This involved obtaining large multi-year Government of Canada funded cooperation programs, and then succeeding in matching those with contributions obtained from other development agencies like the World Bank, the British Office for Development Assistance, the Asian Development Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Master Card Foundation.

Close to seventy colleges were then able to acquire more international experience, develop partnerships and contacts to establish and expand their own institutional presence around the world.

Previously he was responsible for setting up a new Canadian College Sector Council Network connecting college deans and specialists with corresponding industrial sector councils, including FITT, to ensure more relevant education and training.

Paul is fluent in French, English and Chinese, and understands Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. He holds a master’s in modern Chinese history from McGill and Beijing Universities, and master’s in leadership of national organizations from McGill.

Caroline Tompkins
President and CEO at Forum for International Trade Training (FITT)

Caroline is the President & CEO of the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building the proficiency of businesses, professionals, and students, to access global markets, reduce and manage risks of international trade, and enable profitable competition. Caroline has experience in both the public and private sectors. Her experience in the educational sector began at Simon Fraser University with the Public Policy Programs division in the Continuing Education department. She is steadfast in her commitment to the continued growth of FITT as a thriving organization for international trade professionals and has cultivated relationships with the many industry and government partners fundamental to its success.

Caroline combines a solid understanding of training with an acute business sense and was recognized as a notable Canadian woman in the 1999/00 edition of Chatelaine’s Who’s Who of Canadian Women and is listed in the Canadian Who’s Who publications.

In 1999, Caroline was the recipient of the Peter Bentley Scholarship for the University of British Columbia’s Residential Programme for Executive Development and has since fulfilled the rigorous requirements for the Certified Association Executives (CAE), and the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designations. In 2012, Caroline was presented the Queen Elizabeth 11 Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Valerie Beaulieu
Regional Enablement Coach, Commercial Markets, RBC

Valerie Beaulieu is a Regional Enablement Coach, Commercial Markets for Ontario North and East. She works with the region’s executive as steward of National Office Strategy to embed and sustain strategic initiatives. Prior to this role, Valerie was the Regional Manager Business Markets. She led the fast-paced Ottawa South and Eastern Ontario team, one of the most resilient and engaged teams of Relationship Managers in the region.

Valérie joined RBC in 2014 as a Commercial Account Manager with the Technology Banking team in Vancouver and then in Ottawa. From there, she moved to the Senior Trade Finance Specialist role. She has been a leader in the Ottawa community, launching the RBC Women in Business Advice Event series, Ladies in Tech Networking Group and Prop Tech Matchmaking. Not only did she build brand visibility, but she also supported women in an industry that traditionally had been male dominated.

Valérie also brings some unique experiences from her previous roles at Export Development Canada and understands business clients’ perspective on converting to digital channels having launched an e-commerce platform for a Canadian clothing company.

Valérie holds a Master of Business Administration from Sauder School of Business, UBC and a Bachelor of Science from University of Ottawa. Valerie and her young family live in Ottawa.

Nadia Sabara
Corporate Director, Procurement and Purchasing, Groupe Nordik

Nadia Sabara is a senior procurement and supply chain leader with over 20 years of international experience spanning agrifood, food manufacturing, and complex global supply chains.

In her current role, Ms. Sabara leads enterprise-wide sourcing strategies, high-value supplier negotiations, and governance frameworks across multi-site operations. Her background includes senior roles at Procter & Gamble and Lee Valley Tools, where she drove large-scale cost optimization initiatives, strengthened supplier resilience, and supported global product launches.

Earlier in her career, she worked as a Senior Engineer in Sustainable Agriculture with the Ministry of Agriculture of Tunisia, contributing to international regulatory initiatives and national quality programs. Fluent in French and English, Ms. Sabara is known for her pragmatic, data-driven leadership and ability to operate effectively in multicultural, matrix environments.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental and agronomy engineering, a master’s degree in biotechnology, and postgraduate credentials in Supply Chain Management, as well as an ASCM Certificate in Supply Chain Procurement.

Jacqueline Marquez Rojano
Director of Legal Affairs – Mexico, Exeo

Most of Jacqueline’s career has been spent working for the Ministry of Economy of Mexico where for more than two decades, she has acquired extensive knowledge and experience in international trade agreements, foreign investment, international negotiations, trade facilitation, administrative and corporate law.

Ms. Márquez Rojano has served as a Head of the Office of the CUSMA and Representative for Trade and Investment in the office of the Mexican Ministry of Economy of Mexico in Canada. Prior to this, Jacqueline has held various senior positions in the Ministry of Economy including the pivotal role of Director of Legal Affairs for both the Foreign Investment Directorate General and the National Foreign Investment Commission.

Ms. Márquez played a key role on the negotiation teams for the CUSMA (NAFTA 2.0), and the CPTPP. Jacqueline also acted as a lead negotiator in numerous Bilateral Investment Treaties with countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, participating in multiple investment international negotiations.

In addition to her professional experience, Ms. Márquez is dedicated to education through her role as a professor of foreign investment and commercial contracts at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and other institutions since 2007.

Jacqueline is a lawyer with a master’s degree and graduated with honors with a specialty in Foreign Trade Law from the UNAM Faculty of Law.

Vickie Campbell
Project Director, Sustainable Trade, CoWater International

Cowater is a global leader in management consulting services, focusing on developing and emerging economies. Cowater works with governments, partner organizations, communities and civil society to design and implement sustainable solutions that generate lasting social, financial and environmental impacts. As Canada’s largest international development consulting firm, Cowater has developed a reputation of excellence for our strong ability to work with clients and stakeholders to provide leading-edge solutions and services tailored to the needs and challenges faced by developing and transitional countries.

Vicki Campbell is a seasoned program manager and communications professional with over 20 years experience in international and national organizations. Recognized for strong knowledge and expertise in the development, management, implementation and evaluation of programs in Africa, the America’s, South Asia, Russia and Canada, and in a range of sectors, including trade, public sector reform, education and the health sector.

This event is sponsored by Marvin Hough and PAFSO.