Quebec premier leads 150-strong biz team to B'lore

Quebec is Canada’s largest province and prominent Life Sciences hub in North America. Incidentally, besides New Delhi Bangalore is the only other port of call for Premier Charest, his Minister of International Relations Pierre Arcand, Minister of Economic Development, Exports & Innovation Clement Gignac, and business team.

Official and Canadian Trade Office sources told Deccan Herald that while in Bangalore, Premier Charest will call on Chief Minister and the Governor and a host of State ministerial team. On the occasion, the State is hosting a day-long seminar on Investment Opportunities in Karnataka and will propose several projects before the Quebec business team.

The two-day visit will also see several official high-level parallel meetings between the two sides. Both in Bangalore and New Delhi, back to back business programme will include sectoral seminars with Indian company participants, B2B meetings and site visits sources said.   

Exploring opportunity

The team will have several meetings with their counter parts in Karnataka and leading industrialists in Bangalore and may visit key institutions and company headquarters of City companies, education and research institutes and IT parks.

The business team, sources said, is drawn from wide range of sectoral interests comprising 93 companies represented by 130 business delegates from IT, Life Sciences, Aeronautics, Education, Research & Innovation, infrastructure, construction equipment, automobile, transportation, environment, IT, plastic & packaging, health care,
pharmaceutical, entertainment & multimedia, education and universities, legal services et al.  

Besides enhancing bilateral trade, investment and cooperation between the two countries the focus of meetings and talks both in Bangalore and Delhi is also aimed at identifying emerging business opportunities between the two countries, sources said.
Among high-profile head honchos include Airports Services CEO James Cherry, Bombardier Inc’s John Paul MacDonald, CAF Aviation President Marc St Hilaire, Pratt & Whitney Design & Support Vice President Jean Richard Bertrand, Demers Ambulances CEO Alain Brunelle, Mitec Telecom Executive Presiddent Jeffrey Mandal, SDP Composantes President & CEO Shyam Gupta, Ultra Electronics Vice President Business Development Peter Katz, DirectLad President Guy Michaud, Innovitech President Camille Gagnon, Bell Helicopter International Research Director Somen Chowdhury and host of very many others.