Communiqué de presse
2012 Israel-West Bank Mission: first mission promises profitable partnerships for the city
Montréal, September 17, 2012 – The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is positive in its assessment of the first economic mission to Israel and the West Bank, led by the Mayor of Montréal, Gérald Tremblay, last week.
“We already knew that the Israeli market offers a business environment that is conducive to the development and commercialization of new technologies and rich in business opportunities, and that it is promising for our businesses and universities,” said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. “This economic mission allowed us to see that for ourselves and to meet many Israeli and West Bank entrepreneurs as well as key actors from government and research circles.”
“The Board of Trade is now well positioned to repeat this experience in the coming years and to help Quebec businesses break into the Israeli market, particularly thanks to a memorandum of understanding we signed this week with the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce,” Michel Leblanc said. “This agreement provides us better access to strategic information and privileged contacts that can help us open doors to this market.”
“We would like to congratulate the five participants in the mission who were able to reach agreements with their Israeli counterparts or who are on the verge of doing so,” Mr. Leblanc said. “In many countries, such as China and Brazil, businesses have to be patient to close deals. The experience from this past week shows us that Israeli entrepreneurs are much faster to sign agreements or develop business partnerships.”
“The meetings organized as part of this mission allowed the two businesses I represent ¯ Novatek International and its subsidiary Cognistat ¯ to achieve their objectives,” said Richard Sasseville, Associate Director at Novatek. “The three businesses in the pharmaceutical sector we met with as well as two research centres on the brain showed a great deal of interest in our technology. And thanks to high-level meetings with the President and CEO and representatives of Teva, we managed to finalize the terms of an important partnership agreement with the multinational.”
“This mission gave me the opportunity to promote Judith & Charles and to meet potential clients in Israel and Jordan,” said Charles Le Pierrès, President of Judith & Charles. “I am very pleased to confirm that our high-end clothing line will be sold in the boutique ANIK, a business with its head office in Tel-Aviv, as well as in Ossari stores in Amman, Jordan.”
“Whenever we first send a mission to a country, as is the case with Israel, it’s useful to have political leaders with us to facilitate contacts and provide visibility,” Mr. Leblanc said. “We applaud the initiative and leadership of Montréal Mayor Gérald Tremblay, an excellent ambassador for the city with our Israeli and West Bank hosts.”
About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.
About the economic mission to Israel and the West Bank
This large-scale mission, with 48 representative of Québec businesses and educational, research and innovation institutions, was jointly organized by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal’s team of international trade experts, the World Trade Centre Montréal, and the Ville de Montréal. It was presented by Heenan Blaikie in partnership with Peerless Clothing, the Ministère du Développement Économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation (MDEIE), Montréal International and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. The WTC Montréal receives financial support from Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
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Source :
Sylvie Paquette
Advisor, Media Relations Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Phone: 514 871-4000, extension 4015
spaquette@ccmm.qc.ca
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