#HOTCS: Kathryn Aleong, Halifax

“Our people are the most important thing about the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, because our people are the ones who deliver. Our people are the ones who interact with and assist our clients, Canadian companies. Our networks, including our local contacts, and our knowledge of what is happening in our territories are also important. You can get stuff on the internet, but it’s all about interpretation, and as often said, if it’s on the Internet, it’s just information, it’s not intelligence. The real intelligence you get is on the ground, whether it’s here domestically, in my case and that of my team in Atlantic Canada, or abroad. Our people get to know everyone who’s anyone in their particular sector. They get to know the industry associations and key partners, they find out who the real players are. And then they connect Canadian companies to those key contacts in the markets they’re interested in. From the deputy minister right on down to our officers and assistants on the front lines across Canada and around the world, it’s our people who make the real difference.”