#HOTCS: Tina Shih, Los Angeles

“My last assignment before coming to L.A. was in India: a very important emerging market, where there’s lots of opportunity, but the culture and the regulatory and business environment can be very challenging for Canadian companies. So I started the Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) in India program, where we took a handful of Canadian tech companies and helped them penetrate the Indian market. This was hugely rewarding, as the companies from the first cohort, within the six months of the virtual program, were actually able to find commercial successes in India, in a very challenging environment, where the infrastructure is not quite there yet. It was a lot of fun!

I consider myself very lucky, because this is a very rewarding job. I interact with people who are extremely smart and inspiring in terms of their professionalism and their aspirations. As Trade Commissioners, we serve Canadian and international businesses from very diverse sectors, and I’ve learned a great deal from all these professionals, about different cultures, different industries, and the advantages that Canada has to offer.”