On this episode of the Cleantech Forward podcast, Foresight CEO and host Jeanette Jackson is joined by Allan Edwards, the Senior Trade Commissioner, and Head of Office at the High Commission of Canada's Trade office in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Lynn Cote, the National Lead of Cleantech Ecosystems and Market Intelligence, with the Cleantech Team at Export Development Canada.
Canada has been recognized as a hotbed of cleantech innovation. From groundbreaking advancements in renewable energy and carbon capture, storage, and utilization, to revolutionary solutions for waste management and water conservation, Canadian cleantech companies are at the forefront of the global transition to a cleaner, net zero future.
We have an abundance of talented, passionate cleantech innovators who are poised to deploy technologies, and make incredible impacts on global sustainability challenges.
But our domestic market for the adoption of many of these technologies is relatively small. In order for many Canadian companies to remain competitive, achieve scale, and gain a foothold in their target market, finding customers outside of Canada is necessary. And while international markets are a good solution for the issue of adoption, expanding globally comes with its own set of unique barriers.
Jeanette and the guests explore how Canada’s official export-supporting programs like the Trade Commissioner Service and Export Development Canada help cleantech innovators as they navigate the challenges associated with international expansion. From foreign regulations and cultural differences, to infrastructure and logistics challenges, our guests break down how they are helping Canada’s cleantech ecosystem grow beyond our borders.
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Allan Edwards is the Senior Trade Commissioner and Head of Office at the High Commission of Canada's Trade Office in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has worked to support Canadian business as a Trade Commissioner since February, 1994. In that time he has been posted to Tokyo, Seattle, Osaka, Nagoya, Taipei, and Toronto. His office is responsible for helping Canadian companies develop trade relationships in South Africa, Namibia, Mauritius, Lesotho, and Madagascar. He is also the Regional Senior Trade Commissioner responsible for Comoros, Tanzania, the Seychelles, and Zambia.
Lynn Côté is the National Lead Cleantech Ecosystems & Market Intelligence, Cleantech Team at Export Development Canada. Lynn has been with EDC in some capacity since 1990. She has worked on a number of teams, and held positions in IT, Underwriting, Business Analysis, Business Process Management. In 2013 she joined the Infrastructure and Financial Services team where she was focussed on the cleantech sector, and has been Lead of the Cleantech Team since 2016.
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