SUISSE News Summer 2023
International Affairs
International Affairs
June 2023
About the Swiss Business Hub Canada
The Hub provides local support, market information, consulting and networking services to Swiss and Liechtenstein companies venturing into the Canadian market. Based in Montreal, the Hub works closely with the Embassy of Switzerland in Canada and with Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), the export and investment promotion organization of Switzerland (www.s-ge.com).
The Swiss Business Hub Canada Team
Did you know that Canada is 250 times and Québec 40 times bigger than Switzerland? Given Canada’s large land area, the SBH has a relatively small but committed team based in Montreal.
Steffen Milner heads the Hub and made the promotion of Switzerland's economic interests the red thread of his professional career.
Bill Edwards joined the team in 2022 and is responsible for investment promotion. He has a vibrant background in international business development, having studied in Switzerland and worked for a decade with major hospitality corporations in Europe, Middle East and Canada.
Etienne Gamache joined the team in 2022. With over 10 years of work experience in the import-export industry, he currently advises companies evaluating expansion strategies and opportunities into Canada.
Annina Bosshard has work experience in Montreal as well as London and Sochi. Currently based at S-GE’s headquarters in Zurich, she has been supporting over 500 Swiss companies with market entry into Canada and the USA.
ENABLING NEW BUSINESS
Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) is the official Swiss organization for export and investment promotion with offices throughout Switzerland and in 30 countries.Swiss Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) realize their international business potential in new and existing markets. In addition, Switzerland is often the first choice of location in Europe for innovative foreign companies.
- S-GE provides Swiss SMEs with information, services and contacts for their entire internationalization process.
- S-GE targets innovative foreign companies and provides them with information, services and contacts in Switzerland.
- To this end, S-GE works together with a unique network of national and global partners as well as Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
Impact of the export promotion mandate
Every year more than 5,000 SMEs take advantage of the analog and digital services of S-GE. The satisfaction and impact rate for these services is around 90%. S-GE acts as a stabilizer in times of crisis and supports SMEs on the hunt for alternatives and solutions (e.g. in the event of geopolitical challenges and supply chain issues).
Canada – a stable and often underestimated market for Swiss exporters
Under the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Switzerland and Canada enjoy a free trade agreement (FTA) since 2009, eliminating almost all tariffs. Studies show that Swiss exporters are making good use of this agreement. The EFTA-Canada FTA has clearly contributed to an increase in exports and investments in both directions. Today Canada is Switzerland’s second largest trading partner on the American continent and Switzerland consistently ranks among the top ten investors in Canada.
Let’s work together! Are you aware of any opportunities that could be of interest to Swiss companies? Please contact us at montreal.sbhcanada@eda.admin.ch if you would like to share your questions, ideas and projects.
