Guillermo Larios, CITP|FIBP, Entrepreneurship Coordinator & University Incubator Director, Universidad Anahuac Mexico

Guillermo J. Larios-Hernandez is Entrepreneurship Research Professor and Academic Coordinator at Universidad Anahuac Mexico. He is also chair of the entrepreneurship research group and responsible for the development of the entrepreneurship curricula and related extracurricular programs, including the university incubator. Ph.D. in Economics from Mexico’s National University (UNAM), and Master’s degrees in Technology Commercialization (University of Texas) and Satellite Communications Systems (ENST Toulouse). Guillermo is a instructor of scientific entrepreneurship by NoBI/iCorps and a Certified International Trade Professional by FITT. Former positions in international business include Global Affairs Canada – Trade Commissioner for Science, Technology & Innovation/ Information and Communications Technologies in Mexico City and new telecommunications service design at AT&T-Alestra.

Arbinder Pal, CITP|FIBP, Trade Commissioner, High Commission of Canada 

Arbinder Pal (B.Com Accounting, University of Mumbai; MBA Aviation, Concordia University Montreal) is a business development professional with over eighteen years of experience in developing international businesses and driving marketing & sales in Canada, India and the USA. She has cross-sectoral experience in aviation, transport, supply chain and government affairs. Currently, she is a Trade Commissioner with the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi and is responsible for Infrastructure and institutional investments. 

Praveeni Perera, CITP|FIBP, Senior Program Officer, Colleges and Institutes Canada 

Praveeni Perera has over 15 years of experience in international trade. She is a seasoned entrepreneur and project manager having managed domestic and international projects. In 2011 she founded her own consulting company specializing in international expansions. She has since moved into more project management roles. Praveeni recently represented Canada at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as part of an international project hosted by the organization. Praveeni currently works in education as a professor of international business at Algonquin College and in project management at Colleges and Institutes Canada. She has an MBA in International Business from Carleton University, is a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) and Project Management Professional (PMP). 

Floyd Simpkins, CITP|FIBP, President, Simcor Solutions Inc. 

Floyd Simpkins has over 35 years of international business experience in both the private and public sectors. He led a third-generation Tecumseh, Ontario-based metal fabricating business to ISO certification and into new markets in the US and partnerships in Mexico. His business served a variety of demanding customers in the North American furniture, automotive and material handling industries. 

As a Senior Trade Consultant with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (and later Ontario International Corporation), he assisted small to medium-sized businesses to enter foreign markets, leading trade missions and trade show events in Europe and the USA. Most recently, as a full-time Professor of International Business at St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology and a part-time Professor at the University of Windsor, Floyd developed and delivered innovative courses and training in foreign market entry, trade research and supply chain management. 

Enrique Sobalvarro, CITP|FIBP, Director-at-Large, The GoldMine Project 

Enrique is an international trade professional, connector, entrepreneur, strategist, and expert advisor with over 20 years of experience. 

In the field of International Trade, Enrique led his own consulting office in his native Guatemala for more than 20 years, where he advised and served as a Technical Advisor to the private sector for the Ministry of Economy in the operations of Free Trade Agreements between Guatemala and South Korea, Mexico, Colombia, CAFTA-DR (FTA USA-Central America and the Dominican Republic), and the Agreement of the single Central American Customs Code. He was the Director of Operations of VDC SA (Guatemala), overseeing the supply chain, procurement, and compliance to serve major strategic customers like Walmart. He was also the Director of Operations and Strategy at International Trade Hub, helping many Canadian SMEs reach their international expansion.

He is now working as the Director-at-Large for The GoldMine Project. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Small Business Initiative at Calgary Catholic Immigration Society and, recently, contributed to Calgary's post-pandemic recovery as a Business Mentor the Bounceback YYC (a Mount Royal University and the City of Calgary initiative) helping hundreds of entrepreneurs to launch their businesses.