#HOTCS: Pisite Chaiwattanachai, Bangkok

"When I started working at the embassy in Bangkok twelve years ago, I was actually an IT professional for the first nine years. Having an IT background has been a real asset to my job as a Trade Commissioner, as I understand the Thai tech space and I can share my knowledge with Canadian ICT businesses.

"Canadian companies that want to do business in Thailand often need to have local partners or a base in Asia to serve customers in the region. I was helping a Canadian defense and security company that had a local representative here in Thailand. The Thai market was very interested in their product, but their representative couldn’t travel across the country to make sales. So I connected them with a local partner, which helped them to boost their sales. That’s just one example of how I’m making a difference as a Trade Commissioner."