The Canada China Business Council (CCBC) invites you to join an informative webinar on Sourcing from China – Navigating the Canton Fair, widely known as China’s No. 1 Trade Fair and the world’s largest trade exhibition. The Canton Fair attracts hundreds of thousands of international buyers and brings together more than 30,000 exhibitors, including high-tech innovators and established brand leaders.

Webinar Date: September 18th, 2025

Event Time (Shown in Different Time Zones):

The upcoming 138^th Canton Fair will be held in Guangzhou in October–November 2025, showcasing a wide variety of products ranging from advanced manufacturing and new energy vehicles to home furnishings, health, fashion, and lifestyle goods etc.

This webinar will provide practical guidance on:

• Why Canadian businesses should attend the Canton Fair?
• What buyers can expect to find at the Canton Fair?
• How can CCBC support Canadian participants in the process?

This webinar will provide Canadian companies from coast to coast with first-hand insights on how to navigate the Fair, identify the right partners, and maximize sourcing opportunities.

Don’t miss this chance to learn how the Canton Fair can open doors for your business in China. Register today to secure your spot. Click to Register for the Webinar.

Featured Speakers:

James Prescott
Vice President, Global Sourcing & Merchandise Procurement
Canadian Tire Corporation

James is the VP, Global Sourcing & Merchandise Procurement for Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC). In this role, he leads enterprise Global Sourcing & Merchandise Procurement for CTC retail banners including Canadian Tire Retail, Mark’s, and SportChek. Across dozens of categories, with a network of over 1800 global vendors, shipping from over 40 different ports around the world, James oversees billions in annual direct-source merchandise purchases for CTC. Accountable for cost of goods management, product stewardship, responsible sourcing, vendor audit, and quality assurance, James leads diverse teams driving impactful results here in Canada, in China and across South-East Asia. With over 25 years experience doing business across North America, Asia and Europe, James has an extensive experience and understanding of global supply chains.

Prior to his role leading a Global Sourcing team for CTC, one of Canada’s most respected companies, in 2014, James and his business partner sold their Langley, British Columbia based wholesale sporting goods business to CTC. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Econ) from the University of British Columbia.

Omid Goharian
Managing Director
Magnovest Inc.

Omid Goharian is a trade and supply chain strategist and the Managing Director of Magnovest Inc., which he founded to drive sourcing, logistics, and growth initiatives in the construction and real estate sectors. With over 15 years of international experience, he has a proven track record in market development, brand launches, and cross-border operations. From 2012 to 2017 at GTC International, he managed more than 40,000 metric tons of commodities from China and South Korea, building expertise in high-volume global trade. Earlier, he served as the exclusive distributor of MihaBodytec in the Middle East and later as Supply Chain Manager at Arkfield Development, one of Ontario’s leading real estate groups. He holds a master’s in technology management and a bachelor’s in industrial engineering.

LIU Linlin
Consul (Counsellor, Economic and Commercial)
Chinese Consulate General in Toronto

Mr. LIU Linlin has had a distinguished career spanning over three decades in international trade, economic cooperation, and commercial diplomacy.

Since August 2022, Mr. Liu has served as Consul (Counsellor, Economic and Commercial) at the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto. Prior to this, from April 2017 to August 2022, he held the position of Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Papua New Guinea. From October 2008 to April 2017, he served in various capacities at China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), and Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand from October 2005 to October 2008.

Mr. Liu’s extensive career also includes previous role at MOFCOM (2001-2005), the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (1996-2000), and the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, where he served as Attaché and Third Secretary from 1992 to 1996. He began his career in 1988 at the Personnel Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Mr. Liu holds a Master of Business Economics and Finance from Curtin University of Technology, Australia (2002), a Graduate Diploma in International Economics from the University of Adelaide, Australia (1998), and a Bachelor of Economics from the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade (1988), where he majored in Foreign Trade English.

Bijan Ahmadi
Executive Director and COO
Canada China Business Council

Bijan Ahmadi serves as the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Canada China Business Council (CCBC), overseeing the operations and activities of the Council across its seven chapters in Canada and China.

Before joining CCBC, he co-founded and served as the Executive Director of the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy (IPD) from 2018 to 2024. IPD is a non-partisan think tank operating in Canada and the United States, dedicated to fostering constructive engagement and interest-based thinking in international affairs.

During his tenure at IPD, Mr. Ahmadi launched the organization’s Asia research program in 2020 and its flagship annual conference, the Indo-Pacific Strategy Forum (IPSF), in Ottawa in 2021. Today, IPSF is recognized as Canada’s premier conference on the country’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. He was also the co-editor of Canada-China Brief, a biweekly policy newsletter providing the latest developments and expert insights on political and economic relations between Ottawa and Beijing.

In his work on China, Mr. Ahmadi has advised large corporations and SMEs on navigating Canada-China trade, policy, and regulatory developments. He has also spearheaded the publication of numerous research reports on China and Canada-China relations and led Track 2 diplomacy initiatives in collaboration with Chinese and American research institutions.

Mr. Ahmadi holds a Master’s degree in Global Diplomacy from SOAS University of London and a Master of Applied Science from the University of Toronto. Before founding IPD, Mr. Ahmadi worked in strategy and management roles in the financial services and real estate sectors, where he honed his skills in organizational leadership and operational planning. He also served on the executive boards of several Canadian non-profits and NGOs, including the Toronto branch of the Canadian International Council.

Jeff Zhang
Regional Director, Central Canada
Canada China Business Council

Jeff Zhang has over 20 years of international experience in private, public and non-profit organizations in a variety of sectors including E-commerce, oil and gas, retail, commercial real estate, education and financial services. Prior to joining CCBC, Mr. Zhang worked in establishment and operation management at a Sino-Foreign joint venture company and in strategic partnership management at a Fortune 500 multinational company. He also led and assisted a number of Canadian companies and educational institutions into China where he was responsible for strategic partnerships and branding establishment.

Mr. Zhang has an MBA in marketing and international business from Concordia University in Montreal and is fluent in Mandarin and English. He has also been a guest speaker at professional business associations in China and Canada.