On Tuesday, April 11, 2023, CCBC welcomed ZHAO Liying, the newly appointed Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Calgary, and honoured guest speaker at a sold-out networking reception. CCBC Executive Director & COO Sarah Kutulakos introduced Consul-General ZHAO Liying to local CCBC members and Canada-China business community, and guests from across the province joined us in welcoming Calgary’s new Chinese Consul-General and met with local CCBC representative Lotta Ygartua, Regional Director, Western Canada, in person.

The Consul-General gave her thoughts on the Canada-China business relationship with emphasis on Alberta, and addressed developments from the recently closed “Two Sessions.” Sarah gave an update on CCBC’s activities and the importance of Canadian companies staying competitive. Tickets were $40 + tax for CCBC members; $80 + tax for non-members.

About the speakers:

ZHAO Liying
Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Calgary

ZHAO Liying assumed her duties as Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Calgary in January 2023. Ms. ZHAO is a career diplomat and has served in the Chinese diplomatic missions in Greece, Canada, Croatia and Egypt.

Sarah Kutulakos
Executive Director & COO
Canada China Business Council

Sarah joined the CCBC in 2007 and has since revitalized CCBC’s role as Canada’s premier bilateral trade and investment organization. Sarah has re-centered the Council’s activities around providing business services, catalyzing business growth and activity, and advocating for stronger Sino-Canadian bilateral trade and investment. This has resulted in extensive public outreach activities, internal infrastructure improvements, the launch of new programs such as the Business Incubation Centre, and thriving member relations.

Prior to joining CCBC, Sarah worked for 11 years in marketing, product development, and management with a major multinational corporation, where she had multiple assignments involving China. Sarah managed worldwide product businesses that marketed to China and used China-based sources of supply. She was also involved in several projects requiring cooperation with the Chinese government. Sarah has led both established and start-up businesses within the context of a global corporation and has broad emerging market business experience, and has been involved in the Greater China region since the late 1980s when she lived and worked in Taiwan. There, she was the first non-Chinese employee of a local high-tech start-up firm, where she gained a deep understanding of Chinese business practices.

A fluent Mandarin speaker, Sarah’s interest in China began at the University of Wisconsin, where she studied Chinese, marketing, and international business. She holds an MBA in finance and operations from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester. She frequently speaks on China issues, including marketing, trade, investment, and Canada-China relations.

Lotta Ygartua
Regional Director, Western Canada
Canada China Business Council

As Regional Director of Western Canada, Lotta is responsible for building the CCBC membership base throughout the region by connecting Canadian and Chinese businesses, promoting Canada-China bilateral trade, organizing events and supporting the delivery of member services. Lotta has over 10 years of marketing experience in the technology, marketing research, communications and art sectors. Prior to joining the CCBC, she was Marketing Manager at the China-Britain Business Council based in the UK, promoting trade and business with China and organizing high-calibre events involving the Chinese Premier and the Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Lotta spent several years living in China, where she studied and worked for a local company that developed products for the Chinese market. Lotta studied Mandarin at the University of Nanjing and Nanjing Normal University. She holds a BA in Chinese and BSc in Social and Economic Geography from Uppsala University, Sweden.