Winners of the second annual HSBC International Business Awards announced

VANCOUVER, Oct. 24, 2012 /CNW/ - HSBC Bank Canada has announced the four winners of the second annual HSBC International Business Awards, which celebrate the best of Canadian companies doing business abroad.

The awards were developed by HSBC Bank Canada, in partnership with Business without Borders, to recognize Canadian firms that have made a real difference in taking their products and services to the world. An award was offered in each of the following four categories: HSBC International Business of the Year Award - Small and Medium Enterprise; HSBC International Business of the Year Award - Large Enterprise; Leadership in International Trade in Asia-Pacific; and Leadership in International Trade in Latin America.

Finalists and winners were honoured at a gala dinner held on 23 October 2012, at The Carlu, in Toronto.

Lindsay Gordon, President and Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Bank Canada, said: "For nearly 150 years, HSBC has been where the growth is, connecting our customers to opportunities, and enabling businesses to thrive and economies to prosper. Above all, this year's winners have demonstrated particular success at turning their vision to expand beyond Canada's borders into reality, and we feel it is important to recognize their success."

The HSBC International Business Award winners are:

HSBC International Business of the Year - Small and Medium Enterprise

Boreal - Information Strategies (Magog, Quebec)
Boreal - Information Strategies is a leader in corporate social responsibility solutions. The company assists industries such as mining and forestry to implement CSR strategies both on the operations side and the corporate side. It achieves this with specialized software and through consulting and integration services. Borealis operates in more than 25 countries, including 16 emerging markets.

HSBC International Business of the Year - Large Enterprise

Broadgrain Commodities Inc. (Toronto, Ontario)
Broadgrain Commodities Inc. purchases, handles and sells bulk grains and food-grade commodities throughout the world. Its job is to help food move from food-exporting nations to customers, ensuring that farmers get a fair price. It concentrates particularly on corn, wheat, soybeans and lentils. Broadgrain's business has grown rapidly in the past year, with particular success in Africa and south and western Asia.

Leadership in International Trade - Asia-Pacific

Targray Technology International Inc. (Kirkland, Quebec)
Targray Technology International Inc. is a leading supplier of the materials needed in the creation of high tech and alternative-energy products. It provides the materials required for photovoltaic cells, lithium-ion batteries, and sources and distributes biofuels such as biodiesel and ethanol. In addition, Targray provides a full line of supplies for optical media. In business for 23 years, it has operations in 50 countries and has enjoyed an average annual revenue growth of 30 per cent.

Leadership in International Trade - Latin America

Bassett & Walker International, Inc. (Toronto, Ontario)
Bassett & Walker International Inc. returns to the Awards winner's circle this year, after having won in this same category during the inaugural program in 2011. Bassett & Walker connect food producers with food processors throughout the world, particularly those in Latin America. The company likes to say that their real product is expertise: understanding what customer needs are and then leveraging that knowledge from one client to another. Its proprietary software is a major asset, speeding connections between farmers and food companies. Bassett & Walker says that at any moment, 30% of its staff is on the move—travelling the globe to serve clients.

All entries were reviewed for technical and business merit by an independent panel of experts in international business from Canadian Business, Export Development Canada, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters, the Economist Intelligence Unit, Les Affaires, the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University and the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.

All applicants must be majority Canadian owned (50.1 per cent); headquartered in Canada; generate at least 10 per cent of their revenue from activities outside of Canada; and have had minimum sales of C$2.5 million for each of the last two fiscal years.

About HSBC Commercial Banking
HSBC Commercial Banking serves more than 3.5 million customers, from small enterprises to large multinationals, in over 60 developed and emerging markets around the world. Whether it is working capital, trade finance or payments and cash management solutions, we provide the tools and expertise that businesses need to thrive. With a heritage stretching back nearly 150 years, HSBC is one of the world's leading international trade and business banks.

About HSBC Bank Canada
HSBC Bank Canada, a subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc, is the leading international bank in Canada. With around 6,900 offices in over 80 countries and territories and assets of US$2,652 billion at 30 June 2012, the HSBC Group is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organizations.

About Business without Borders
Canada's premier source of news and information for companies seeking to do business beyond this nation's borders, Business without Borders was created by HSBC Bank Canada in association with Rogers Publishing Limited and the Globe and Mail. Business without Borders provides news, analysis, tools and inspiring profiles of Canadian businesses that are exporting, expanding their operations and sales abroad or relocating operations to other countries. 

Image with caption: "HSBC International Business Awards Gala Dinner - October 24, 2012. From left to right: Mr. Andrew Richardson (CEO, Targray Technology International), Mr. Nicholas Walker (CEO, Bassett & Walker), Mr. Lindsay Gordon (President and CEO, HSBC Bank Canada), Mr. Jules Paquette (CEO, Borealis) and Mr. Zaid Qadoumi (President and CEO, Broadgrain Commodities) (CNW Group/HSBC Bank Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121024_C9503_PHOTO_EN_19684.jpg

SOURCE: HSBC Bank Canada

For further information:

Media Enquiries:

Ernest Yee
Vice President, Corporate Affairs
HSBC Bank Canada
[phone]
 

Fabrice de Dongo
Senior Manager, Public Affairs
HSBC Bank Canada
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