L’ordre national du Mérite bestowed upon Riva Walia
The managing director of the France Canada Chamber of Commerce (Ontario) was appointed to L’ordre national du Mérite for her dedication to growing bilateral trade
TORONTO, Oct. 26, 2022 /CNW/ - The France Canada Chamber of Commerce (Ontario) is pleased to announce that its Managing Director, Madame Riva Walia, has been awarded the prestigious Chevalier de L’ordre national du Mérite (Knight of the French National Order of Merit) by President Emmanuel Macron of France in recognition of her outstanding achievements in strengthening bilateral trade relations between France and Canada as well as growing the French business ecosystem nationally.
Walia has been given the esteemed rank of Knight or Chevalier in the French National Order of Merit.
"I'm humbled and honoured to receive the Chevalier de L'ordre National du Merit. It's been my utmost privilege to bring the French- Canadian business community of 100 plus companies together. With this award, I believe my sense of responsibility is even stronger to grow France's business and cultural footprint in Canada" said Walia.
The National Order of Merit was founded in 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle to recognize individuals with distinguished military or civil achievements in service to France.
It's a rare honour for a non-citizen of France to receive the award with only five other Canadians named to the Order before Walia, including former Governor General Roméo LeBlanc, Olympic medallist Marlène Harnois, and renowned structural engineer Douglas T. Wright.
Walia is also the first Canadian woman of Indian descent to receive the honour.
As the Managing Director of the France Canada Chamber of Commerce (Ontario), Walia has led the expansion and growth of numerous French businesses in Canada. Under her leadership, the Chamber was successfully incorporated and grew to 70 Members in an 18-month period, becoming the fastest-growing chamber amongst all EU chambers in Canada.
In recognition of her achievements, the newly appointed Ambassador of France to Canada, H.E Michel Miraillet, bestowed the Medallion upon her in a special ceremony during his first official trip to Toronto. The decoration ceremony took place at the Chamber's annual La Soiree Gala and Business Awards before a crowd of more than 300 guests at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Friday, October 14.
Walia is humbled by her appointment to the Chevalier of the National Order of Merit and would like to thank the French government, the Ambassador of France to Canada, the Consul General Monsieur Tudor Alexis and board members of the France Chamber of Governance for the acknowledgement.
For more information about the France Canada Chamber of Commerce (Ontario), please visit www.fccco.org
SOURCE France Canada Chamber of Commerce (Ontario)
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