Doing Business with India is a Matter of Trust

Although I have lived in Winnipeg, Canada, for decades, my roots in India remain central to who I am and how I approach business. My years of working between the two countries have given me a deep understanding of India’s business environment (Matru-Bhoomi: Bharat and Karma-Bhoomi: Canada).

I am a Bombay boy, born into a Kutchi Jain family. Kutchis are mostly businesspeople and traders. In 1977, I came from temperatures of plus 30 degrees in India straight into minus 30 degrees in Winnipeg. It was quite a change!

My grandfather and father were well known in parts of India for our family’s gum-exporting business, which had operated for more than 100 years. When I first settled in Winnipeg, however, I took on odd jobs as I worked to establish myself.

At the time, India’s economy was largely closed to foreign businesses. Even so, I believed that my understanding of both countries could help me navigate the system and build meaningful trade relationships between India, my birthplace, and Canada, my adopted home.

An Indian diplomat in Canada once told me, ‘Hemant, your role is like Lord Krishna.’ He explained that Lord Krishna had two mothers. In the same way, I had two homes: my motherland, India, and my adopted home, Canada. He believed that, because I understood both cultures and their business practices, I could help bring the two countries together. Those words have stayed with me.

I spent more than 40 years with Cubex, a Canadian family-owned company that, among other products, supplies drilling equipment to the mining industry. We sold our first equipment in India in the early 1980s.

As Cubex’s director of international marketing for West Asia, I experienced firsthand both the challenges and opportunities that Canadian companies face when entering India. The lessons I learned continue to guide the advice I share with businesses seeking lasting international partnerships.

Make Use of Connections, Including Government Support

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service played an important role in the early years of my career. Its representatives provided reports, market data, guidance and contacts that helped me identify opportunities. In fact, a federal trade commissioner first introduced me to Cubex in the early 1980s.

I have always been proud of the federal government’s Trade Commissioner Service and Foreign Affairs. They gave me moral support, guided me and showed me how to contact companies. Few Canadian exporters acknowledge the government’s role in their success, but I am proud to say it played a very large role in my 42-year career. In 1977, hardly anyone was thinking of India as a promising trading partner for Canada.

During the 1980s, I had to work within India’s highly regulated economic system, often called the ‘Licence Raj,’ with its strict import-licensing requirements. Despite those barriers, I continued to promote Canada–India trade.

Be Patient and Build Trust

One of the most important lessons I share with Canadian businesses is the need for patience. Success in India cannot be expected after just a couple of visits. I advise companies to plan for one or two years and make a genuine commitment to the market. Large companies such as Sun Life and Bombardier were already present when I first began travelling to India.

I often compare the process of building relationships with joint-venture partners, prospective customers and business contacts to dating. Trust develops over time, not overnight.

You cannot simply board a flight to India and assume you will return with an order. You must earn your partners’ trust. Think of it as dating: you meet someone once, twice, perhaps three times. By the fourth meeting, you may be ready to get engaged, and after the fifth or sixth, perhaps you get married.

On your first or second visit to a joint-venture partner or private company, you may not be invited into their home. By the third visit, once you have demonstrated credibility and earned trust, you may be invited to dinner with their family. To me, that is your first success. It is a process, and Canadian businesses need to understand and respect it.

Be Adaptable and Learn the Culture

India is a much more open market today, but respecting its culture and processes remains essential. Yes, there is pollution and traffic. But when I travel there, do I spend my time complaining about traffic? Of course not. I am there to build relationships and do business.

My advice is simple: be adaptable and do not complain. When Canadian companies leave Toronto or Winnipeg for India, I encourage them to leave their Canadian hats behind. Respecting and adapting to India’s culture and business practices will put them in a much stronger position to succeed.

The same approach applies to government procedures. Bureaucracy exists in India, but it exists in Canada, too. I have sold equipment to Africa, Russia and Saudi Arabia, and those markets have their own bureaucracy as well. You must understand the requirements and follow the process. Every culture is different. It takes time, but you must also recognize the scale of the opportunity in India.

A New Journey: Entering the Aviation Sector

The year 1990 was a major turning point in my career. I received the Manitoba Export Award that year and, to the best of my knowledge, became its first Asian recipient. Through influential business contacts, I was introduced to Indian industrialists and sold a corporate jet to one of them. I subsequently became a one-stop source for aircraft maintenance support and parts.

I am proud to belong to Kutch. When I sold corporate jets to industrialists in India in 1990, people appreciated the fact that a Kutchi boy could sell an aeroplane. That achievement remains very special to me.

As new opportunities emerged, I began thinking about training commercial pilots. After becoming executive director of Winnipeg Aviation, I organized a roadshow in India that attracted an initial group of 10 students, all Gujarati. Over time, I helped bring approximately 180 young people from India to Canada to train as pilots.

Many of those students went on to fly commercially for major airlines in India, Europe and elsewhere. One experience, in particular, is unforgettable for my wife, Hina, and me.

Hina and I were travelling from Canada to India. We were seated just behind the cockpit, and the aircraft was preparing to take off. Suddenly, a captain came over, touched our feet as a sign of respect and said, ‘Sir, hoon Captain Kalpesh Parmar! Tamaaro student!’—’Sir, I am Captain Kalpesh Parmar, your student!’

That moment is still vivid in our memories. Our eyes filled with tears of pride. It is difficult to put into words the happiness we felt.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article/column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of South Asian Herald.