OCTOBER 2013
H
business elite canada
5
“It is an intensely competitive
global market more and more,
so Canadian organizations
are [all] facing similar global
challenges– access to capital,
market and talent. One of the
most common challenges is
the hunt for talent. It is impor-
tant in getting the right talent
to the right jobs to deliver the
right products and services.”
As the voice of the Canadian
ICT industry, ITAC’s mission
is to encourage (and in many
ways enhance) the impact
that digital technology can
make to Canada’s economic
growth. Karna believes that
there are several key areas in
which ITAC can improve the
IT industry in Canada.
“As a country, our use &
adoption of technology in
Canada continues to be below
par when compared to our
peer group of countries in the
industrial society. What ITAC
is trying to do is not only
work with the policy makers
but also work with the tech-
nology companies themselves
-small and large- to improve
the adoption of technology
across the board.”
He added, “We want to help
[improve] the conditions for
greater innovation to take
place in the country… We
are a small country; if you are
starting a technology compa-
ny you need a global footprint
to be successful… All Cana-
dian companies are also mul-
tinational in their business…
You cannot make a company
of scale and size just focus-
ing on the Canadian market.
Therefore we need work to
make businesses scalable and
exportable.”
ITAC strives to forge strong
relationships with govern-
ment and educational insti-
tutions, as well as prominent
members of the community
and those involved in other
business sectors. Some of the
benefits of joining the asso-
ciation include “work with
all your potential customers
– large multinationals – that
are members of ITAC.” This is
especially beneficial to SMEs
that are “trying to sell into the
enterprise market.”
For large national or multina-
tional companies, being a part
of ITAC “allows you to engage
into the policy process – such
as taxation, immigration, tal-
