The new president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada says he wants to broaden the foundation's reach into South Asia and Southeast Asia, two areas of the world that he believes hold untapped economic promise for Canada.
The foundation, an independent think-tank created in 1984 by an Act of Parliament, has done a good job in building bridges with east Asia, but it's time to build links with the rest of Asia, Stewart Beck said in his first interview since stepping into the CEO post August 11.
“Clearly we are recognized in North Asia, or East Asia. I'd like to bring in the South Asia dimension because it is certainly something I understand and it would be fairly easy to bring that expertise in,” Beck said, referring to the prevalence of the English language in much of South Asia.
Beck comes to the foundation after a 30-year career in the diplomatic service, where he focused on business and trade, specifically around Asia and in the areas of education and technology. He comes to Vancouver after a four-year posting in Delhi as Canada's high commissioner to India.
Beck said he sees the foundation taking a more active role in nurturing dialogue and communication among young entrepreneurs and advising federal and provincial governments on strategies to encourage the next generation of business leaders to become successful in the international marketplace.
He does more, however, than just talk the talk.
While in India, Beck initiated an exchange program for young entrepreneurs in both countries, bringing young Indian companies to Canada to experience the technology and business culture of North America and sending young Canadian companies to India for first-hand experience in dealing with a large, complex marketplace.
Vancouver businessman and philanthropist Barj Dhahan said Beck was a leader in focusing on not only entrepreneurship between India and Canada but also education during his tenure as high commissioner. Beck's appointment to the foundation is timely, given the growth and opportunities in South Asia, said Dhahan, who is past chair of the Canada India Foundation.
“Stewart's appointment is very timely because, as a country and a province, we are certainly looking at Asia, not just at China and Japan but all of Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It's timely that the foundation has a broader focus on all of Asia,” Dhahan said.
Beck is eager to apply his India experience, coupled with a career-long belief in educating young people on what he calls “business ecosystems,” to shape the next chapter for the foundation.
He wants the foundation to be well positioned to act as a catalyst to engage young entrepreneurs on both sides of the Pacific as regional Asian economies grow stronger.
“It's the Wayne Gretzky thing: skate to where the puck is going to be,” Beck said. “That's part of the role I think the foundation has.”
Beck's hockey analogy comes from experience. Dhahan said that, along with other Canadian officials, the former high commissioner would host an ice hockey tournament in northern India to introduce young Indians to Canada's national sport as a bridge-building exercise. He was known to bring shipments of hockey sticks, skates and pads from Canada to India.
“A lot of people in India know about our national sport as a result,” said Dhahan.
That kind of bridge building pays dividends for both countries, Dhahan said.
The Asia Pacific Foundation describes Beck as an innovator known for emphasizing entrepreneurial skills.
“We are pleased that a Canadian with deep Asian experience and of Stewart's calibre and clear record of getting things done is joining us,” foundation chairman John McArthur said in a news release at the time of Beck's appointment last spring.
Headquartered in Vancouver with an office in Toronto, the Asia Pacific Foundation provides research, analysis and information on Canada's transpacific relations.
Beck's experience in the foreign service spans 30 years. His first international posting came in 2005 when he organized a trade office in Silicon Valley, California.
The mandate was to introduce Canadian business people to U.S. product representatives and distributors. Canadians back then, Beck recalled, were not very sophisticated when it came to international trade. They would hedge over closing on deals or walk away because they didn't like the American terms.
“It was difficult working with companies on the Canadian side who typically had good technology but were very careful and didn't really understand how to work with reps and distributors. So I got a little frustrated dealing with that area. I found the companies in the valley were more interested in investment opportunities in Canada, so it really morphed into more of an investment development kind of job, working with the big companies looking at the Canadian market.”
It was a learning experience for Beck, and in the ensuing 30 years, he said, Canadians have improved their skills in international trade. Canadians back then lacked the entrepreneurial spirit of seeking opportunities and accepting failures that characterized U.S. businesses.
“We have gone from a country that was very intolerant of people who failed to getting to a point now where we understand failure. You see many more young entrepreneurial companies coming up now. One of the things we can talk about in the context of this job with the Asia Pacific Foundation is innovation, education, entrepreneurship. We have an ecosystem that's evolving now in Canada that a lot of people don't completely understand or see. But it is really an interesting area and one that we can promote as an area of excellence for us.”
Beck was born in Montreal and moved to Toronto with his family as a teenager.
He received his undergraduate degree and an MBA at Queen's University in Kingston. He taught for two years at Queen's business school.
At the same time, he was doing economic development work for the department of Indian and northern affairs on Ontario First Nations reserves.
“It was my first cross-cultural experience,” he said.
He wrote the foreign service exams at that time and in 1982 was accepted into the foreign service as a trade commissioner.
After spending two years in Ottawa, he received his first posting – to San Francisco. In 1985 he opened the Silicon Valley trade office. He returned 20 years later as consul general at San Francisco. In between, he worked in Asia and in Ottawa, specializing in Asian issues.
His credentials include postings to the Canadian Trade Office in Taiwan and the Canadian Consulate in Shanghai, where he was consul general.
In Ottawa, his positions at the department of foreign affairs and international trade included director general for North Asia and assistant deputy minister for international business, development, investment and innovation.
He and his wife, Brenda, have three children, all boys; one is working in India, one is working here and the youngest will be attending high school in North Vancouver.
