Susan Baka is a communications specialist from Toronto, Canada; an authority on international trade, women’s entrepreneurship and diversity; and a prolific writer and speaker. She works with financial institutions, governments and organizations to help companies go global. Susan is also the regional representative (Ontario) for the Trade Facilitation Office Canada, which helps exporters from developing countries find linkages and buyers in the Canadian market. She is also a founder and vice-president, international, of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) Toronto chapter. She has served on the international board for more than a decade.
She has spearheaded communications initiatives and trade missions and mentored the start-up of OWIT chapters in other countries, sharing Canadian best practices. An advocate for women exporters, Susan served on the Canadian minister of international trade’s Small and Medium Enterprise Advisory Board (2008–2011) and is participating as a stakeholder for OWIT in consultations with the Canadian government on the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. She has received international awards, including the International Alliance of Women’s World of Difference Award, which recognizes 100 women worldwide for contributing to women’s economic empowerment.