kisserup

A very global Nova Scotian

Love brought Pernille Fischer Boulter to Nova Scotia, but good old fashioned hard work that has kept her here. Fischer Boulter was managing a European IT company in her native Denmark when she met her Canadian husband. He bought a Danish medical company and was set to build a plant in Nova Scotia.
 
They married and moved to the Maritimes, but Fischer Boulter was unable to find work in the IT field. After reading a magazine article on the Top 100 Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs, Fischer Boulter picked up the phone. Eager to meet new people and gather information to aid in her job search, she called all 100 individuals on the list.
 
Ninety nine of them agreed to meet with her.
 
Kisserup International Trade Roots Inc. was formed in 1998 and was named after the town in Denmark where Fischer Boulter grew up.
With a reputation for assisting government organizations, international companies, and industry and trade associations to successfully facilitate export development, Kisserup also helps small- and medium-sized companies create and implement winning strategies and grow their market share.
 
One of the company's most innovative initiatives is Empower Your Exports with Immigrants. This online directory of immigrants in Nova Scotia gives companies a list of individuals who can consult on international business and cultural etiquette in their native countries. It's Fischer Boulter's hope that this will help bridge cultural misunderstandings that often detrimentally affect business relationships, increase Nova Scotia export revenues, and assist in the retention of immigrants in Nova Scotia.
 
The idea for the directory grew directly from Fischer Boulter's experience as a new immigrant. "I came to Canada in my 30s with a good track record and a good education that I just couldn’t use. That was tough." She is well aware that many people consider immigrants a burden, not an asset.
 
For Fischer Boulter, the opportunities for Atlantic Canadian companies to export their goods and services are endless. Kisserup was recently awarded a prestigious contract through Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI), and the Nova Scotia Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Environment to provide consulting support and assistance to Nova Scotia companies interested in growing business in the Caribbean.
But opening up the Caribbean is only part of Fischer Boulter's plan. "Eighty one per cent of Nova Scotia's export services and products go to one country – the United States," she says. "There are more consumers in the European Union than in the States. It's a great benefit to Canadian companies to have our company’s presence in Europe."
Fischer Boulter contends that Nova Scotia's physical location in the world is a great business advantage. "It enables us to do business with Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and North America all in the same day," she says. "I think we could be using this to draw more international business here."
 
With an office in Halifax and another in Copenhagen, Denmark , Kisserup employs four people in Canada, in addition to keeping a pool of international consultants and staff in Europe. In their work with Atlantic Canadian companies, Kisserup mentors entrepreneurs, accompanies them on trade missions, and assists with branding.
 
Holly Bond, founder of Bulldog Interactive Fitness, is an example of someone whom Kisserup helped. "Holly wanted to grow her company outside of Nova Scotia, so we mentored her, took her to Women Exporters Initiative Trade Mission in Boston, and helped her get some international speaking gigs."
 
Bond, who calls Fischer Boulter a "powerhouse," attests to what Kisserup did for her. "They were instrumental in helping me sell my company at the right time," says Bond. "Pernille's a great coach - she pushes you very hard and she helps you make essential contacts. I wouldn't be where I am today without her."
 
It's this steady and purposeful support that Kent Simpson is finding most helpful. His company SeisMap Consulting Inc., established in 2007, is providing research and development support to St. Francis Xavier University as they co-develop software for carbon sequestration projects. Although an export marketing plan is still down the road, Simpson says Kisserup has already been enormously helpful with training, mentoring, and business planning. "Pernille and her company are helping to steer us in the right direction," he says. "They're supporting us in the long term and I have great confidence in their abilities."
 
More than a decade after moving here, Fischer Boulter has certainly made a splash in Nova Scotia. In fact, in 2008, Fischer Boulter was named a leading mentor and role model by Atlantic Progress magazine.
 
The love is mutual. "There is so much innovation and so many interesting companies in Nova Scotia," says Fischer Boulter. "It’s very invigorating and very worth celebrating."
 
She insists that all the travel and late nights and early mornings are worth it when a client calls her to say he or she has received an export award or has been able to hire a new employee.