About Us

Henry Vega, PhD
Trade | Market Access Lead

With more than two decades assisting governments and the private sector, Dr. Henry Vega has accumulated a broad range of trade and agricultural marketing experience to help new-to-market companies identify supply chains appropriate to their needs.

Based in Montreal, Henry serves as Canada Trade & Market Access Lead. Day-to-day, he and his team gather market intelligence, organize trade missions and events, and develop other B2B opportunities.

With decades of accumulated experience with the Western US Agricultural Trade Association, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the World Bank and the IDB, Henry has a record of assisting small and medium-sized agribusinesses from across the Americas make inroads internationally through market development and promotion, business intelligence, and regulatory compliance. 

He is a graduate of Clemson University in South Carolina and Virginia's George Mason University.

Deborah Hines
International Development Lead

Deborah is the founder and co-director of South North Nexus. She started her career in Kenya working with communities on agroforestry and clean energy solutions. She brings to Congressum her extensive experience in international development including working with communities on issues related to food security, natural resource management, and gender empowerment. Her main focus is to devise how best to integrate market solutions in food systems. 

Her career has included working with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), World Bank (Adaptation Fund and the GEF), Canadian Government, USAID, and assignments with the FAO, bilateral and nongovernmental institutions in Africa, Latin American, the Middle East and Asia. A USA/Canadian national with a MF, and PhD level work in Natural Resource Economics (Duke University).

Béatrice (Béa) Parc
Communications Lead

As a communications consultant, Béa helps companies and organizations improve the way they connect with their audience through strategic communications and brand development. 

With more than 20 years of experience in advertising, marketing, and publishing for the travel and tourism industry, she excels at adapting her work effortlessly to French and English audiences, as well as evolving technological platforms.