issmat, Trend Hunter

Issmat A. M. Al-Akhlai is a native of Yemen who, in 1999, moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he has been residing since. His passion for international affairs occurred during his time at Saint Mary’s University (SMU) in Halifax, Canada. He graduated with a dual degree in Business Administration and Computing Science, and received several awards for various accomplishments in university governance and student politics.

In the year 2000, Issmat co-founded the ‘Yemenite Global Network’, a Canadian-Yemeni NGO that undertook grass-root projects in Xenophobia and Human Rights education in the Middle East. As Chief Operations Officer, he recruited global volunteers and implemented a “train the trainers” program using privately raised funds and contributions from the local United Nations Development Program (UNDP) office in Yemen.

Later, Issmat joined a leading Canadian investment company as a Financial Consultant. He specialized in international taxation and gave seminars to Canadians who planned to live and work outside Canada. Shortly after, Saint Mary’s University contracted him as Project Manager for a number of international initiatives, mainly focusing on China.

While on contract with Saint Mary’s University, Issmat spent his evenings developing a health-management pocket device. He became a member of the Nova Scotia Inventors Society in the summer of 2006. His provisional patent application was later approved by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

2006 also saw the launch of Issmat’s international trade and consulting business: Midman International. The firm connects international buyers and sellers of goods and services, with a focus on emerging Middle East markets. A year later, he launched a second venture (Kick Media) to bring the latest advertising technologies from around the world to Canada/Halifax .

Through his various ventures, Issmat works intimately with markets in Europe, South East Asia, Middle East, and South America. He remains as the Managing Director of Midman International and Kick Media, nd is available as a consultant for international marketing and business initiatives.