After years spent steadily moving up the corporate ladder, Kevin Seeto felt a little stuck. Although he had become a successful finance manager at a large pharmaceutical company, Seeto, like many of us, struggled to understand where his career was heading. While he had acquired years of experience analyzing the financials for a large portfolio of pharmaceutical products, it wasn’t until he opened himself up to the prospect of working nearly 4,000 miles away that he started to understand the world of possibilities in front of him.


What made you consider relocating to another country for work?

When it came to working abroad, Seeto had already seen how valuable international experience was for individuals in both his personal and professional network. He explains, “My dad had worked in a variety of countries, including Argentina and Japan, before he settled in Canada and started a family. I also had a previous boss who I looked up to who was working in Japan and spoke highly of the experience.” Working for a global company, Seeto had built some relationships with colleagues in different countries, but for the most part, his job was focused solely on the Canadian market. However, the decision to pursue opportunities abroad became clearer once he saw how it was viewed within the company. Not only was gaining international experience encouraged, it was actively used as a way to identify and develop high-potential employees. With that in mind, and with limited advancement opportunities in Canada, Seeto found himself on a plane to Belgium to start a new position with a significantly greater learning curve than anything he’d done in the past.

What did you learn during your time working in Europe that you wouldn’t have learned if you stayed in Canada?

Upon arriving in Europe, Seeto quickly began to appreciate how complex the world was beyond Canada. He recalls, “My previous roles focused on understanding financials to inform marketing strategies within Canada. Once I became engaged in work from a global perspective, I was able to understand our supply chain in a completely different way. Since Canada is an importer and doesn’t have a large presence in manufacturing, I came to fully understand the process from beginning to end.” This depth of understanding gave Seeto a stronger appreciation for global strategy and why certain decisions were being made. After years spent receiving this information from global counterparts, he found himself actively engaged in negotiations with partners worldwide and able to understand and communicate decisions from a more fulsome perspective.

In addition, Seeto found himself working on global initiatives that were rarely, if ever, based out of Canada. He remembers engaging in projects that simply wouldn’t have been available to him had he stayed in Canada. “The concept of global public health is complex, and I was fortunate enough to work on initiatives that brought much needed pharmaceutical products to countries that cannot typically afford or access them. Working through the logistics and details of this work was challenging, but the end result was unbelievably rewarding.”

How did this experience help you advance in your career?

During his time in Belgium, Seeto had the chance to interact with other leaders and successfully built a network of individuals who were willing to advocate for him. This allowed him to be put on a different track within the company, which led to new opportunities like participation in global training programs.

Seeto’s next role – Director, Enterprise Planning and Analytics – relies on his international experience to modernize and standardize sales planning processes across the globe. This requires him to know what each market is doing, understand its needs, and then come up with a global solution that everyone can benefit from. The work isn’t easy, as Seeto now finds himself working with different leaders on change management. “I’m now trying to sell people on different solutions that include everything from managing our finances to reworking supply chains to implementing new sales strategies. Some of these changes are quite different from how we’ve worked in the past, and we often need to negotiate to find a middle ground. If I didn’t have a global context, I wouldn’t be able to succeed and get others to buy in.”

What advice would you give someone considering pursuing international experience?

Before pursuing any sort of international role, Seeto offers the following tips:

  • Communicate your intentions: Be clear with leaders and transparent that you are open to working abroad. If you don’t tell anyone, no one can help you identify opportunities.
  • Find advocates: Finding a position requires advocates in your company to invest in you. If you’re applying outside your country, you’re an unknown asset and could be paying for a move out of pocket, with limited assurances that you will be set up to succeed.
  • Ask yourself tough questions: Level-set within yourself whether moving to a new place to work is right for you. Some questions to consider: What is your personal/family situation? Do you have any personal/professional network there? Are you willing to make multiple moves (as there is typically no guarantee that a position will be available to return home to right away)?
  • Beware of getting cold feet: Once you start applying and interviewing for roles, the reality of the situation can sometimes set in differently. The prospect of moving to a new role, in a new place, with new people can be very overwhelming. Your credibility can be hurt if you turn down an opportunity, and if this happens multiple times, it will be assumed that you aren’t serious, and they will move on to someone who is.

While international experience is not in the cards for all of us, it can be a way to open yourself up to new and exciting career prospects. So, the next time you’re thinking of what your next role will be, maybe take a step back and consider where your next role might be as well.





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