Invest Northern Ireland is increasing its international presence with a new office in Toronto to help Northern Ireland businesses export to Canada.

The announcement came as Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton completed a five-day visit to North America, including New York, Boston and Toronto, where he met with potential investors.

Mr Hamilton said: “As part of the International Trade Plan, Invest NI is expanding its overseas network in up to 10 new locations around the world. Our commitment to appoint a regional manager in Canada is the next in this series of expansions.

“As well as building a strong network of stakeholders and influencers to benefit trade development, the new role will also work to identify potential investors. Canada is a key target market for Northern Ireland companies.

“The latest HMRC figures — January-December 2016 — show that our local exporters sold approximately £2.1 billion in goods to the Americas, with Canada accounting for £311 million of this, largely through machinery, transport and equipment exports.”

Invest NI has already announced new offices in Chile, Singapore and Doha.