The Hands-on Chair

When DJ Sandhu was interviewed for the new BC Regional Innovation Chair in Canada-India Business and Economic Development at the University College of the Fraser Valley’s Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies, he shook his head. “I told them that if they just wanted someone to conduct research and write detailed reports for the government, I wasn’t their man. I would only take it if I could be a ‘hands-on’ Chair. By that I meant that I wanted to be in a position to help business people on a one-to-one basis. They agreed, and here I am.”

Mr. Sandhu’s appointment was announced in June 2007. The provincially-funded Leading Edge Endowment Fund provided $1.25 million in support. A further $1.25 million has been contributed so far by hundreds of individuals, companies and organizations throughout the Fraser Valley and beyond. The Chair at the University College of the Fraser Valley is the second of nine Regional Innovation Chairs that LEEF plans to establish at BC post-secondary institutions.

This Chair’s mandate is to help local businesses capitalize on opportunities in India by providing market intelligence and entrepreneurial advice. It’s hard to imagine anyone more qualified to do this than DJ Sandhu.  Born in India, he came to BC as a teenager and later attended Simon Fraser University (SFU). “I did my undergraduate studies in finance, management science and marketing. My MBA focus was on marketing strategy, research methods and consumer behaviour.”

Since earning his Masters in 1989, he has been president of Nanaka Investments Ltd., a venture capital firm that invests in new manufacturing companies; marketing consultant to companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Bank of Montreal, Mohawk Oil and Sony Canada; and an adjunct professor in SFU’s Faculty of Business Administration. He also serves on the Premier’s Asia Pacific Trade Council’s India Market Advisory Group, based in Vancouver.

“The opportunities for doing business in India are almost limitless,” he explains. “But so far BC and Canada have been conspicuous by their absence. Europe is there, especially the UK, of course. So are USA, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand - - you name it. But, except for Bombardier and Bata, there’s almost no Canada! Premier Campbell’s mission last fall was a very positive step, as was Liberal House Leader Michael De Jong’s follow-up visit early this year. I assisted in the planning of both visits. But there’s so much more we could (and should) be doing. Keep in mind India is a country of more than one billion people, where English is the language of business. No language barriers here!”

What are the opportunities in for BC companies? Mr. Sandhu lays out the possibilities: “There’s education and human resources development, for instance. Already the University College of the Fraser Valley, where I’m based, has a Memorandum of Understanding with Panjab University in Chandigarh, and is offering its Bachelor of Business Administration degree program there. We have a vibrant life sciences and biotechnology cluster here in the Lower Mainland. India would welcome expertise and investment in that sector, as well as in agri-business, environmental technologies, energy, financial services, aviation and aerospace, and infrastructure development. These are all areas where BC has successful, experienced companies who could market their services to the vast Indian market.”

Is it a two-way street? “Absolutely! While my emphasis is on facilitating BC companies’ entry into the Indian market, I’m also advising Indian firms on opportunities here. In BC I work with business associations and chambers of commerce. In India I maintain close ties with the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Already, there has been interest from the Indian government and its Crown corporations in investing in BC’s coal mining projects, and a BC company has applied to mine diamonds in India.”

Mr. Sandhu has in-depth knowledge of the government, education and business worlds in BC and India. “When people ask me what I do as BC Regional Innovation Chair in Canada-India Business and Economic Development, I tell them this – I’m a ‘doorman.’ I open the doors for BC business people to avail themselves of the opportunities in India.”

For further information on DJ Sandhu and his Chair at University College of the Fraser Valley, visit www.ucfv.ca/cics.