Name: Varun Chandrasekar | Designation: Senior Manager | Company: Scotiabank | Place: Canada
(June 13, 2023) Growing up, Varun Chandrasekar was a fan of good storytelling. He loved movies and was drawn to the visual medium for its ability to resonate with the audience on an emotional level. After a successful advertising career, this Chennai-lad has found a space for himself in Canada as the senior manager at Scotiabank. Currently, he leads a team that manages the go-to-market strategy and execution of acquisition, cross-sell, and engagement programs for Newcomers-to-Canada and students. “We sit between the product and channel teams, and are the glue that choreographs how we target, serve, and service customers in achieving their financial goals,” he says.
His fascination for the visual medium led him to pursue a degree in Mass Communications from Chennai’s Loyola College before embarking on a career in advertising in Bengaluru with companies such as Ogilvy and Grey. “The world of marketing and advertising taught me a lot about different types of consumers. I’ve developed campaigns for clients in various categories – from computer software to cleaning products, kitchen appliances, confectionery, fruit juices, and more. More importantly, I got the chance to collaborate with talented people who were incredibly creative and passionate about their work.”
In 2016, he moved to Canada to pursue an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. “My MBA journey was a transformational experience that changed me both personally and professionally. Meeting people from different backgrounds, work experiences, countries, and cultures helped broaden my perspective and added new problem-solving frameworks and ways of thinking to my toolkit.”
Varun Chandrasekar.
He adds that the post-secondary education system in Canada is quite unlike in India and isn’t just a precursor to employment. “Many skilled newcomers in Canada struggle to land jobs because they don’t have ‘Canadian experience’. Jobs are also filled through referrals and peoples’ informal networks. I had to figure out how to demonstrate that my education, experience, and skills were transferable to corporate roles in Canada. To accomplish this, I stayed up to date on the latest trends in business and subscribed to various industry publications. There was also a summer internship with Ford Motor Company which helped me understand Canadian workplace norms, culture, and ways of working.”
Despite this, it took him nearly six months to land his first job in Canada. “You have to keep persevering against all odds. My immigrant journey gave me what I consider to be my greatest strength – adaptability,” he says.
However, his initial years in Canada came with their own set of challenges. “They were characterised by an almost unhealthy obsession to fit in. I filled my head with the narrative that I needed to be, sound, and act ‘less Indian’ and ‘more Canadian’ in order to belong and succeed,” he says, adding, “These boxes that society expects us to fit into can be suffocating. We don’t need to conform, we can carve our own path in life and be whoever we want to be. Over time, I’ve also been able to see how my unique experiences have made me who I am, and how it has benefited the teams I’ve worked in. I honour my roots by proudly leaning into my various identities. I’m Indian. I’m Hindu. I’m Tamil. I’m from Chennai. And I’m Canadian. I am all of these things at once and not one more than the other.”
Having had the good fortune of being mentored and sponsored by people who showed him the way, Varun pays it forward himself. “I make time to mentor newcomers and students by opening up my network to them, sharing the things I wish I had known sooner, and my own experiences of navigating the world of work and life in a new country. I feel that it’s the least I can do to pay forward the kindness I’ve received.”
An avid traveller, Varun makes sure he makes time for himself in the midst of all his professional pursuits. “After work, you can usually find me at the gym or on the tennis court during the weekends. 2022 saw me do a bit of revenge travelling post covid – I went to Colorado and then Arizona in the spring to see the Grand Canyon, Banff and Jasper national parks in Alberta in the summer, and then shorter trips to Ottawa and Montreal. I also make it a point to visit India once a year.”
Varun Chandrasekar.
Varun has some very fond memories of his life in India. “From playing Monopoly with cousins all night, to cycling to school with friends, playing cricket and going to the beach are some of my fondest memories of my formative years in Chennai,” he says, adding, “Living in Canada, sometimes I miss not being able to just walk to the end of the street for some chaat or a glass of chai. Each time I go back to India, I make it a point to go through routines from my childhood such as riding my dad’s motorbike on the streets I grew up in, indulging in the many South Indian breakfast spots in Chennai and Bangalore, experiencing my mom’s cooking once again, and catching sunsets at the beach. It’s the closest thing I have to time travel.”
Takeaways:
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From summer internships to networking and staying updated with industry trends, do it all to be able to land a job in your new country.
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You don’t need to conform to fit in. Your experiences are what make you unique.
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Share your experiences and knowledge with newcomers. Mentor when you can and pay forward the kindness you’ve received.
I love reading about your experiences.