We recently sat down with Dinesh Sharma of Brilliant Minds Group to learn about him and how his organization supports newcomers to Canada.

Tell us about yourself, Dinesh!

I am a Senior Human Resources Professional with more than 25 years of global Human Resources experience both in North America and India.  In my last corporate role, I was the Head of Human Resources for a large Canadian manufacturing company with global operations.  I am currently the President of an Executive Search Firm “SUS Talent Management”.  I am also the “Founder & CEO” of Brilliant Minds Group, a not-for-profit organization supporting the immigrant community. Additionally, I am the “Area Director” for District 123 of Toastmasters International.

Canadian HR Reporter, the national newspaper for HR Professionals has published a story on me titled “Secret of Success from an IEP”.  Canadian Immigrant, the national magazine for the immigrant community has recently published a story on my Canadian Journey to inspire the immigrant community.

More importantly, I am an immigrant, committed, and passionate about supporting the newcomer community of Canada.

What is Brilliant Mind Group’s mission?

BMG’s mission is to create programs & services for the successful integration of our ever-growing immigrant population of Canada.  BMG is making an effort to touch the lives of at least 1% immigrant population of Canada in the next 3 years.;

What led you to create Brilliant Minds Group?

In March 2020, COVID-19 hit the world.  In Canada, more than 3 million Canadians lost the job. We realized that the immigrant community was the one that was largely impacted by these job losses.  As an immigrant, who is committed and passionate about community development, I reached out to my contacts in the industry for helping the community.  We started organizing virtual sessions that benefitted newcomers in building professional networks and getting expert advice.  Soon, we realized that there is SO much to do to support immigrants and internationally trained professionals to pursue their Canadian dreams.  That led to creating the Brilliant Minds Group with the single vision of “Connection-Contribution-Community Development”

How does Brilliant Minds Group support newcomers to Canada?

There are many ways Brilliant Minds Group supports newcomers to Canada.  Every month, we organize industry-specific and profession-specific professional development events.  Some of the senior-most industry experts come and share their knowledge with the newcomer community sharing their expertise on the KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) needed to succeed in this industry, along with the hiring forecasts and other valuable information for that industry.  

So far, we have organized sessions on HR, Supply Chain, Engineering, Health Care, Banking, Accounting to name a few.   Some of the Senior Executives like President, CEO, Vice President, Directors from some of the top industries of Canada, Ontario Power Generation, HSBC Bank, CIBC Bank, Capgemini, SickKids Hospital, Professional Engineering Association of Ontario, Deloitte Sunlife Financials, Enbridge, Humber College have come on our platform to support the newcomer community.

Additionally, we organize “Communication workshop”, “Mentorship Program”, “Network Program” “Job Referral” amongst many other activities to support the newcomer community.

For all the work that Brilliant Minds Group does to support the immigrant community, we have been awarded a “Leadership in Collaboration” Award from TRIEC.

What is the best part about running Brilliant Minds Group?

The best part of running the Brilliant Minds Group is we are acting as a bridge between the employers and the newcomer community.  We all know on the one side Canada is facing a labour shortage and on the other side, the newcomer community is either unemployed or underemployed.  By bringing both these parties together at one platform, we are assisting both employers and the newcomers to understand the challenges of each other and work with them to find the solution.  My personal belief is “When an Immigrant Succeeds”, Canada Succeeds”. So, the work we are doing is for a bigger cause.  It is to ensure that “Canada Succeeds” in the long run.

What’s the best advice you have for newcomers to Canada?

There is a “trade-mark” presentation that I make at all Newcomer Organizations.  It says 3″P” – Patience, Persistence, and Positive Attitude are key to building your long-term success in Canada.  Success is a journey and not a destination.  There will be challenges en route but keep the faith.  Canada is a beautiful country.  If we follow the process of “Formal Education”, “Cultural Education”, “Networking”,  “Volunteering” “Mentoring”, it is just a matter of time for the newcomer to succeed. 

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Learn more about Dinesh and his work at www.bmggrp.ca