Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves while others turn down their eyes. After experiencing a big setback in life, losing the head of the family, his father, Hans Raj Arora, after shifting to India during partition, became their primary bread earner. Among all the challenges on a bumpy journey, he ensured that he got a degree in mathematics/ surveying and got all his younger siblings educated too. He left no stone unturned to fetch for his family. All the hardships strengthened him, which came in handy when he took the job of a surveyor and started working across the globe – from Dehradun to Hyderabad to Switzerland. Meanwhile, he and his wife, Raj Rani welcomed their first child, Anil in 1964.
Hans Raj got an opportunity to move his base to Edmonton, Canada, in 1975, which he didn’t let go. However, he had to leave his family – wife and three children – behind; they could join him a few months later in 1976. Anil was still a young boy. He basked in a lot of love and pampering. Guided by his parents, he absorbed their values and ethics. Seeing his father work for the upliftment of the gurudwara and construction of Hindu temple would delight him. “So... we always knew it as a part of everyday life, building community and not as philanthropy,” says Anil. He calls his mother, Raj Rani, “the glue who kept the family together.” She always looked after the ambition of her husband, desires of her children and held them together. She was well-versed with religion and Indian languages like Hindi and Punjabi and she ensured that their children too didn’t lose their background and learn it well.
When the journey started
He completed his initial schooling at Hyderabad Public School, Hyderabad. Good in studies, he had his interest in sports as well; cricket and hockey occupied him during his childhood too. He finds himself ‘lucky’ as he got an invitation from the Old Scona Academic High School, Edmonton. He participated in arts, drama, sports, culture and clubs. “It was pretty challenging financially for the family. Also, hostility and racism were quite prevalent in the beginning, but it got us closer and we stood close together in the darker days. It drove us to succeed and achieve the best in life,” remembers Anil. He volunteered and helped form and even hosted the first Indian channel on television, bringing news and entertainment to the community and to bring cultures and people closer together.
In 1981, he took admission in the University of Alberta to study petroleum geology. In 1985, he took the opportunity to work in the oil and gas sector where he researched, analysed and supervised teams working in laboratories and in exploring wells. The sector fell on tough times in the mid-late 1980s. He furthered his studies in technology and programming. He diversified his experience in the telecommunications sector and worked in the municipal and provincial governments. In 1988, he began his first job as supervisor of computer operations and data processing at Statistics Canada. Greater challenges and greater responsibilities came his way; without worrying about the remuneration, he kept on building himself. He served in several positions, including regional operations, corporate services and the redesigning of the dissemination function. He continued to invest in furthering his studies and skill sets taking on leadership and management courses.
Climbing the success ladder!
“Bobby... whatever I say about her doesn’t sufficiently convey her impact. The daughter of Kiran Vij and late Commodore PR Vij, AVSM, she is the first affiliate to build the family, who has never let the power of family unity down,” shares Anil with a gleam of love clearly visible in his eyes.
Not only for all his academic and professional success, but he credits her for the peace and calm and grounding in his life. “The way she makes the family bonds strong, the environment lovable and portrays a life partner is beyond measure. The enculturation of values and ethics our children own today is all because of her selfless efforts. She has proved her mettle at work too! A graduate from the University of Delhi, and a computer science graduate from Algonquin in Ottawa, she contributes to the public sector here. For over 14 years, she has been steadily climbing her mission ladder at the Government of Canada. She is the perfect amalgamation of the east and west.”
On being asked about their wedding tale, he smiles, “I had always wanted to have a life-partner in someone from my own culture and my roots. My aunt told my parents about Bobby and we were introduced to each other! Within weeks of introduction, we got married in the summer of 1990. But to start a life together, we had to wait for another 11 months to get the immigration process cleared. It felt like ages. But since then I have been very fortunate that she held my hand through every thick and thin.”
The power couple talks proudly of their three children – Pooja, Rikin and Sahil. Pooja, after her Ph.D. candidacy in environmental science from McMaster University and the University of Guelph, is slowly climbing the ladder at Environment Canada. Rikin has completed his masters in political science and economy from the University of Toronto and Queen’s University, and is planning to pursue law further. Sahil is a student of biomedical science at the University of Ottawa. Though the children are well-versed with Indian culture, core values and language, they see the value of multiple cultures and understanding the languages of Canada.
By 1991, Anil started getting prominent roles that became stepping stones toward building on more senior positions at domestic and international levels. He got exposure to the headquarters of Statistics Canada in the mid-90s and hence he enhanced himself with better courses and opportunities that got him visibility. In 1996, he got an opportunity to hold the position of an assistant director in Ottawa, which he grabbed. By 2000, he became the director of Census Management Office and subsequently the director-general responsible for all aspects of the 2006 Census including the introduction of an online questionnaire – the first of its kind in Canada and in many parts of the world. Post the successful delivery of the 2006 Census he became the Assistant Chief Statistician of Social, Health and Labour Statistics from 2008 to 2010.
He obtained a graduate certificate in public sector governance and management from the University of Ottawa and was invited to participate in the government of Canada’s premiere Advanced Leadership Programme.
Anil pursued career broadening opportunities by leading Canada’s mining sector followed by senior assistant deputy minister roles in corporate, science and policy integration and leading natural resources policy at Natural Resources Canada. He was asked to lead the head regulator role for Canada’s drug and food systems at Health Canada. In 2016, the prime minister asked him to serve as the Chief Statistician of Canada. He is an active member of the United Nations Statistical Council and has led the conference of European Statisticians. He leads the OECD’s Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy and the group on the modernisation of official statistics.
For his exceptional leadership skills and management excellence, Anil was felicitated with the Association of Professional Executives, Prestigious Leadership Award. He also received the male professional award by the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce along with numerous additional recognitions. He has led business missions internationally and contributed to strengthening India’s national statistical system through the World Bank. He sits on the boards of a number of organisations and is a guest lecturer at a number of universities.
Anil, from his very childhood, has held humility and curiosity close. He believes, “when you are open to learning, you value others’ perspectives and go miles when fuelled by curiosity,” and ensures to go by it.