Innivec announces advisory board of education, skills, and international relations experts

Innivec, a network of career-oriented educational institutions in Canada, has launched the Innivec Advisory Board and announced its Board members, with the distinguished lineup aimed at helping attain its vision of excellence in higher education to address the needs of today’s global learners. 

Innivec owns and operates Eton College Canada, Taylor Pro College, Extreme Pro Training, and College Multihexa, whose campuses in Canada offer a myriad of certificate and diploma programs, micro-credentials and career-enhancing resources, complemented by smart technologies and  laying the foundation for students to reach their career objectives through academic success and hands-on practicum experiences. 

The members of the Innivec Advisory Board are:

• Harinder Sekhon, Ph.D. – Strategic and foreign policy analyst, senior researcher in international relations, and until recently, senior fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation. Sekhon has over three decades of experience in US-India relations, US policy, and regional security. She previously served as head of the US Studies Program at the Observer Research Foundation and spent two years as an intelligence and strategic analyst at the National Security Council Secretariat of the Indian government.
• Maryann Delfin – Corporate and board governance expert, with extensive experience in navigating complex regulations and executive leadership roles. A graduate of the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, Delfin currently pursues her LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School. 
• Naina Grewal – Radio host and media expert, with over 15 years of media and broadcasting experience and marketing know-how in an array of industries, including STEM, CPG, and influencer marketing. In the media field, Grewal excels in governance and decision-making, fostering relationships with faculty from 12 reputable universities. Grewal also helms community outreach at Quantum Algorithms Institute, where she helps grow British Columbia’s leading position in quantum computing via community engagement.
• Natasha Jeshani, CPHR, SHRM-SCP – A trusted Board, executive and corporate advisor, global human resources and recruitment expert, and bestselling author. Jeshani holds a degree from UBC and HR Management certificate with honors from BCIT, is the president and CEO of fractional HR and recruitment firm Career Contacts, and founder of corporate HR training company Training Arch. Jeshani has been recognized as Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 Under Forty and was nominated for the Women of Distinction Award.
• Sumith Nakandala – Seasoned diplomat, former member of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service, director of the Centre for Indo-Sri Centre at Pathfinder Foundation, and most recently senior director at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies, specializing in power politics of the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific. Nakandala retired from the Sri Lanka Foreign Service after an illustrious career spanning over three decades, with a designation as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as a career highlight. He was also the first Secretary-General of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation( BIMSTEC).

“These Advisory Board members were handpicked for their extensive industry knowledge, strategic alignment with the Innivec network, and the depth and breadth of the relationships in their respective fields,” said Innivec CEO Sanjay Laul.

According to Laul, the multisectoral relationships and engagement brought to the fore by the Advisory Board bodes well for Innivec’s vision of completely aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 for education, making education accessible to all by year 2030.

“We have an ambitious goal of helping train 25 million learners around the world. How do you do that? Harness the firepower of both the public and private sectors, and work with intent and in close proximity to governments and private entities and individuals with expertise in education, skills development, and employability,” Laul said. 

Rishi Singh, PhD, Innivec’s Vice President for Academics, pointed to the predominantly female board as a reflection of Innivec’s deliberate commitment to promote gender diversity and inclusion, going against the tradition of male-dominated corporate boards and higher education settings. 

“Women have always been equal partners in the decision-making process, so it is only fitting that our Board reflects this and showcases their expertise in their respective fields,” Singh said. 

Coming from a year of educational acquisitions, new diploma-to-bachelors pathways, and partnerships, Innivec plans to strategically focus on leveraging technology, initiating new industry ties, and adapting to workforce needs in 2024, Singh shared.

With a globally positioned team of over 250 professionals in academics, trades, management, and marketing, Innivec offers solutions including curriculum development, internships, corporate training, upskilling, learning management systems, certification, and industry partnerships.