This is Part 2 of “Keeping Your Eyes on The Goal with Raj Kothari” If you haven’t heard Part 1 yet, go back and listen to it. That is the episode right before this because you’d need that for context.
What will keep you motivated toward your goal? The answer, keep your eyes on it. Never lose sight of what you are working toward. Look at the picture and the reward you will reap when you finally reach your goal. Goals seem so far in the future and so hard to reach unless you break them down into small steps that allow you to track your progress.
This week’s episode is all about how to keep your eyes on your personal and professional success. I discussed extensively with Raj how he was able to climb to the top of his career despite the challenges and microaggression he faced along the way.
Raj Kothari was a Partner and Vice-Chair of PwC Canada. Raj served as Managing Partner for Greater Toronto at PwC until December 31, 2017, and was a member of PwC Canada’s Extended Leadership Team until June 30, 2018. He also served as the National Asset and Wealth Management Leader, Global Transformation Leader for Asset and Wealth Management Assurance Practice, and as a founding board member of PwC’s Global Service Delivery Centre in India.
Raj’s professional and business experience, over 40 years, spans Canada, UK, and India in the areas of business operations, business assurance and advisory services, transaction support, valuation of Asset Management Companies, and advisory services to small and large clients in a variety of businesses. In Canada, he specialized in advising clients in the asset management and fund industry, specializing in: mutual funds, pooled funds, hedge funds, structured products, venture capital funds, investment management companies, service providers, and special purpose investment vehicles. His experience also includes banking, insurance, trading, and manufacturing businesses and IPO’s and Secondary offerings..
Raj has served on the working committee for industry participants in the investment management industry arising from the Ontario Securities Commission’s (OSC) Stromberg Report for the mutual fund industry. He has also served as a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountant’s (CICA) Study Group, “Assessing Risks and Controls of Investment Funds” and chaired the group to update this study. He was also a member of the Study Group for Phase II of the updated CICA Research Study Report on Accounting and Financial Standards for Investment Funds and chaired the CICA’s Standing Committee for Investments Funds. Raj has spoken at numerous Investment Fund Institute of Canada (IFIC), OSC, and CICA conferences and has served on IFIC’s Accounting Advisory Committee.
Raj was an early pioneer and promoter of “Doing business in India”. In 1996-97, he assisted a few Canadian asset and wealth management companies in getting their FII registrations and Canadian corporations in determining their entry strategies in India and obtaining FIPB approvals for their FDI.
Raj graduated from the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at Harvard Business School and obtained an MBA from CASS Business School at the City, University of London. He also qualified as a chartered accountant in both Canada and the UK. Raj is currently enrolled in the Directors’ Certification Program at Harvard Business School and will complete the final two modules on campus in Cambridge, MA in 2020/21.
Raj currently serves on the board of IMCO (Investment Management Corporation of Ontario), a $70-billion pension plan in Canada, on the Independent Review Committee (IRC) of Brompton Funds, and as Advisor to a Private Family Office.
Active within the community, Raj has served as President of the Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce, Chaired the Stratford Shakespeare Festival Endowment Foundation, and served on various boards, including Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship / Students in Free Enterprise-Canada (ENACTUS), Duke of Edinburgh Awards–Ontario, Harvard Business School Club Toronto, Pearson College of the Pacific, Artscape, the Stratford Festival and Soulpepper Theatre. Raj was also a member of the International Advisory Council of the Dean of the Schulich School of Business and a member of the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) President’s Advisory Council.
Raj has been an active fundraiser and chaired: the Stratford Express, Stratford’s single largest fundraising event for three years; “India, The Living Arts” Exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa; “Diwali, A Night To Shine” from 2012-2014, 2017-2019, for the University Health Network (UHN); and Soulpepper Theatre’s largest fundraising event in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Toronto General Western Hospital Foundation, and on the boards of UHN, Ontario Arts Foundation, and the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.
Awards
- 2012 Raj was awarded The Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to the community, the profession, and industry
- 2013 Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce Male Professional of the Year
- 2013 Empire Club of Canada Community Service Award
- 2017 Transformation Award for Professional Excellence
This is one episode you should not miss and share with everyone you love.
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Special thanks to Raj Kothari for joining us this week. Until next time!
