C.E.O
An Engineering graduate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, India, Satbir Singh Cheema came to Canada to gain his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg in 1988. He moved back to India after his degree but chose to make Canada his permanent home in 1994 arriving in Vancouver as a landed immigrant. Satbir worked in the banking and finance sector in Metro Vancouver before joining PICS in 1998. Over the last 19 years in the organization Satbir has gained experience in all aspects of the social services sector specializing in Employment Programs, a department he has headed for the last 14 years.
In his role as Director of Employment Programs and Planning at PICS, Satbir has managed multiple employment and community programs and has led an exceptionally committed and dedicated team that enhances the employability of new immigrants and facilitates their integration into the Labour Market. Over the years, these programs have helped thousands of clients in getting jobs and hundreds of clients in launching their own businesses.
Satbir understands the needs, requirements and expectations of the funders, has extensive knowledge of the working of community social services sector, and has deep understanding of the clients that PICS serves. He has developed strong relations with the local community, stakeholders, partners, businesses, media, elected officials, funders and Government Departments. He has represented PICS at various levels – both local and nationally even making a presentation to the Defense Diversity Council in Ottawa to give a community perspective to their recruiting efforts. It was also Satbir who convinced the Canadian Forces to open a Recruiting Office within PICS Head Office that allowed people in the South Asian community choose Canadian Forces as a career. One of Satbir’s biggest achievements has been the conceptualization and implementation of annual Mega Job Fairs for PICS where 75+ exhibitors and 6000+ clients have annually participated.
Satbir has served as a Board Member with ASPECT (Association of Service Providers for Employability and Career Training) for seven years and with Collaborate Delta for three years and has served as a member of Program Advisory Committee at Vancouver Community College. Satbir has participated and assisted with “Operation Remembrance”, an initiative by RCMP and Canadian Forces to arrange markers for 36 unmarked graves of veterans in Surrey. In 2012, he was presented with the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for community service. At present, he is serving as a member of BC RCMP CO’s Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee.