From Pune to legislature in Canada

An alumnus of Ness Wadia College and Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce, Dipika Damerla won the election this month to the Ontario provincial legislature in Canada from a constituency in Mississauga, a city near Toronto.

Dipika, daughter of Pune-based DVR Rao, who is a member of the Professionals Party of India, has taken her oath as a member of the provincial Parliament (MPP), which is the equivalent of member of legislative assembly in India. She is the first ever elected member in Canada to take an oath on the Gita.

Rao said that after becoming a chartered accountant, his daughter worked for Alpha Laval in Pune in the early 1990s. “But later, she moved to Canada after getting married,” the proud father added.

Dipika has experience that counts. As senior policy advisor to the minister of economic development and trade, her focus has been bringing good jobs to Ontario during one of the worst recessions to hit the province.

As part of her record, she has worked with Mississauga-based companies such as Pratt and Whitney, Novartis, Astra Zeneca and Apotex to help create more jobs and protect existing ones.

Dipika began her career as a social and political commentator for Omni TV, covering many local issues in Mississauga. Prior to her current career, she worked in corporate banking at two of Canada’s largest financial institutions -  the Royal Bank of Canada and the Bank of Nova Scotia.

She has run a small business in the telecommunications industry and understands that there are few things more rewarding than running a successful enterprise and creating jobs and opportunities for local communities.

Her extensive community involvement includes volunteering with the Mississauga Food Bank, founding the clothing drive Vastra Daan, chairing the India Pavilion, Carrasauga, and hosting a classical music show on the local community radio.

Dipika earned her master of business administration (MBA) from the Rotman School of Business, University of Toronto.

As a working mother, Dipika understands the challenges that hard-working families face every day: the challenge of balancing work and family, of getting the best for children and of carving out a secure and stable future in the midst of so much change.