Indian-born Raghuram Sitaram finds adaptability the key to success

Credit to Author: Ramya Ramanathan| Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2023 16:24:53 +0000

Indian-born Raghuram Sitaram immigrated to Canada in 2015 with his family for better career opportunities. After working as a part-time digital marketing trainer in the initial years, he took on leadership roles at various digital marketing agencies. He currently leads operations, digital marketing competency development, and service delivery for TechWyse.

Despite being a single parent, Sitaram also finds time to volunteer on the Board of Directors for an award-winning Canadian professional dance company, Sampradaya Dance Creations, and advises a non-profit, SAWITRI Theatre Group, on building their online presence.

What brought you to Toronto?
Having worked in senior management roles in the India offices of leading American multinational companies, the logical next step from a career standpoint was to move to this side of the world. My wife was very supportive as she could further her career in Canada. We were just entering our 40s and it wasn’t an easy decision, as we were already well settled back in India. But we wanted to make sure our daughter would have the opportunity to grow up in a country where her career and life choices wouldn’t be limited in any way.

What were a couple of challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
I assumed that my work experience with American companies would help me land decent job opportunities in Canada quickly. To my surprise, the lack of Canadian experience was a major hurdle. Going through the traditional route of applying for jobs did not yield great results. It was a chance meeting with a senior marketing professional at a conference that changed things very quickly. I helped with a small yet significant digital funding campaign which impressed her enough to recommend me to her professional connections, leading to my first proper career opportunity in 2016.

In my current role, I help with business strategy and manage service delivery for over 180 small and medium-sized North American businesses. I manage a Toronto-based team and also provide strategic leadership to a remote workforce of 100+ professionals in software development, program management and digital marketing.

On the personal front, I went through a divorce in 2017 and my ex-wife decided to move back to India. Being a single parent to a seven-year-old daughter in a foreign country without any support had its fair share of challenges. I got home by 6 p.m. every evening. Travelling for work wasn’t an option as I did not want to interrupt my daughter’s school schedule, and there was no one I could depend on to take care of her if I were to be away. That heavily influenced my career choices, as well as many personal decisions. Now my daughter is 12, and things have become a lot easier.

During those initial years, I just put my head down and did the best I could as a parent and as a professional, taking one day at a time.

You were a famous child actor in India. Are you still acting today?
That was ages ago. But people still reach out to me asking if I was ‘Mani’ from ‘Swami and Friends’; one of the most popular seasons of the legendary Indian TV show Malgudi Days. This was back in the mid-’80s when there was just one national TV channel in India and the whole country watched the series on prime time.

I am still passionate about acting and the performing arts. Last year, I played a small role in a Canada Arts Council-funded short film called There Are No Children Here which has been shown at six different film festivals so far, with the 2023 Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (MISAFF) being the most recent.

What keeps you going when things are tough?
I firmly believe in Darwin’s philosophy that it isn’t the most intellectual or strongest species that survives, but the most adaptable to change. Immigrating to a foreign country with your family, with no connections and no job is hard enough. That, and being put into a single parenting situation suddenly, was a lot to handle all at once. Staying malleable, focusing on my priorities while still holding on to my core beliefs has seen me through some very interesting times.

What is your advice for newcomers and immigrants?
Patience, focus and a can-do attitude is what it takes to really make it as an immigrant. On a practical level, communication and soft skills, and the ability to network could really set you up for that coveted career break. Once you have become a part of the economy, things will fall into place. As long as you have a strong ‘why’, you will have the drive to push through.

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