Sarabjit Singh Marwah becomes Canada's first Sikh Senator

Kolkata-born Sarabjit Singh Marwah on 2 November 2016 became the first Sikh to be appointed to the Canadian Senate.

Toronto-based Marwah is among six people from Ontario who have been appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

About Sarabjit Singh Marwah

• Sarabjit Singh Marwah was born in Kolkata in 1952.

• He completed his schooling from St Xavier's School. He is an alumnus of Delhi's St Stephen's College and the Delhi School of Economics and holds an MBA degree from the University of California in Los Angeles.

• He formerly worked at Scotiabank. He had joined the company in Toronto as a financial analyst in 1978. Rising through the ranks, he went on to become the Chief Financial Officer (COO) of the bank in 1998. In 2002, he was made the bank's senior executive vice president and chief financial officer.

• He is one of the founders of the Sikh Foundation of Canada that promotes Sikh culture and art among the diaspora community.

• He has also served on the boards of many famous Canadian institutions such as the Toronto Star, the Toronto International Film Festival, the C.D. Howe Institute, the Royal Ontario Museum, the United Way Campaign and the Hospital for Sick Children.