These High-Skilled Newcomers Say ‘New Brunswick Is Where The Future Is’
New Brunswick communities have been recently named by major North American magazines as top places to live and work, a recognition they richly deserve says Pruthvi Brahmbhatt, who moved here from India.
“Whether one intends to grow professionally or settle with family or both, New Brunswick makes it easy with its many advantages,” he says. “New family buying a home? Affordable. Student? Employers are excited to have you. Entrepreneur? The Northeastern U.S. market is one border away. PCMag didn’t have a New Brunswick city as the #1 City in Canada to work from home from for nothing.
Brahmbhatt was running a successful branding agency in Mumbai and working full time at a public relations agency but was looking for innovative opportunities and a new life when he came here as a student. He now works as a Marketing Intelligence Specialist with Opportunities New Brunswick (ONB).
“I feel New Brunswick is where the future is,” he says. “Being born and raised in Mumbai, a megacity with 24 million people, I have witnessed the negatives of life in a massive city. I found these again in Toronto and Montreal during my time there. New Brunswick, meanwhile, has boundless space, clean air, a low crime rate, and so much more.”
Government agencies like ONB and private companies like Fiddlehead Technology in Moncton know that tapping into the international talent pipeline is key to growing and enriching the province’s economy.
Shawn Carver is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fiddlehead, which uses big data analysis to revolutionize food and beverage supply chains and help the world produce better food with less waste.
Carver says recruiting people from around the world has been critical to its growth.
“One of our first hires, a senior engineer, is from China. He’s been an outstanding part of the team for five years now,” says Carver. “One of our senior data scientists is originally from Iran and came to us by way of Malaysia. He was employed in data science overseas and wanted to make the move to this country. We were excited to be his first job in Canada and to welcome him and his family to New Brunswick.”
“In December we welcomed a new data engineer from São Paulo, Brazil. He has done a great job working with the team despite not meeting all his colleagues in person yet due to COVID-19.”
Carver says public agencies and institutions like ONB, PETL and the universities and colleges have supported their recruiting efforts.
The private sector has been there for them too. Earlier this year, McCain Foods acquired a minority share of Fiddlehead, and the New Brunswick-based frozen food giant has helped them find people with their own impressive network and recruitment strategies.
“The truth is that the skill sets we’re looking for are both in high demand and difficult to come by, so we can’t afford to limit our scope or wait for the right candidate to find us,” he says.
The province’s top companies know they need to find the right people to be globally competitive. Corey Nutrition in Fredericton has become one of the world’s top pet food companies since it was launched in 1982.
Jay Yang came here from China as an MBA student and joined Corey as an Export Strategist in 2018, tasked with establishing relationships with export partners in the Asia-Pacific region, including his native China. Now, Yang serves as Export Manager leading the development of overseas business opportunities for the company.
“We are now exporting to over 20 countries and our international business continues to grow rapidly,” says Yang. “I really appreciate being able to work with a great company and great local colleagues as well with partners across the globe in this role.”
Both Yang and Brahmbhatt appreciate the quality of life here, but both say it’s professionally rewarding as well.
“This is a beautiful, charming, and relaxing place that still allows for fast-paced work life and a great career,” says Yang. “I’ve travelled a lot over the past few years and it’s still always nice to get back home to Fredericton and its relaxed atmosphere.”
Brahmbhatt says the province’s ambition is infectious.
“In one’s every act, you see aspiration. The aspiration to make the province better, bring in the best talent, products, services, and companies for the benefit of everyone in New Brunswick. In coming to work in person every day, I feel like a part of this community because I am now.
This story was sponsored by Opportunities New Brunswick.