Leadership

As President and Chief Executive Officer, Gian Singh Sandhu provides executive leadership for Guru Nanak Institute of Global Studies’ governance framework, institutional development, and regulatory advancement. Working collaboratively with the Board of Directors and senior academic leadership, he supports strategic planning, organizational capacity building, regulatory engagement, and long-term financial sustainability as GNI advances through British Columbia’s degree-approval processes.

Academic authority at GNI is exercised through the Vice-President Academic & Provost and the Academic Council, ensuring appropriate separation between executive leadership and academic governance in accordance with post-secondary best practices.

Mr. Sandhu brings over four decades of senior executive leadership and international management consulting experience. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of a group of forest products companies in British Columbia, where he led complex operations, corporate restructuring initiatives, and long-term strategic planning. He is the Founding President of the World Sikh Organization of Canada and later served as its International President, providing governance leadership and institutional development oversight during periods of organizational growth and international coordination.

Throughout his career, Mr. Sandhu has advised commercial enterprises, non-profit organizations, and institutional leaders on governance frameworks, strategic planning, organizational development, and institutional capacity building, with a focus on accountability, sustainability, and effective management systems.

His broader public service contributions have included service on regional, provincial, and national advisory bodies, along with sustained engagement in educational, cultural, and community initiatives in Canada and internationally. His leadership has been recognized through the Order of British Columbia (2002), the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), and the King Charles III Coronation Medal (2024).

An accomplished author and scholar, Mr. Sandhu has published four books, contributed chapters to edited volumes, and authored more than 200 educational scripts focused on Sikh heritage and community development. Through governance leadership, scholarship, and institutional development, he continues to advance responsible leadership and informed public dialogue.

Dr. Kamaljit Kaur Sidhu serves as Provost and Vice-President, Academic at Guru Nanak Institute of Global Studies (GNI), providing senior leadership for academic governance, curriculum development, faculty oversight, academic policy, quality assurance, and institutional planning. In this role, she oversees academic standards, program development, faculty appointments, student academic policies, and compliance with provincial and Degree Quality Assessment Board (DQAB) requirements in support of the Institute’s transition to degree-granting status.

Dr. Sidhu is a former psychologist in British Columbia with over 30 years of professional experience in education, counselling psychology, and post-secondary teaching. She holds a Ph.D. in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia (2000), where her doctoral research focused on identity development among second-generation Sikh adolescents. During her graduate training, she was awarded the University Graduate Fellowship and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship and completed her doctoral internship at Simon Fraser University Health Services. She also served as a research coordinator in the UBC Counselling Psychology Department, supervising research staff and coordinating data collection for nationally funded research projects.

Dr. Sidhu has held academic and professional appointments as a high school teacher, elementary school counsellor, and undergraduate instructor at the University of British Columbia, and has supervised graduate counselling students in practicum settings. She completed post doctoral supervised training in psychological assessment and holds additional credentials, including the APA Emerging Leaders in Psychology Academy Certificate and the UBC Award of Achievement in Creative Writing. She has served on numerous provincial and professional boards, including as President of the British Columbia Psychological Association, and was appointed by the Province of British Columbia to curriculum development and employment equity advisory committees.

As a founding member of GNI, Dr. Sidhu has played a central role in the development of the Institute’s academic framework and curriculum.

Mr. Jas Butalia serves as Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, providing senior leadership in financial governance, audit oversight, regulatory compliance, and institutional financial planning. In this role, he advises the Board of Directors and senior administration on financial strategy, internal controls, audit coordination, and long- term financial sustainability in support of the Institute’s degree-launch and regulatory approval process.

Mr. Butalia is a senior Chartered Professional Accountant with more than four decades of professional experience in public accounting, taxation, corporate finance, and financial governance. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Delhi and professional designations as CPA, CA, andTrust and Estate Practitioner (TEP). He has been a member of the Institutes of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.

His professional career includes over 25 years with BDO Canada LLP, where he served as Partner, Taxation, until his retirement from the partnership in 2004 and continued as an independent tax consultant until 2012. He subsequently served as Partner with Butalia Raymond Cook LLP and is currently a Tax Partner with WBM Partners LLP. His areas of expertise include Canadian and international taxation, corporate and personal tax planning, mergers and acquisitions, United States taxation, inbound and outbound transaction structuring, and cross- border financial planning.

Mr. Butalia has held numerous senior governance and advisory roles, including service on the Tax Committees of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia and BDO Canada LLP, including as Chair. He has authored professional income tax courses for the professional development programs of the Institutes of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia and Alberta, served as a tutorial leader at the School of Chartered Accountancy, and presented papers at national tax and finance conferences.

His corporate governance experience includes service as Director and Chief Financial Officer of Zoro Mining Inc., a publicly listed corporation, and membership on audit committees and boards of several public companies. He has also provided international tax and financial advisory services to Canadian businesses operating in multiple sectors and jurisdictions.

As Director, Human Resources, Facilities and Safety, Gurjit Kaur Bains oversees human resources administration, employment policy implementation, workplace safety, facilities management, staff relations, and institutional compliance with employment, health, and safety legislation.

She holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Osgoode Hall Law School, a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from City University, London, a Master of Science in Adolescent Education from Daemen College, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from York University. She is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario and the Ontario College of Teachers.

Ms. Bains brings over fifteen years of professional experience in education, mediation, and equity-focused leadership. She has served as a secondary school teacher with the Peel District School Board and as a Student Support Teacher in Equity, providing leadership in inclusive practices, professional development, and community engagement. Her professional certifications include adjudication, family mediation, and dispute resolution, and she is a qualified mediator with the ADR Institute of Ontario and Canada.

Dr. Lakvinder Singh Bedi is a distinguished academic and research scholar with over 43 years of experience in higher education, specializing in literary and cultural theory, criticism, and creative writing. He has held several senior academic leadership positions, including Dean of Academics and Professor of English at Desh Bhagat University, Punjab, Controller of Examinations at Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Punjab State Open University, andPrincipal of Cordia Composite College, where he provided leadership in academic governance, curriculum development, and assessment administration.

Dr. Bedi holds a Ph.D. in English, an MBA, and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.). He is the author of Poetics of Rebellion: Reading Pablo Neruda and Pash and has made significant contributions to graduate supervision, interdisciplinary curriculum design, and institutional academic planning. He has actively participated in numerous national and international academic forums and conferences.

In addition to his leadership role as Director, Dr. Bedi continues to teach and mentor students as part of his ongoing academic engagement. His current research focuses on themes of universal freedom, justice, dignity, and issues affecting the Sikh diaspora, positioning him as a respected and influential voice in contemporary literary and cultural studies.

Dr. Manpreet Kaur Gill serves as Manager, Academic Quality Assurance and Operations at Guru Nanak Institute of Global Studies (GNI). In this role, she supports the Institute’s academic quality assurance framework, including program monitoring, data analysis, research coordination, documentation for regulatory compliance, and operational support for academic planning and institutional reporting. Her responsibilities include assisting with quality assurance processes aligned with provincial Degree Quality Assessment standards.

Dr. Gill holds a Ph.D. in Economics from SOAS, University of London, a Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Research from the University of Manchester, an M.Phil. in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and an M.Sc. in Economics from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Her academic training includes advanced preparation in research design, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and applied policy research.

She brings over eight years of international experience in economic research and policy analysis, with practical expertise in data management, institutional research, and statistical analysis using tools such as SPSS, STATA, NVivo, and R. Her research background includes work in globalization, migration, and higher education systems, which informs her contributions to institutional planning and academic quality monitoring.

Dr. Gill has taught undergraduate courses in Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, contributing to curriculum delivery and student assessment in higher education. She supports academic operations in multicultural and international learning environments.

Mr. Bhullar serves as Director, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Stakeholder Relations. In this role, he is responsible for leading the Institute’s equity, diversity, and inclusion framework, coordinating Indigenous engagement and reconciliation initiatives, and managing external stakeholder relations, including government and community partnerships. His duties include developing and implementing institutional policies and procedures in these areas, advising senior leadership on inclusive governance and compliance with provincial and post-secondary standards, and supporting institutional capacity building in EDI, reconciliation, and stakeholder engagement.

Mr. Bhullar is the Principal of Mainland Strategies, a public affairs and government relations firm. He has held several senior roles in the Government of British Columbia, including Chief of Staff to the Minister of Health and the Minister of Children and Family Development, and Director of Policy to the Premier of British Columbia, where he was responsible for strategic planning and cross-government coordination.

His professional experience includes leadership of international trade missions and the development of working relationships with international governments. He has extensive knowledge of Canada’s public sector environment and governance frameworks, having been born, raised, and educated in British Columbia.

Mr. Bhullar has served as a strategic advisor to organizations working in diversity, equity, and inclusion, including Veza Global, and regularly contributes to public discussion on public affairs and governance through media commentary.

The Chief Financial Officer function is supported by Ms. Satveer Kaur Sidhu, who serves as an Office Manager / Accountant responsible for the Institute’s day-to-day financial administration. Her responsibilities include accounts payable and receivable, payroll processing, tuition and fee administration, general ledger maintenance, bank reconciliations, and financial record-keeping. She prepares internal financial reports, supports audit preparation and coordination with external accountants, and ensures compliance with institutional financial policies and applicable regulatory requirements.

Ms. Sidhu holds a Master of Technology in Computer Science Engineering, providing a strong technical and analytical foundation for her administrative and financial responsibilities. Her professional background includes teaching at Canadian and international post-secondary institutions, contributing to academic operations and student support. She also holds Lean Six Sigma certifications, reflecting formal training in process improvement and operational efficiency. Through her role at GNI, Ms. Sidhu supports the Institute’s financial controls, operational continuity, and institutional governance capacity.

As Manager, IT Services, Mandeep Singh is responsible for the administration and support of the Institute’s information technology infrastructure, including end-user technical support, systems and device management, learning management systems, website maintenance, cloud- based collaboration platforms, and digital services supporting academic and administrative operations.

Mr. Singh brings more than six years of professional experience in technical support and IT systems management. Since October 2023, he has led the IT team at GNI, supporting Windows and macOS environments, administering platforms such as Moodle, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, maintaining the Institute’s WordPress website, and providing technical support to faculty, staff, and students. His responsibilities include troubleshooting hardware and software issues, managing user access and permissions, supporting remote learning tools, and contributing to workflow and system improvements.

Before joining GNI, Mr. Singh served as a Technical Specialist with Apple Inc., where he provided front-line technical support and customer education across multiple operating systems and devices.

Mr. Singh holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia and a New Media and Web Development Diploma from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. His technical skills include systems administration, troubleshooting, cloud platforms, learning management system support, web development technologies, remote access tools, and data access and privacy controls.