Toronto: Canada's new high commissioner to India - Nadir Patel is a Canadian, one who was born in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state of Gujarat and speaks Gujarati at home. Patel is barely 44. His appointment was announced by foreign affairs minister John Baird and international trade minister Ed Fast.
Patel's appointment follows the appointment of Richard Rahul Verma, an Indian American, as America's next ambassador to India. "We are pleased to announce the appointment of Nadir Patel as Canada's new high commissioner in the Republic of India," said the two ministers. "Patel brings a wealth of experience and will strengthen even further the Canada-India relationship, including on bilateral trade and international security."
Parliamentary secretary to Baird, another Indian-Canadian Deepak Obhrai is also with the two ministers, all on board Air Canada that's heading to India. "I am delighted Nadir Patel is our new high commissioner," Obhrai said. "He will join other distinguished Canadians who have had a strong hand in strengthening our relations with India, especially when my government has put relations with India as a priority.
Patel was born in Gujarat. He was rather young when his parents decided to emigrate to Canada. Patel went to Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, where he finished his under-graduate in 1993 with political science as his major subject. After graduating, he joined the Federal Public Service and one after another he kept on incessantly moving in the rank.
Till three years back, Patel was Canada's consul-general in Shanghai. On returning to Ottawa, he became assistant deputy minister for corporate planning, finance and information technology, and chief financial officer at foreign affairs, Trade and Development Canada. In the meantime, Patel also finished his MBA from New York University and London School of Economics and Political Science and HEC Paris in 2009.
