Sobhana Jaya-Madhavan

Sobhana holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (India). After relocating to Canada in 1995, she worked in a minimum wage job before joining BC Public Service. After nearly 20 years in BC Public Service working in various frontline and senior management roles, Sobhana returned to India and worked as a global head of HR before returning to Canada and joining Simon Fraser University as AVP of External Relations and Adjunct Faculty.

Sobhana’s achievements include receiving the Woman of the Decade award from the Women Economic Forum, the International Inclusion Champion Award from The National Federation of the Blind Maharashtra (India) and the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award.

Sobhana’s dedication to volunteerism, fostering friendships, and creating partnerships has been a constant throughout her life. This passion began in India, where at 16, she became president of her town’s Rotaract Club. Over the years, she has volunteered for various organizations in India and Canada including: Aga Khan Foundation, United Way of British Columbia, International South Asian Film Festival, Burnaby Board of Trade, Global Emerging Leadership Program, HashHackCode and BC-India Business Network.