ETOBICOKE – Gary Manocha, former international student and recreation centre employee, has earned a number of degrees and designations on route to starting a successful career in accounting and finance.

In 2006, Manocha came to Canada from India to pursue academic studies in Business Accounting.  His interest in numbers is what initially drew him to learn about finance.  Humber College was one of the institutions that caught his attention when researching where to apply.  He had learned about the western world from his father, and knew that he wanted to one day explore a new country, like Canada, and experience different cultures and meet new people.

While completing his first post-secondary program at Humber, Manocha worked as a student employee in the Athletics Department, assisting with recreational event operations.  As the first International student hired to work under recently hired Recreation Coordinator, Jennifer O’Reilly, Manocha was provided with an opportunity to learn about the workforce and make connections with other students on campus.  A learning opportunity was also created for O’Reilly, who had a goal of diversifying staff and expanding recreational programming.  Improved communication for both parties was a direct result of this working relationship.

Through his work in campus recreation, Manocha was able to gain hands-on experience running late-night sports and activities for those living on campus, as well as setting up and running a variety of intramural tournaments and promotional service booths.  One of his favourite memories from his time working in recreation includes welcoming new students to our promotional kiosks and making them feel welcomed through participation in ice breakers and simple games.

Although Manocha found a strong sense of belonging through his work within the department, a place where he was able to be his authentic self, he temporarily left school to obtain permanent residency in Canada.  He worked for nearly two years to meet the requirements, and maintained a high performance rating during both years.  Manocha then returned to Humber in 2010 and completed an Advanced Diploma in Accounting.

Following his time at Humber, Manocha continued his education and became involved with the Business Society at the University of Regina.  During his study period, he was awarded an exclusive Fellowship, given to students who maintain good performance in academics as well as other aspects of life.  In 2013, Manocha received a Bachelor Degree in Accounting with Distinction from the University of Regina.

Manocha then took additional courses, worked long hours and received the designation of Chartered Professional Accountant in 2015, the same year that he received his Canadian Citizenship.  Manocha was honoured to have his parents attend a number of graduation, designation and awards ceremonies to support him.

Currently, Manocha is the Controller for a large land company in Calgary, Alberta.  He is responsible for the finances of the multi-million dollars business.  He is also the Director of his own accounting firm, Condor Integrity Professional Corporation, where he provides public accounting and tax services to individuals and small businesses.  He credits his parents as the inspiration, and great mentors along the way, for this successful journey.

Manocha stays active by running and working out at the gym and spending time with his family.  He and his wife, Shilpa, have a nineteen month-old son named Javan.  In the future, Manocha hopes to continue to grow his accounting firm, and also hopes to step into a CFO role along with travel to more countries in the future.