The New Fellow CPHR in Manitoba

Written by CPHR Manitoba

In February 2020, CPHR Manitoba was pleased to announce Nish Verma as the newest Fellow CPHR.

Nish started his career as a computer engineer with Hewlett Packard in South East Asia where he quickly realized the importance of human resources in organizational success. After several years of international experience in South East Asia, Europe and the Middle East, he moved to Canada with his family in 2003.

Nish began studying Human Resources and Management at the University of Winnipeg shortly after moving to Canada. He received top marks in both programs and following graduation, he received the top score in Canada on the National Knowledge Exam. He became a Certified Human Resources Professional in 2006 and also received his Project Management Professional Designation in 2007.

“I achieved the CPHR designation to demonstrate my commitment and passion for the human resources profession,” says Nish. “As a CPHR, my network, knowledge, and confidence grew monumentally.”

Nish began his career in Canada on the frontlines with a job as HR Specialist in Brandon. He quickly moved through the ranks within the provincial government to be the first Assistant Deputy Minister of all Provincial Government HR Operations, a newly created position. He was responsible for realigning all HR sectors into one seamless progressive and efficient entity. He moved on to become the Vice President HR in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority for a year, where he completed similar work. In 2013, Nish decided to move back to private sector to join a growing Winnipeg organization called Mondetta Clothing Company and has been part of their transformation team as Vice President HR and Chief Operations Officer.

“I am a team player with a belief in organizational success through continuous improvement, client service, life-long learning, collaboration and open transparent communication,” he says. “These principles have served me across my experience in strategic planning, business reorganization, project management, continuous improvement, change management and workforce development.”

Nish is passionate about Human Resources and its importance in any organization and has committed the last several years of his career to be an active advocate of the profession. When Nish joined the CPHR Manitoba board (then known as HRMAM) in 2014, the association was at a critical point in its evolvement and also a turning point in its vision. The Association was coming out of financial crisis and a new strategic plan was drawn. Nish was a key partner to the Chair and CEO in the development of the strategic plan and took on a leadership role by chairing some committees. He served as Chair of the Board from 2016 – 2018. In addition, Nish has chaired the Membership, Nomination, and Governance Committees for CPHR Manitoba. He has also represented Manitoba at the national level as a member of CPHR Canada’s Board of Directors since 2015, where he’s been a strong voice in determining the one designation one profession philosophy that guides CPHR Canada.

“I believe in giving forward and have mentored and coached many fellow HR practitioners throughout my career,” says Nish. “I’ve also given back to my community by serving on the board of the Indian Association for four years and as a Folklorama Ambassador for two years and was the Ambassador General for Folklorama in 2014.”

Nish is a strong advocate and brand ambassador advocating for the HR profession and promoting the CPHR designation. He taught in the HR Diploma Program at The University of Winnipeg for several years and continues to promote the skills and knowledge of HR professionals through workshops and speaking engagements with various professional and educational institutions and associations. He has also served as a mentor to proteges at all points in his career.

“Communities, organizations and workplace are changing at ever increasing pace and HR leadership is key to help in managing change” he says. “HR Professionals are not compliance administrators and bookkeepers. They are strategic leaders that impact the versatility of the organization and are key partners for success. COVID-19 has only re-emphasized the importance of Human Resource Leadership in the organizations. Innovation, change management, strategic thinking, communication and project management are now important skills for a good HR professional.”