2019 Good Business Award – Tuhin Das
Tuhin Das, BIB/09, is passionate about helping those in the communities around him. Over the past decade, he has served close to 10 organizations and made a positive impact in the lives of many, including students, military personnel, cardiovascular medicine patients, women from underprivileged communities and budding entrepreneurs. He has accomplished this all while maintaining a successful, full-time career in the high-tech industry.
Currently, Tuhin is the immediate past-president and founder of the Association of Old Crows (AOC) Maple Leaf Chapter, a Carleton University alumni mentor, board director and mentor for the 33 Signals Regiment Foundation, and a donor to the non-profit organization, Kiva.
When he made the career switch from working for a Canadian government agency to working in the high-tech defense industry, Tuhin had no prior knowledge about electronic defense and security. In a short time frame, he was able to establish his brand in this highly competitive community by providing value to various stakeholders.
“I was looking for a career change, and found myself in an interview for a job with D-TA Systems, a home grown Canadian organization that provides a platform for defense clients to collect, analyze and combat security threats from a wide spectrum with state-of-the-art technology,” said Tuhin.
“Exploring further, I found out about an internationally recognized non-profit organization (AOC) that advocates to individuals, government, industry and academia with common interests in electronic defense. In 2014, I decided to take it upon myself to rebuild the Canadian chapter from scratch. This stands out to me as my most rewarding experience from my work in the community, because I feel that it has positively impacted lives and I’ve been able to see it evolve.”
Five years later, Tuhin has grown the Maple Leaf Chapter to 200 members, organized professional development events, and has also teamed up with Carleton’s Faculty of Engineering and Design to offer a specialized training program for students.
Tuhin also volunteers with Carleton’s alumni mentors program, a program he highly recommends to other alumni. It pairs motivated upper-year students, graduate students, and recent graduates with an alumni mentor to help them develop skills for the workplace and expand their professional networks. He also believes in using this partnership to encourage his mentees to give back.
“I always tell my mentees that they need to volunteer,” said Tuhin. “Step outside of your comfort zone. You may ask yourself, why am I putting in extra time and not getting paid for it? It’s not always about the money. You need to build your own profile and brand, because eventually that’s going to carry a lot more weight than getting a 9-5 job. It’s such a rewarding experience and I’ve met some amazing people along the way who will be my lifelong friends.”
Coming to Canada in 2005 as an international student to study the Bachelor of International Business, Tuhin wanted to give back to the country that had given him so much. He credits his mentors for encouraging him to play an active role in the community, including some of his past Sprott School of Business professors.
“Having had the opportunity to live in India, Ghana, Spain, and of course Ottawa, I really fell in love with Canada,” said Tuhin. “It has literally given me everything I could have possibly wished for. I met my lovely wife, have a good education, great friends, but also throughout my ten year journey I have always been mentored by industry professionals. Because I have gotten so much from the Ottawa community, I always want to give back.
“When I was studying in the BIB program, I had some excellent professors. Two professors that really stand out in particular are José Rojas-Méndez and Leighann Neilson. Aside from having a good time in their classes, I always felt a sense of warmth from them. As an international student this was very important to me in order to grow in the early days.”
On November 25, 2019 Tuhin was presented with the Sprott School of Business Good Business Award at the annual Sprott School of Business Students’ Society Business Banquet. The Good Business Award honours a Carleton graduate of a degree program in business who has made a positive impact in local, regional or global communities through their professional, voluntary or philanthropic endeavours.
“I’m extremely honoured to be recognized and chosen by the selection committee for my community efforts,” said Tuhin. “Sprott holds a very special place in my heart.”