9 minute read
Creative heights
Indian-born entrepreneur Ajay Virmani not only leads the Canadian air cargo industry, he’s also taken Canada’s movie industry to a higher level
BY BAISAKHI ROY PHOTOS BY ALESSANDRO SHINODA
The president and CEO of Cargojet, Canada’s largest cargo airline, cuts a simple figure as he walks into the modest conference room at his Mississauga office. Indian-born Ajay Virmani, well known as the intrepid leader at the helm of one of the most profitable air cargo transportation businesses in North America, has become known for something completely different. His son, Vinay Virmani, is a budding actor and Virmani Sr. has been supportive of his movie career.
“My kids worked for a couple summers with Cargojet, but they weren’t interested in it. “My son has always been passionate about the movies, not planes,” he says. So Virmani decided to get involved in what his son loved, rather than the other way around. Last year, he produced the film Dr. Cabbie (about a struggling foreign-trained doctor) and, before that, Breakaway under his production company First Take Entertainment Ltd. They were the highest-grossing English-language Canadian films in the years that they were released. His company also co-produced Deepa Mehta’s Water, which was nominated for an Oscar!
Forty years prior, in 1975, Virmani first arrived in this country, armed with an economics degree and all set to pursue his Canadian dream. “I had just been offered a management trainee position in a bank in India, but decided to come here after my sister sponsored me. I did a lot of odd jobs then — washing windows, selling insurance, lots of five-day jobs,” he laughs. Virmani and his pals had their meals at the local gurudwara (Sikh place of worship), feasting on their free langars (food from a free kitchen). “We even scored some free movie tickets for our weekend work,” enthuses the movie buff.
But life wasn’t easy for an educated immigrant in Canada in the 1970s. “There was lots of racial tension in those days,” he recalls. “Immigrants were looked at as stealing local jobs, were looked down upon and called all kinds of names. Even in companies I worked at, I was the only brown person or immigrant. I recognized that for some immigrants there was a language handicap; sometimes you weren’t allowed to integrate, so you had to work harder. I developed a sustainability model where I was the first to show up and the last to leave.”
He continues, “There were moments when I thought, ‘Why am I here as a second-class citizen?’ But compared to India at that time, I found it more acceptable and rewarding here.”
The fact that he shared a one-bedroom apartment with eight other people during this time did not deter him from dreaming big.
He soon found a clerical job at Cottrell Transport in 1976, worked his way up to the top, while studying toward an MBA, and then left to start his own company in 1989. Five years later, he bought Cottrell Transport.
“I worked at Cottrell, a privately owned company for 13 years. I had many job offers during that time from companies like BMO, Hewlett-Packard, but I knew that I was more suitable for smaller entrepreneurial companies than for big multinationals. There are better opportunities in smaller set-ups,” he says.
It was this entrepreneurial instinct that led him to continue to invest in an industry — aviation, specifically the cargo business — that would soon be considered a risky investment. “The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States had happened and nobody was flying. People thought I was crazy to purchase 50 per cent of Canada 3000 Cargo (the largest charter airline in the world at the time of its operation). It was bankrupt, but I saw an opportunity there,” he says. Virmani took a calculated risk and then acquired 100 per cent of Canada 3000 Cargo in 2002, subsequently expanding the services and rebranding the organization into what is now known as Cargojet.
No wonder then that Virmani’s life philosophy is to be a leader, to go where no one dares to, but his biggest strength is the team around him. “After 9/11, two things happened —
Provided photo
In his role as a film producer, Ajay Virmani rubs shoulders with Canada’s biggest stars, including rapper Drake, who made a cameo in Virmani’s production company’s film Breakaway.
planes became cheaper and very qualified people from top airlines were available at a reasonable remuneration because they were being laid off. I was able to hire the best people in the business — flight operations personnel, people in charge of maintenance of the planes, sales persons, management, they all pulled it off! The success of Cargojet and I think any business is a team with the right people in it and my strength has been to find the right people,” he says.
His company continues to hit steady milestones. In 2014, Cargojet was awarded the Canada Post Group of Companies contract, worth $1.7 billion. With the announcement of this contract, Cargojet was the first air cargo airline to introduce the Boeing 767-300 extended range freighter aircraft in Canada. Cargojet also operates 40 allfreighter cargo aircraft carrying in excess of one million pounds of cargo across North America each business night.
Pointing to Sir Richard Branson, the quirky founder of the Virgin Group of Companies, which includes an airline, as one of his role models, Virmani says he likes people who tread a different path — it’s that quality that makes for a successful entrepreneur. “You have to be a stubborn person who believes in your thoughts and dreams and is ready to take risks. Even if you fail, you still go at it,” he says.
Virmani adds that immigrants in particular have that quality of going after what they want. “If an immigrant is travelling all the way to another country, they are being courageous and they are bringing something … if not talent, then hard work. They obviously come with a desire to succeed. Certainly not for the weather,” he jokes. “They have a lot to prove to themselves and their friends and family they left behind in their native countries. It’s a lot of motivation to perform.”
For those newcomers looking to start a business, Virmani offers this tip: “Think about the business you are getting into and make sure you are one of these three things — the first to sell a product, selling the best product or selling a unique product. If you don’t fit in one of these three categories, don’t get into it,” he advises.
Virmani hopes his legacy in both aviation and films will live on. “We have done all the heavy lifting for the younger generation. Now it is up to them to preserve this and work hard to take it forward.” 12
NOW ADD UP TO 1 GB OF DATA
CHATRMOBILE.COM
We’ve been serving newcomers to Canada for more than 100 years.
The TD New to Canada package can give you the financial foundation you need to make your dreams a reality.
Beginning the exciting new life you’ve dreamed of in Canada can be overwhelming, so we’ve made banking in Canada simple. The TD New to Canada package1 is designed for you. Open an account with unlimited transactions and pay no monthly fees for 6 months2. Get a TD credit card, no credit history required3. Enjoy one no-fee money transfer per month for 6 months4. And get a savings account with a bonus rate for 6 months5. It’s our way of saying “Welcome to Canada. Welcome home.”
For details in the language you prefer, visit a branch or tdcanadatrust.com/newtocanada
1You must meet the eligibility requirements and provide the required identification to qualify for the New to Canada Package. We reserve the right to change, extend or withdraw this offer at any time. 2Unlimited Chequing Account or All-Inclusive Chequing Account (the “New Chequing Account”) must be opened in order to waive the monthly account fee. The monthly account fee will only be waived for the first 6 months that the New Chequing Account is open and is limited to one account per person and the type of chequing account cannot change during the 6-month period. The monthly account fee waiver only applies to the regular/pro-rated monthly fee; all other fees will continue to apply. If the minimum monthly balance is maintained in the New Chequing Account in any given month during the first 6 months that the account is open and the monthly account fee is not charged, no monthly account fee waiver will be applied for that month. 3Applicant must meet all TD credit granting criteria to be eligible for a TD Credit Card. For complete details, please visit your local TD branch. 4Visa Direct fee refund offer is only available with the opening of an Unlimited Chequing Account or All-Inclusive Banking Plan, and is limited to (1) one account per person, and (2) one Visa Direct transfer fee per month for the first six calendar months that the account is open. The transfer fee will be debited from customer’s account and then credited to the same account in the same currency. The credit will be processed by the 15th day of the month following the date on which the eligible transfer occurred if the account has not been closed. Customer will not receive any other notification of the credit. We may amend or cancel the offer at any time. No other applicable fees or costs will be refunded. We will rebate the most expensive Visa Direct transfer fee that occurred in the applicable month. If customer is sending money in a currency other than that of the originating account, a foreign exchange conversion will occur. Customer will be advised of the rate used for the conversion prior to completing the transaction, and we may earn revenue on the conversion. Regular account transaction fees may also apply. While recipients will not incur any charges for receiving funds through Visa Direct, they should check with their own financial institutions for any costs associated with the use of their Visa cards. 5Savings Account bonus offer only applies to a TD Every Day Savings Account, a TD High Interest Savings Account or a TD ePremium Savings Account that is opened on or before the day the New Chequing Account was opened. Bonus offer is limited to 1 savings account per person and the type of savings account cannot change during the Offer Period. The bonus rate is in addition to the posted rate on the savings account and will be applied to the savings account commencing no later than 10 business days after the New Chequing Account was opened and will be effective for 6 months thereafter (“Offer Period”). Regular posted interest rates will apply after the end of the Offer Period. Bonus interest will be calculated separately and paid monthly. Interest rates are subject to change without notice. ®The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.
