Sarabjit Singh Marwah, an eminent Sikh personality in Canada, figured prominently in the news when
Prime Minister Trudeau appointed him as a Senator to the Senate of Canada in 2016, on the basis of his
meritorious career and achievements. Born in India, Sarabjit obtained a Master’s degree in Economics from
Delhi University, followed by an MBA in Finance from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Mr. Marwah moved to Canada in 1978, and joined the Bank of Nova Scotia in Toronto in the Finance
Division. Over the years, he held successively more senior positions including Senior Vice President &
Comptroller, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Senior Executive Vice President & CFO, before being
appointed as the Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of the Bank. During his tenure in Finance,
he was also responsible for several other Corporate functions such as Audit, Economics, General Counsel,Information Technology, Real Estate, Shared Services & Operations and Treasury, and was actively involved
in many of the Bank’s strategic decisions, including acquisitions both in Canada and Internationally. He was
also Chairman of several Scotiabank subsidiaries. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of several
public companies in Canada.
Sarabjit has also been very active in social, arts and community organizations. He currently serves as
a Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Hospital for Sick Children, and is a member of the Board of
Directors of the Toronto International Film Festival. He is a Founding Member of the Sikh Foundation of
Canada (a community organization dedicated to promote Sikh art and culture), a member of the 2008 and
2009 United Way Cabinets, a past member of Finance Committee of the Royal Ontario Museum, Board
member of the C.D. Howe Institute, and past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Humber River Regional
Hospital. He was also a past member of the selection committee for the Rhodes Scholarship.
During his brilliant career, he has received many honors and awards. Among them, the Canadian
Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA) and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto honored him with
the prestigious Words & Deeds Leadership Award in 2009. This national award recognizes Canadian leaders
whose contribution to humanitarian causes, tolerance and inclusion in Canadian society is outstanding.
Recipients are those who show through their ‘words and deeds’, that the work of few, can benefit the entire
community. Mr. Marwah, popularly known as Sabi, is one such person who has few parallels in regard
to his qualifications and ability in the Banking and Economic sectors, and who is also well known as a
great humanitarian for his social and charitable work. He is certainly a role-model in that he is the first
turbaned Sikh to be appointed a Senator in Canada. He has done extensive community work not only for
the Sikhs, but also for other communities. His leadership role with the United Way, and his efforts on behalf
of those with physical disabilities and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation are commendable. He
has been awarded the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals, and the Sewa Award for professional
achievement and community service by the Sikh Foundation of Canada. He was awarded “Professional of
the Year” by the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and was recently honored by the Ontario Sikh
and Gurdwara Council. In 2012, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Ryerson University. In
summary, his words, actions, deeds and his present position make him an exemplary role model, and one
who makes all Sikhs proud.
