Chris Pulfer

The person who motivated Chris Pulfer to start helping newcomers to Ottawa is younger than the average influencer; after daycare pickup he and his daughter would often hear news reports on the radio about refugees trying to make better lives for themselves in Canada, and she wanted to help. “I thought it was a good idea to be involved, and that was really what got me to act on it,” he said.

An engineer with Posterity Group Consulting, Chris has already inspired four fellow engineers to join OSICO, the Ottawa Connector group. He explained that a lack of network, along with language and cultural and the rigorous testing faced by foreign-trained engineers are all barriers to employment. After three years of connecting with new Canadians, one success story stands out for Chris. Trained overseas and in the U.S., Akin had “great technical chops and was a really friendly, outgoing guy, but he didn’t have a network,” he said. Through an alumnus of the Connector Program who had also previously connected with Chris, Akin found a position working on the light rail system in Ottawa. “It’s a high-profile, very interesting project that for him, as an engineer, was right in his wheelhouse,” said Chris.

“One of the really good things that the Connector Program does is help build networks,” he says.