Internationally trained professionals received CPAC leadership certificates

Twenty internationally trained professionals received their certificates of completion over the weekend from the Leadership Development Program offered by the Chinese Professionals Association of Canada (CPAC). The graduation ceremony, featuring keynote speaker Warren Kwan, a vice president of TD Bank Financial Group which sponsored the program, was held last Saturday at Hilton Suites Toronto/Markham.

Known as one of the best programs in the ethnic communities for immigrant professionals who wish to develop their leadership skills and advance their careers, the CPAC-TD Leadership Program is CPAC’s flagship program. “As a professionals association, we have first-hand knowledge of the needs of internationally trained professionals. More importantly, we have the expertise and resources to help them grow their potential and become leaders of tomorrow,” said Dr. Hugh Zhao, president of CPAC. “This is the third year we offer this program and it’s becoming better and better. A lot of our graduates got promoted because of this program.”

“This leadership training program is a tailor-made for us. Each session focuses on one key area of leadership, such as how to effectively communicate, how to influence and motivate team members, and how to manage conflicts. These are all very useful tools. We have also gained an in-depth understanding of ourselves in terms of our personality and leadership style,” remarked Hong Zhang, one of the graduates of the program.

Zhenyong Li, a partner of an engineering firm, graduate of the first class of the program and current president of the CPAC Leadership Club, can’t say enough good about the program. “The value of this program is not just the classroom training,” said Mr. Li, “Classroom is only part of it. In my opinion, mentoring is its most unique feature and the most effective way to guide and nurture internationally trained professionals toward well-developed leadership.”

The CPAC-TD Leadership Development Program has three organic components, intensive classroom training, mentoring and continuing education through the CPAC Leadership Club. Graduates of the program automatically become members of the Club, which conducts regular leadership development activities throughout the year.

“We are proud to be a sponsor of CPAC’s Leadership Development Program,” said Mr. Wartren Kwan, “And we are proud of the accomplishments of this program and the accomplishments of CPAC in general. This program helps new Canadians develop the leadership and management skills necessary to excel in the workplace and allows them to achieve their personal and professional goals. We want to congratulate the participants on their successful completion.”

The participants of the program have diverse professional backgrounds, including engineering, finance, information technology and health care. The instructors are top-notch trainers from universities and consulting firms with extensive cross-cultural and cross-sectoral experience. As a valued added component, the program is supported by a group accomplished leaders with middle to senior management experience in both the public and private sectors who serve as mentors to the alumni.