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Parents uprooted everything for Canada
Leaving Kuala Lumpur
Nilam Ganenthiran was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, an only child whose parents had him later in life. They moved to Canada with no family and no network, only the idea that it would give him better opportunities. He doesn't think his story would have been possible anywhere else.
Looking back as a parent
Now with a 12-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son, he is sure he wouldn't make the same choice, because he likes his life too much. Friends ask whether proving his parents' decision right was a lot of pressure, and he never felt it, which he credits to the quality of his parents. Under the surface, it probably gave him fuel to make something of himself.
Reading Fortune
As a kid he had two magazine subscriptions, Sports Illustrated and Fortune. It was clear he would never be in Sports Illustrated, and from fourth grade on he loved reading Fortune's stories of Jack Welch and the other titans of industry, though neither parent came from a business background.
How did Canada begin selecting immigrants by points?
In 1967 Canada became the first country to adopt a points system for selecting economic immigrants. Applicants earned points for factors such as education, language ability, and work experience. The system replaced earlier rules that had favored immigrants by country of origin. Australia and New Zealand later adopted similar systems.
Why did business magazines make CEOs famous?
Henry Luce launched Fortune in 1930, giving business its own glossy, long-form magazine in the middle of the Great Depression. Fortune published its first list of the 500 largest US companies in 1955. In 1999 it named Jack Welch of General Electric Manager of the Century. Welch ran GE from 1981 to 2001.
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