Leadership & Governance

Board & Executive

Board of Directors
Naqsh Kochar

Naqsh Kochar

Chair

Refresh Inc.
Chief Strategist & CEO
Naqsh Kochar brings the same volume of energy, innovation, and skill to CCRW as he does to his experience design firm, Refresh Inc. With an educational background in information systems, Naqsh began his career in 1997 at KPMG in information technology, and then in 2000, took on the role of Chief Information Officer at Hitachi Canadian Industries Ltd. Nine years and an MBA later, he decided to embark on a new challenge and enter the business strategy/marketing world through the founding of Refresh. Since then, Refresh has provided invaluable guidance to countless Canadian businesses in the areas of strategy, brand, digitalization, and design, resulting in such public recognition as their finalist nominations for the ABEX, BBB, and NSBA awards. The next step for Refresh is the launch of their mental health platform, which specializes in providing holistic mental health services for workplace settings. In addition to over twenty years of business experience, Naqsh is passionate about promoting diversity and equity in the workforce. He is well-acquainted with the personal benefits of work—increased confidence, social networks, a sense of belonging and purpose—and believes they belong to anyone who desires them. Observing the reduced opportunities his friends with disabilities had to pursue meaningful work, Naqsh was inspired to use his industry knowledge to help connect individuals with disabilities to employment. This commitment led him to join the board of CCRW in 2015. Naqsh esteems the role of CCRW to not only improve the mental health of individuals who are connected to employment, but also strengthen workplaces as they are made healthier through diversity.

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