Dheeraj Z

Dheeraj is a graduate of the English Honours program at the University of British Columbia. Dheeraj is a Queer settler to unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territories, who moved to Vancouver from India. Dheeraj is a passionate advocate for social justice is an avid film-goer who has volunteered with various several film festivals in Vancouver, most recently at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).

Praveen is a member of the Vancouver Chapter of EO since 1996, Toniic, TiE Vancouver (Founding Director) & Silicon Valley Blockchain Society – Vancouver Chapter (Founding Director).  He’s also on a number of non-profit boards such as the Varshney Family Foundation, Dalai Lama Center for Peace + Education & a Founding Member of Instruments Beyond Borders.  He’s also an SVP Vancouver Partner, a Director of Foundations for Change, and on the Advisory Boards of Room to Read Vancouver and The Thomas Edison Innovation Foundation in New Jersey.  He also Co-Founded with his daughter, Jaiya, Down to the Last Straw, a global movement to reduce plastic waste with a major focus on single-use plastic straws.

Praveen is also a past recipient of Business in Vancouver’s 40 Under 40 Awards and the 2020 Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Wendy McDonald Diversity Awards Outstanding Mentor recipient.