Vim Kochhar, a businessman originally hailing from India, has been appointed as a member of the Canadian government by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The move will make Kochhar the first Indian-born minister in the history of the Canadian government. Kochhar has been living and working in Canada since 1967 and runs a furniture company, Vimal Group, in Toronto. Kochhar studied in the US at the University of Texas and became a Canadian citizen in 1974.

As a senator, Kochhar will be paid a salary of CA$70,000, which is significantly lower than the CA$200,000 he was used to earning as the CEO of his furniture chain.

Kochhar was seen as a good bet for the senator role mainly as a result of his community work, including the establishment of the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons. Harper added, “these new senators are committed to community safety and justice for the victims of crime.”

His story is likely to be an inspiring one to anyone looking to move to Canada on a work visa or a student visa, showing anything is possible regardless of where you were born.