Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 20/02) - Bringing with him a background in finance and auditing, Pawan Chugh is the newest appointee to the city of Yellowknife audit committee.

Chugh's nomination was approved by council March 11.

"I'm looking forward to serving the community," he said.

Chugh replaced Pierre Leblanc, who resigned from the committee. Leblanc works at Diavik, and "I was also on too many committees and decided to reduce my workload," he said.

Because he was frequently out of town, Leblanc said "I felt I couldn't really contribute on an ongoing basis."

Chugh came to Canada from New Delhi, India in 1988. He moved straight to Churchill, Man. to be with his sister.

He moved to Yellowknife in 1997.

Chugh has spent much of his life in the world of finance. He is a certified accountant in both India and Canada, and has received U.S. internal auditing credentials. He has a bachelor of law and an MBA.

He has worked for both the federal and territorial government in various capacities. He is currently a manager of financial planning and analysis for the GNWT department of Health and Social Services.

Seven people sit on the audit committee, which was created through a city bylaw in November 2000. The committee's mandate is to oversee the financial reporting process on behalf of city council and the public."

The committee is comprised of the mayor, the chairman of the city's corporate service committee, a city administrator, a chartered accountant, a lawyer, a professional engineer and a member of the business community with considerable experience in the operation and management of a large business.

Chugh was hired for the latter position.