New Staff Spotlight: Duke Indrasigamany

People and potential.

These are two words that come up often during my coffee chat with Duke Indrasigamany, the new Director of Student Communications Services, at the end of his first week at UBC.

Duke started his role on March 7 and comes to the university with a decade of experience in interactive entertainment. Nine of those years were spent at Electronic Arts, developing campaign strategies to promote the company’s vast portfolio of games.

The first game Duke worked on at EA was for their NHL series, and he continued to lead marketing campaigns on the franchise for the next nine years. It’s quite fitting, then, that when he reflects on what drives him as a leader, he draws on hockey to explain.

“I want to win the Stanley Cup,” he says with a smile. “I don’t want to win the Conn Smythe.”

(I stare blankly at the latter reference, making a mental note to Google it later. But Duke kindly explains, with no judgement: it’s the MVP award for the Stanley Cup finals.)

“People are your most important resource,” he says. “We win and we lose as a team, not as individuals. So, I try to build a culture in the workplace that is team focused. You have to invest in people at an individual level and bring them all together.”

Working at EA was the dream job that drew Duke, a self-professed nerd who grew up in Toronto, out to the west coast in the mid-2000s. He came to pursue a Communications degree at SFU, after earning his joint marketing diploma from George Brown College and Ryerson University in Toronto. Partway through his studies, he landed a co-op position at EA—and was asked to stay on full time instead of returning to school.

“That seemed kinda wrong that they asked me to do that,” he says with a laugh, “but when someone offers you your dream job, it’s usually a good idea to take it.”

Duke finished his SFU degree on a part-time basis, and also went on to pursue a part-time MBA at UBC.

If EA was the dream job then, what’s the dream after the dream? I couldn’t help but ask. And why higher ed?

Quite simply, for Duke, it’s about “paying it forward.”

“I was kind of lucky to land my dream job right out of school, and I was lucky to have had the opportunities I’ve had on my path through education to get to that first job.”

If he hadn’t discovered the support networks and services at his alma maters, he’s convinced he wouldn’t be where he is today. So, Duke hopes to bring some of the innovation from the cutting-edge fields of gaming and tech to UBC—ultimately to help students access crucial services by presenting them in compelling and resonant ways.

What excites him most about his new role at UBC?

“The potential,” he says, “the promise of the next phase of the journey” for the relatively young SCS team. It’s also exciting—and fulfilling—Duke elaborates, to do something that will impact people in a tangible way.

“Entertainment matters for sure. It allows people to decompress. But it doesn’t shape the future. So I think that that’s the most exciting part: doing something meaningful for people who have so much potential in front of them. And whether they reach that potential is often decided by what they do in those early steps.”

Plus, he adds with a grin, “I wanted to do something that was good for my soul.”

When Duke needs to relax and recharge, you can usually find him somewhere near water in the city. A Kits resident, he enjoys exploring the hidden beaches along Point Grey road. A seasoned traveler, his favourite place in the world is, surprisingly, just a stone’s throw away (sort of): Tofino, B.C.

“I love it there,” he enthuses. “I go there every year. There’s just something about being next to the ocean.”

UBC, coincidentally, borders the water too—and has left Duke with a great impression after his first week here.

“I think the people are awesome, and very friendly. I think that there is a genuine and honest goal to really enhance the student experience, and that’s what I was hoping for.”

Welcome to UBC, Duke! We’re excited to work with you to bring home the ‘Stanley Cup’ in higher ed.