Rathi Paramsamy
Rathi Paramasamy is a scientist, educator, innovative leader, and mentor. She is the President and Founder of NACPT Pharma College, the International Medical Cannabis Association (IMCA), and Validation Tech Inc. Born into a large family in Sri Lanka in the 1970s, she immigrated to Canada in the 1990s as a refugee. Since then, she has established herself across multiple professional fields, service sectors, and business ventures—driven by resilience, education, and a strong commitment to empowering others.
Early Years and Education
Rathi Paramasamy, the youngest of ten siblings, was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, on Christmas Day to Paramasamy Thamotharampillai, a music teacher, and Maheswary Vallipuram, the daughter of a principal. Education and public service were deeply rooted in her family tradition.
She completed her secondary education at Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Canada, in 1992. That same year, she joined the World Tamil Students Association as its first female student volunteer, offering support to individuals affected by the civil war—especially the elderly and youth—in both Canada and Sri Lanka.
Rathi later pursued a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Ottawa, where she served as Vice President of the Tamil Students’ Union. She used her leadership position to advocate for the rights of students displaced by conflict and participated in numerous peaceful protests on Parliament Hill, raising awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka. For her service, she received a 5-Year Honor and Volunteer Recognition Award from Citizenship and Immigration Canada in 1992.
While attending university, she also worked as a co-op student and Laboratory Assistant at Natural Resources Canada, contributing to a successful soil sedimentation research project.
After graduating in 1998, she spent a year traveling across Europe to explore international career opportunities. Upon returning to Toronto, she completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmaceutical Quality Control and Quality Assurance at SRN Institute. During her studies, she taught Chemistry and Biology to high school students through the Science Graduate Union, and was honored with the Best Science Instructor – Parents’ Choice Award in 1994.
Personal Life
The violence of Sri Lanka’s civil war had a deep and lasting impact on Rathi’s life. Seeking safety and opportunity, she immigrated to Canada as a refugee, leaving her family behind. The trauma of conflict was compounded by personal loss: her brother, Srijeyan Paramasamy, passed away in 1993 due to a lifelong illness, and her mother later died of lung cancer in 2005. These painful experiences fueled Rathi’s drive to make a meaningful difference through education, healthcare, and social support.
As a newcomer in Canada, she worked multiple jobs—often juggling two part-time and one full-time position—to support herself and her family, many of whom remained in conflict-affected areas. She worked as an instructor, salesperson, and a full-time scientist at Patheon Pharmaceutical Inc., all while pursuing further education. In 2005, she began her MBA in Technology at the University of Phoenix.
In 2012, she married Subbaiah Raghunathan Tiraviyam, an Indian national, Charted Accountant and Realtor.
In 2023, she had a son named Sriram Raghunathan TP.
Professional Life
In 2009, Rathi founded NACPT Pharma College under the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU), with the mission of equipping graduates with the technical skills needed for success in regulated healthcare industries. Her own challenges breaking into the pharmaceutical field—despite having a science degree—motivated her to create accessible, job-oriented training programs for others, especially newcomers and internationally educated professionals.
She developed a wide range of postgraduate diploma and certificate programs in both pharmaceutical sciences and medical cannabis. Over the past decade, she has helped thousands of domestic and international students build careers with leading pharmaceutical, cannabis, and biotech organizations.
In 2014, the college achieved Designated Learning Institution (DLI) status from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, allowing it to recruit international students. Since then, students from the UK, USA, India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Ukraine, China, and other regions have enrolled.
In 2012, she established Validation Tech Inc., offering consulting services in regulatory compliance and product validation to pharmaceutical companies. In 2018, she founded the International Medical Cannabis Association (IMCA), which supports research, networking, and education in the field of medical cannabis—focusing particularly on chronic illness, pain relief, and cancer treatment using natural therapies.
Rathi’s training institutions are designed to support workforce integration by providing hands-on lab experience, regulatory knowledge, and industry-aligned training, especially for immigrants and refugees entering new professional landscapes.
Her contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including:
- Best Woman Entrepreneur Award – Canadian Chamber of Commerce (2012)
- Best Businesswoman – Immigration Award – Skills for Change (2012)
- Best Tamil Women – Science and Technology – Innovation Award
She also launched a scholarship program for underrepresented students to access skill-based education at NACPT Pharma College.
Rathi brings over 15 years of direct industry experience across multiple scientific fields, including:
- Pharmaceuticals
- Biotechnology
- Medical Devices
- Cannabis Science
- Food Safety
- Environmental Sciences
She also has extensive experience in:
- Quality Control & Assurance
- Formulation & Validation
- Technology Transfer
- Process Improvement
- Auditing & Regulatory Inspection
Her career highlights include roles such as:
- Validation Scientist – Patheon Inc.
- Validation Services Manager – Sanofi Pasteur Limited
- Validation Specialist – Ciba Vision
- Validation Consultant – iPOC
- QA Director – CMAX Technologies
Rathi is a regular speaker and panelist at universities, industry events, and non-profit organizations supporting women in STEM and internationally educated professionals. She has mentored hundreds of newcomers in successfully transitioning into science and healthcare careers in Canada.
In 2017, she organized Canada’s First Annual Medical Cannabis Educational Conference at the University of Toronto’s McLeod Auditorium, drawing scholars and practitioners from around the globe.
Currently, Rathi serves in multiple leadership roles, including:
- Dean and Director – NACPT Pharma College
- Head of Research and Development – International Medical Cannabis Association
- Head of Laboratory – Validation Tech Inc.
- Regulatory Consultant – Various pharmaceutical and healthcare companies
She was recently appointed International Head of Education – Volunteer for the southern region of Sri Lanka. In this role, she is working to improve educational access, skill development, and economic opportunities for young students and graduates in underserved communities.