Meet the Team

Michael DhaThe Team Captain

Michael Dha is the founder and Managing Director of STRIVE recruitment and brings a creative, entrepreneurial spirit to his role. With over a decade of experience in the recruitment industry, Michael also brings a wealth of knowledge to his practice and team. After receiving his BBA, Michael jumped headfirst into an opportunity to work for a global recruitment agency. His commitment to success earned him 2 National Top Recruiter awards at his firm—but even this didn’t satisfy his ambition. Michael eventually became unsatisfied with the broad, high-level focus of a global conglomerate and left to build a recruitment firm of his own. By blending his big business ambition with the focus, drive, and creativity of a start-up, Michael transformed STRIVE into a well-oiled recruitment machine that’s successfully sourced the best and brightest for a spectrum of clients that range from top local Vancouver talent to internationally renown Fortune 500 companies

When Michael isn’t in the office, he can be found chasing after his son and his daughter, playing beer league soccer, pretending to be a foodie at local restaurants, or travelling to the many places he hasn’t seen around the world. Michael runs a Half Marathon every year in support of local charities and sits on the board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Canada.

Sarita DeVriesDirector of Business Development

Sarita DeVries is the Director of Business Development at STRIVE. Sarita leads all sales and marketing initiatives and oversees the recruitment operations of the Corporate Administration division.

Sarita takes the time to listen and identify customer pain points, apply thoughtful solutions and always find a way to bring value into the relationships that she fosters. She takes great pride in providing an elevated level of care and service in the relationships she develops with clients and candidates alike. Sarita has over 14 years of experience within the staffing and recruiting industry; managing clients of all sizes, from SMEs to large, government entities.

Sarita’s success can be attributed to her genuine customer care, active listening skills coupled with a consultative sales approach and tenacious follow up skills in the sales cycle. She has worked in a sales capacity most of her life and it might even be argued that business development is in her blood!

Sarita will tell you that her #1 job is being a mother to her two children. Since 2014, Sarita continues to work as an active Community Champion for BabyGoRound, a non-profit family society. She is a member of 100 Women Who Care Vancouver, a giving concept that enables her to find joy in the act of giving back.

Pearl DhaManager of Operations & Payroll

Pearl Dha has been a pillar at STRIVE Recruitment since 2010 when she joined the team! Her journey started in the Operations & Manufacturing division where she succeeded in sourcing top talent across Canada for the major manufacturing and distribution industries. During her tenure, Pearl had developed a keen eye for talent and a proven track record of delivering successful recruitment solutions.

Today, Pearl is our go-to-gal for everything administrative! From Internal Recruitment, Onboarding and Training to Payroll, Administration, and Accounting (plus much more!), Pearl manages it all. You can always find her being cheerful, personable and willing to help others, gaining her the award for “Team Player of the Year 2018”.

In her spare time, Pearl enjoys spending time with her son and daughter, long walks on the water, and catching up with friends and family. Pearl has been a long-time supporter of BC Children’s Hospital and has been involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation Canada for the past 4 years.

LeTing CheongSenior Recruitment Specialist - Corporate Administration

LeTing Cheong or Ting for short is our Senior Recruitment Specialist for the Corporate Administration division here at STRIVE. LeTing has lived in Vancouver for 8 years, as she grew up in Singapore and travelled all over the world for her education when she finally found her home here in BC.

While studying at UBC, LeTing was appointed VP of Recruitment within her Sorority, where she found her passion for recruitment.

LeTing thrives on high volume roles and loves working on a tight timeline. Typical roles LeTing fills range from Payroll Clerks, Property/Development Accountants, Junior-Senior Accountants up to Controllers and CFO positions. Within Administration, LeTing typically recruits for Customer Service Representatives, Human Resources, Legal Assistants, Paralegals, Receptionists, Administrative Assistants and Executive Assistants.

Outside of the office, you can find LeTing practicing yoga at Oxygen Yoga, sun-bathing at Kitsilano Beach or running the stairs at Wreck Beach. Moreover, LeTing enjoys playing around with new recipes, holding movie marathons and spending an evening at the Stormcrow Tavern playing the Catan board game with friends.

Samantha KentRecruitment Specialist - Corporate Administration

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Samantha is a Recruitment Specialist in the Corporate Administration division at STRIVE Recruitment. She has an extensive customer service background which sets her apart from other recruiters. She takes time to get to know candidates on a personal level and has a knack for making others feel as comfortable as possible.

Samantha was born and raised in North Vancouver and after 6 years of travelling and living in Victoria, she has now settled back in North Vancouver. She completed her BA in Psychology and started her professional career in the fitness industry, as an Operations Manager for a high-end gym in Vancouver. After three years, she realized that working with people was her passion. Samantha decided to pursue another opportunity that allows her to help people and make a difference in their lives. She started her current role in January 2019 and has not looked back since.

She specializes in Temporary, Permanent and Contract Human Resources, Sales and Administration roles throughout Canada. She has been leading STRIVE in the temporary job sector since the beginning of 2019. Not only did she win rookie of the year, but she also helped leverage Corporate Administration into the top team of 2019.

On the weekends, Samantha stays very active and social. She has a passion for outdoor activities such as skiing, road cycling, running, and hiking. Moreover, she also recently spent a year living in Australia and travelling 6 months throughout Southeast Asia and New Zealand.

Phuong VuPractice Lead - Manufacturing & Operations

Phuong started her career within recruitment in 2010 and has never looked back! She loves working in a high pace, dynamic and results-driven industry. She is the Practice Lead for the Manufacturing & Operations division. She has demonstrated a history of partnering with manufacturing companies to help them find and retain top talent. With over 8 years’ experience within staffing, she understands how important it is to build a strong network of candidates for her clients. She has achieved the best of staffing award on both contractor and client-side: 80% of contractor/client voted her a 9 or 10 for her service. She lives by the quote “Earn your success based on service to others, not at the expense of others.”

She has a proven track record of placing the following skill sets:

Production Managers
Operations Managers
Plant Managers
Skilled Trades (Millwrights, Fabricators, Welders, Mechanics, Assembler)
Quality Assurance, Quality Control

Phuong has a passion for creating meaningful relationships and finding ways to better herself and others around her. Outside of the office, you can find her grounding herself through yoga and meditation, spin cycling to hip hop music, or finding her next adventure.

Jenalin SinclairSenior Recruitment Specialist - Manufacturing & Operations

Jenalin Sinclair began her career in Business Administration and Recruitment in 2011. She joined the STRIVE Recruitment team in 2018 as a Recruitment Specialist within the Manufacturing & Operations division.

Jenalin holds a charming and bright personality which allowed her to fit right into the STRIVE culture since day one.

Jenalin brings 8 years of experience in Customer Service, Office Administration, Recruitment, and winning the Top Administrator Award in previous roles to the team at STRIVE. She is a true professional with a great ability to source and screen top talent and diligently ensures her candidates are matched with the best company for their skills and experience. Her passion and dedication to improving people serve our clients and candidates well. Jenalin mainly recruits for the following:

Plant Managers
Production Supervisors
Maintenance Manager
Quality Assurance Manager (QA)
Red Seal Millwrights
Electrician
Power Engineer
Quality Control Technician (QC)
Operations Manager
Logistics/Distribution Manager
Warehouse Manager
Inventory Control Manager
Supply Chain Analyst

In her spare time, Jenalin loves to runs, hiking, keep active and she is a proud contributor to World Vision and World Wild Fund.

Frederick PunterAccounting & Finance Account Manager

Frederick Punter is our Account Manager for the Accounting & Finance division here at STRIVE Recruitment. Frederick (or Fred) guides the recruitment process to ensure the experience for STRIVE’s customers is timely, relatively stress-free, and ultimately successful.

Frederick has accumulated over 10 years of Accounting & Finance recruitment experience from both Canada and the UK. His Highlights include recruiting a CEO of a Crown Corporation, finding undiscovered top graduates for a graduate leadership program and securing a CPA their first dream role outside of Public Practice! In addition to his experience, Frederick has completed his education as a Chartered Human Resources Professional (CPHR Candidate) British Columbia.

Outside of the office, Frederick can be found hiking around Golden Ears, Paddle Boarding around Port Moody or counting down the days until the Rugby Sevens returns.

Ben de la FosseSenior Recruitment Specialist - Accounting & Finance

Ben de la Fosse is an Accounting & Finance Recruitment Specialist here at STRIVE Recruitment.

Ben is a real people-person who enjoys working with candidates and clients alike, ensuring he takes the time to truly understand their wants and needs from a recruitment point of view. This is one of the reasons Ben enjoys working in recruitment; a service based around people.

Ben is an experienced consultant who started his career working for the largest independent recruitment firm in the UK, before deciding to pack his bags and move to sunny Vancouver, a place he now calls home. Ben was welcomed into the STRIVE family and is now an integral part of the Accounting and Finance division.

Ben typically recruits for designated positions within Accounting & Finance. Designated roles include Controllers, Senior Accountants & Analysts, finance management roles, and directorate-level finance roles.

In his spare time, Ben likes to make the most of Vancouver’s beautiful landscape and is often found snowboarding, hiking, surfing, playing soccer or out on the golf course.

Jessica WilsonRecruitment Specialist - Accounting & Finance

Jessica is one of our Recruitment Specialists focused on the Accounting & Finance Industry. Jessica loves building relationships and connecting with people in her professional and personal life. A natural conversationalist, she has the ability to make candidates feel comfortable and confident. Jessica works on a wide range of roles and is always ready to take on a new challenge.

Examples of recent placements:

Assistant Controller
Internal Auditor
Senior Financial Analyst
Project Accountant
Development Accountant
Senior Accountant
Manager of Financial Planning and Analysis
Property Accountant

When Jessica isn’t working, you can find her enjoying quality time with family and friends, playing volleyball, and planning her next travel adventure. Jessica strongly believes in helping others. You can find her organizing and participating in initiatives within the community to help those that are struggling. Her mantra is “it’s nice to be nice” and believes that a smile can go a long way.

Alanna DunbarBusiness Development & Marketing Specialist

Alanna brings over 8 years of customer-facing experience and 3 years of marketing experience to the STRIVE team. Before Alanna delved into Business Development at STRIVE, she worked as a content marketer in Mumbai, India. Alanna is successful in her role because she thrives on working with others and building strong relationships with clients. Alanna’s favourite quote is “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it, the time will pass anyway” by Earl Nighingale

When Alanna is not busy at work, you can find her reading fiction, hiking in North Vancouver, spinning in Gastown or travelling all over the world.