He's talking about his experiences in law and business, which eventually led him to the Saints, but he could easily be referencing his Indian heritage.
With the AFL celebrating Multicultural Round this week, players like Nic Naitanui, Bachar Houli and Lin Jong have promoted inclusion and diversity in the game.
Off the field, Bains has been setting a similar – albeit less public – example since he was appointed the Saints' general manager player list and legal affairs in January 2011.
His high standing at St Kilda is a testament to the value clubs can find by looking outside the AFL industry.
"You don't tend to see a lot of [diversity] in AFL football departments, which I don't believe is a deliberate thing, it's just the way it's evolved," Bains told AFL.com.au.
"I'd certainly hope with appointments like mine that will change over time."
Bains, 36, was born and raised in regional city Bendigo, 150km north of Melbourne, and grew up on a diet of football in winter and cricket in summer.
He first flew to India when he was six months old and says he has been fortunate to return to the country frequently, getting to know his extended family well and marrying wife Catherine there.
"I'm very much Australian and grew up in country Victoria, but I’ve also retained that strong Indian cultural link by visiting India a lot and having a lot of family back there," Bains said.
"That strong sense of family and family values are pretty important to me … things we've been taught from a young age like self respect, respect for others and tolerance.
"They're things that are important in a recruiting sense with some of the boys that we look at [drafting]."
Bains fell in love with Australian Football from a young age and would travel to Melbourne often to watch his father's beloved Hawthorn play.
Reflecting on his time as a player – he played with the Old Melburnians and Monash Blues in the VAFA until 2010 – he says the game wasn't close to being as diverse growing up as it is in 2014.
"I think that's reflective of Australian society," he said.
"We've become more and more diverse over time, particularly a city like Melbourne, and footy reflects that.
"Even in the recruiting space, if you go to games now and watch TAC Cup or school footy you can see a lot of different faces and a lot of different names, which certainly wasn't the case back then."
Just as Bains' cultural heritage is somewhat unique in the AFL system, so too was his professional path into the game having graduated from Monash University with a double degree in law and banking/finance.
He spent five years as a lawyer with firm Minter Ellison before moving to Toyota, where he was employed as an in-house lawyer and worked closely with sporting clubs and administrations, particularly the AFL.
He says he was fortunate St Kilda was looking for a list manager ahead of the 2011 season who could combine the traditional aspects of the role with a legal background.
Bains is back working closely with the AFL in 2014 as part of the League's drive to attract new fans and players to the game from different cultural backgrounds – particularly the local Indian, Chinese, African and Middle East communities.
He is optimistic about what can be achieved by promoting diversity in Australian football.
"My hope is that the AFL’s multicultural programs will be the genesis for many new Australians to emerge in our game, both as players and administrators," he said.
