The chandeliers glittered, the saris shimmered, and the speeches landed like warm applause. On 7 June in Sydney, the South Asian Foundation Australia (SAFA) did something that hadn’t been done before: it hosted the first-ever South Asian Women Business Awards.
The awards night, held under the plush banner of SAFA, drew a wide and glammed-up crowd. But beyond the black-tie dress code and photogenic red carpet moments, it marked a moment of correction. “For too long, tradition dictated that we remain confined to domestic spheres or with traditional professional roles,” said SAFA founder Vithyaa Thavapalan. She spoke with the kind of ease that only comes from lived experience. “These extraordinary women refused to accept limitations.”
Among the 18 winners were names that might soon become household ones: Jaspreet Dhillon, who took home the Global Business Woman of the Year award; Manpreet Sekhon, named 2025 Business Woman of the Year; and Pragaa Ganesh, the Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Each had a story, a struggle, and a solution—and more importantly, each had created something lasting.
The breadth of business sectors recognised reveals a mosaic of ambition. From Chandralaya School of Dance in performing arts to Foboh in tech and innovation, these enterprises aren’t just run by women with South Asian heritage—they are shaping the industries they operate in. Winners spanned food, fashion, mental health, real estate, and even garland-making. If the categories feel eclectic, that’s precisely the point: South Asian women are carving niches that are culturally grounded and commercially viable.
Behind the flair and festivity, the event was years in the making. The story begins with a modest initiative called Brown Boss Babes, formed to give South Asian women in Australia a platform to connect, vent, and grow. Seven years on, it has evolved into SAFA—a structured organisation with an unmistakably broad vision. The Awards marked its formal debut.
The support from corporate sponsors, notably Commonwealth Bank as the platinum backer, hinted at something deeper: a recognition that the South Asian female business community is a growing economic force. Gold sponsors included names from banking, consultancy, migrant services, and printing—suggesting these women are not operating on the fringes but smack in the middle of Australia’s small business engine.
The jury for the awards had to sift through more than 120 nominations. That level of interest for a first-time initiative surprised even the organisers. As one insider put it, “This was a sign our community needed this to happen.” That much was clear from the energy in the room, the conversations overheard at tables, and the long queues for photo ops.
There is something unique about the challenges faced by women in diaspora communities—where cultural expectations often lag behind the environments they live in. Many are first-generation migrants who began their careers while still figuring out the basics of a new country—childcare, loans, transport, accents. Some are mothers balancing a business pitch deck with lunchboxes. Others are daughters persuading sceptical parents that their passion deserves a proper ABN.
So, to celebrate them is more than a moment of applause—it’s a revision of what success looks like. SAFA’s awards provided a lens into a group of people long excluded from the popular narratives of enterprise. They brought visibility to industries that may not always get top billing—garlands, sari stitching, Tamil fitness classes—but which are both community anchors and economic contributors.
Take Sangee’s Kitchen, winner of the Food Business of the Year. Its Instagram feed is filled with spice-laden curries and behind-the-scenes kitchen prep, but it also tells the story of home flavours keeping nostalgia alive while turning a profit. Or Umeed Psychology, recognised in the health category, which blends mental health services with a cultural understanding that’s often missing in mainstream clinics.
Perhaps what makes the event more than a one-off gala is the way it offers a quiet challenge to the broader business community. If these women could build brands from their homes, WhatsApp groups, and community halls, what would be possible with access to institutional support, investment, and visibility?
Vithyaa Thavapalan framed it well. “These Awards are more than trophies and certificates; they are a declaration to the world that the cultural and gender norms that once confined women, no longer define or stop us.”
Declarations matter, especially when they’re backed by numbers, sponsors, and packed auditoriums. But what will matter more is what comes next. Whether the next Brown Boss Babe turns her hobby into a scalable platform. Whether there’ll be second and third editions of the awards, expanding into policy conversations, mentorship pipelines, and venture funding.
For now, the glitter still lingers from that night, the Instagram tags keep flowing, and the diaspora’s daughters have one more reason to walk taller.
Because they didn’t just show up. They won.
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🌟SAFA hosted 1st South Asian Women Business Awards in Sydney, celebrating 18 trailblazers. 🏆Jaspreet Dhillon, Manpreet Sekhon & Pragaa Ganesh among winners. 💼From garlands to tech, diaspora women redefine success. ✨ #TheIndianSun
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— The Indian Sun (@The_Indian_Sun) June 17, 2025
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