Page 21 - Punjab Times January 2016 Edition

21 gzikp NkJhwz, f;vBh, iBtoh 2016
Young and Dyanamic Sapna
Patel has more visions to fulfil
Sapna Patel was born in New
Zealand, moved to Australia at
the age of 3 and now calls
Sydney home. After finishing her
HSC from a selective high school,
the Australian-Indian completed
a Bachelor of Commerce
(Marketing), Bachelor of Laws
at The University of New South
Wales in 2011. Sapna then went
on to complete a Graduate
Diploma in Legal Practice at The
Australian National University and
was admitted to the Supreme
Court of New South Wales.
During her penultimate year
of university, Sapna did an
internship in the Mergers &
Acquisitions tax team at Ernst
& Young. She stayed on at
Ernst & Young during her final
year of university, working part-
time, whilst simultaneously
teaching at both The University
of New South Wales and The
University of Sydney.
“I somehow won the 1st
place prize for tax in my final year visa applications. It’s not fair and incredibly talented people who
of uni, so I guess it made sense
to stay on as a tax graduate at
EY.” After a few years of
working in tax, Sapna realised
that it wasn’t where her
interests lay. Sapna transferred
to Ernst & Young’s Global
Immigration practice where she
worked as a Solicitor and
Registered Migration Agent. “I
liked the fact that I was
changing people’s lives... I was
helping people move to Australia.
The opportunities we have in
Australia are incredible. My
parents have given me so much
in the last 27 years, including the
two things which I am most
grateful for: my education and
the opportunity to be living in
Australia. My father worked as a
legal consultant and spent 200
nights each year living in India on
assignment so I am very grateful
for the sacrifices that my parents
made to bring me and my brother
up in Australia.”
Since a young age, Sapna has
always wanted to start, run and
grow a business. “As kids my
brother and I loved going to
America and helping our uncle
out in his businesses.” In July
2014, the young entrepreneur
left her corporate job to start
ImmiAdvisor.com. “I was sick of
reading articles in the media
where vulnerable visa applicants
were falling into the trap of
buying into incorrect advice and
I wanted to make it fair. I wanted
to start a business that was
creative and challenging but still
technical which also benefited
the community, so I came up
with ImmiAdvisor.com. I’ve
designed and launched a platform
(www.immiadvisor.com) that
allows visa applicants to connect
to registered migration agents
with transparency. ImmiAdvisor.
HERBAL, HAIR & BEAUTY
com is a free service for potential
visa applicants and allows visa
applicants to rate and review
registered migration agents so
that others are able to make
more informed decisions.”
“My vision is to build
momentum and reputation similar
to TripAdvisor which is used by
people all across the globe to
research holidays, hotels and
other hospitality related options,
which has become a reliable
source of information with
customer testimonials, reviews
and recommendations.”
When asked about the
challenges she has faced as a
Founder and CEO, she is
adamant. “It definitely hasn’t
been easy. But it’s something
that’s developing bit by bit
everyday. I mean, Paris wasn’t
built in a day!” She attributes her
progress to the team at UNSW
Innovations. “I’m so grateful to
be surrounded by some seriously
have helped me get this far. I
can’t thank people like Mary Liu
and Alex Butterworth from
UNSW Innovations enough for
their constant support. Without
their support and guidance I
definitely would not have come
this far.”
Sapna’s advice for other
young entrepreneurs is “work in
an industry you are passionate
about, master the skills and then
start a business in that field.”
Kohli and Kuruvita in Action
at Upcoming ODI Series
While Virat Kohli lights up the field during the upcoming Victoria
Bitter One Day International (ODI) Series between Australian and
India, celebrity chef Peter Kuruvita will be lighting up the taste
buds of fans through the Field of Flavours food markets at the
Perth, Melbourne and Sydney matches in the series.
Created with the help of reknowned celebrity chef and official
Ambassador Peter Kuruvita, Field of Flavours – modelled on late-
night food markets – will offer fans at the WACA, MCG and SCG a
unique assortment of authentic multicultural cuisine prepared by
local vendors.
Cultural music and dance performances from Saffron Groove,
Siyer, Rhythm Mania and others will entertain fans as they dine on
exotic culinary options. The Cricket will also be broadcast on a big
screen in the Field of Flavours in Sydney and Melbourne to ensure
fans don’t miss a ball while enjoying their culinary experience.
Peter Kuruvita said the markets will offer unique food options
for fans, beyond the typical food on offer at matches.
“Fans are often quite limited in their food options at major
sporting events, so to offer something new and increase range of
choice is really exciting,” Kuruvita said.
“We’re really enhancing the food experience that’s on offer to
cricket fans and providing a dedicated space for people to sit down
and relax whilst enjoying some delicious food from all over the
world.”
The Field of Flavours will be located inside the WACA on the
West Bank for the Perth, in Yarra Park outside Gate 3 of the MCG in
Melbourne, and in Centennial Park outside Gate E of the SCG in
Sydney. Fans are encouraged to show their support for their team
by wearing team colours and #GoGold (for Australia) or #GoBlue
(for India) during the five-match ODI series that begins in Perth on
January 12.
For full details about the Field Of Flavours, visit
www.fieldsofflavours.com.au.