Profiles

DALJIT GILL – BADESHA – CONFIDENCE BOOSTS A WOMAN’S SELF-ESTEEM

Daljit Gill-Badesha’s career is driven by social justice, equity, collaboration, and seva (service). She grew up in an immigrant, Punjabi Sikh, multigenerational family, studied at UBC and found her life partner, Avtar. They have two beautiful children, Aneel & Riya. Her career journey has been diverse. She has led portfolios for all ages and served on provincial and national committees on community development, sports, children/youth development, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

LISA XIE – WOMEN EMPOWERMENT BY PAYING FORWARD

Lisa is a first-generation immigrant from China. At 10, she followed her family and moved to Canada. As new immigrants, her family, particularly her brother and her, received tremendous support from the community. That’s how the pay-it-forward mentality grew in her.

SSARITA SIINGH – TRIUMPH AGAINST YOUR FEARS

Growing up in a conservative Rajput family, Ssarita believes she’d taken a longer and more diverse route in her professional life. “I have experience in varied fields, including teaching, finance, publishing, movies, statistics, holistic development, and management. Everything has helped me learn, and I value them all. As a young teacher’s assistant, I left my family with nothing in hand. I made something out of myself, learning from all the obstacles, yet I cherished each part of my journey.”

HARISH MASAND – PASSIONATE STORY TELLER & FILM MAKER

Expressing himself through different Art forms has been Harish’s endeavor for three decades. He carved his niche as a bilingual broadcaster at All India Radio Delhi in early 1990s. Soon it led him becoming a voice artist for dramas and plays. With expertise in diction, tone and dialogue delivery, doors opened in the world of stage and theatre.

RUBY DHILLON – HER PASSION FOR HELPING OTHERS

After spending over a decade at TD Bank, Ruby Dhillon served as a top quartile performer in sales, a facilitator of large deals, and the founder of multiple philanthropic and diversity-focused initiatives. She is proud of the hard work behind her career growth, from starting as a temporary receptionist at TD to and ultimately progressing into her current role as a Director at Planworth, specializing in various roles and building expertise across multiple business divisions. Through this career advancement, Ruby significantly grew large portfolios, earned significant donations and grants, led and developed teams of 20+, and was consistently recognized by senior executives throughout official programs.

DR. BIRINDER NARANG: PASSION IS WHAT INSPIRES HIM

Dr. Birinder Narang is a family physician committed to addressing social and health inequities that impact underserved communities. When not seeing patients, he can be found instructing future physicians for UBC while serving as Board Chair for the Burnaby Division of Family Practice and as a Steering Committee member for the South Asian COVID Task Force. In-between posting on health and public issues on social media, and speaking on medical matters on television and radio, Dr. Narang engages in self-care and spends quality time with family and friends…and, if you’re lucky, he may even bring out his Dhol.

ROBERT DEOL: SUCCESS IS ENJOYING WHAT YOU DO

Robert Deol is the Regional Manager, Commercial Banking with Envision Financial, a division of First West Credit Union. An enthusiastic and passionate commercial finance expert with more than 19 years banking experience, Deol is quick to share that the most fulfilling part of his role is working with entrepreneurs across B.C. to help them realize their financial goals and grow their businesses.

CROWN COUNSEL: DAVIN MICHAEL GARG – AN ADVOCATE AGAINST SOUTH-ASIAN RACISM

While earning his business degree at Simon Fraser University, Davin Michael Garg hosted a show on the campus radio station. Every Friday morning throughout the Lower Mainland, you could hear him discussing the latest events. His guests ranged from fellow students to the premier of the province. The art of performance spoke to Davin, and he stayed with it after graduating, finding a job in television. He was assigned to cover a criminal case at the Main Street courthouse in Vancouver one day.

HARP DHILLON – THE DISCIPLINE TO STAND OUT

“If I was to give a message to anybody, it is that life is about living. We are taught from a young age to focus on becoming successful, and success is important. But what is success? An old expression says: rich people have money, but wealthy people have time. Time is what we need.

ALY JIWANI THE EPITOME OF SUCCESS

The 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost made its official press debut in Vancouver with an exclusive unveiling and special presentation at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Vancouver. Drishti Magazine was among the VIP media guests invited to the showroom to witness the unveiling of a bespoke twilight purple Ghost, valued at $616,000. We had the pleasure of speaking with Aly Jiwani, Vice President, Regional Operations at OpenRoad Auto Group Ltd.   

Hurriya (HS) Burney’s First Novel is a Riveting Whodunit

Hurriya (HS) Burney wrote and published her debut murder mystery, The Lake Templeton Murders.

A fast-paced whodunit set in a small fictional town in Vancouver Island starts with discovering a body found drowned on the beach. The police determined that the victim, Sharon Reese, plunged off the dock outside her own lakefront home in a drunken stupor. On the surface, it seems like an accident or a suicide. Private investigator, Fati Rizvi, convinced that it’s murder, sets out to unravel the mystery.