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MISSION

To be a powerful network of South Asian women determined to make a difference through entrepreneurship, creativity and leadership.

VISION

A deeply connected and thriving community of South Asian women who lead with purpose.

VALUES

We’re ambitious, resourceful and action oriented. We get things done and we do it with radical transparency, love and have a whole heap of fun while we’re at it.

Our Story

Australia’s multicultural programming is far behind compared to the United Kingdom, USA and India. Over the last few years we’ve connected with phenomenal South Asian women in these countries who have created safe spaces for migrant and diverse women. It has been amazing to witness from afar – founders of Brown Girl Magazine, South Asian Heritage Month, Asian Woman Festival, Brown Girl Therapy and the Juggernaut – just to name a few.

Connecting with some of these community leaders made us realise how far behind Australia really is. You see, here much of our multicultural programming is delivered by those with no experience of the barriers our community face.

What we’ve learned is that Australia’s multiculturalism is like a bad branding piece where there is a significant disconnect between what our senior leaders think is happening and what those in our communities actually experience. We rarely speak up because as ‘good immigrants’ who should be ‘fortunate’ Australia ever let us in, we aren’t empowered to use our voice to claim the respect we see our non-BIPOC counterparts receive.

Our Co-founders, Daizy and Sehar came together to empower young South Asian women in Australia to become impact-driven leaders, creatives and entrepreneurs. A community of women who support one another while, we, as an organisation leverage high-impact partnerships to create an environment where South Asian women can thrive. What we’ve learned is that there are a lot of problems in our community and we must take an intersectional approach, to focus on leadership alone without recognising the domestic violence pandemic in our community will never give us results. To focus on entrepreneurship alone without realising international students are being exploited by ‘entrepreneurs’ will not achieve results. We must take a nuanced approach and recognise the varying barriers that come in the way of our collective progress.

We want South Asian women in Australia to know that they’re not alone in their struggles. We’re here for you. For support. To listen. To advocate and raise our collective voice. To provide opportunities to boost your career. To provide a platform for youto share their stories. To help you connect with other like minded women. This is what ASAC is all about.

Collaborate with Us

We’d love to hear from you! We welcome all types of collaborations and partnership opportunities. Whether you’re a founder, creative, social enterprise, not for profit, small business or organisation, feel free to reach out. Send us an email with detailed information on the collaboration at helloasac@gmail.com

Support Us

We’re a team of 9 dedicated volunteers – all South Asian women who are driven by our desire to empower our community. We’ve been working tirelessly to create a dedicated community of South Asian women, to foster connections and to curate opportunities that are reflective of our needs. By supporting us through membership, events, sponsorships and donations you allow us to create opportunities that are meaningful, inspirational and impact-driven. If you’d like to be a corporate sponsor or donate to ASAC reach out to us at helloasac@gmail.com

Meet Our Team

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Daizy Maan
Co-founder
Daizy is passionate about youth leadership, startups and empowering South Asian women. She was a delegate for the Australia India Youth Dialogue, currently leads the start-up program at Deakin University – SPARK Deakin and has served as the youngest Director for Australia’s largest Community Bank network (NSX:CSH) from 21 -26. In 2020 she was listed on Asian Woman Festival’s Power List amongst women across the world making a difference. She’s Punjabi Australian and based in Melbourne, Australia.
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Sehar Gupta
Co-founder & Program Manager
Sehar Gupta is passionate about women’s rights and youth leadership and has served as the Cambodia Programs Director at Oaktree. She has a Masters in Development Studies from the University of Melbourne and volunteers with Bold Punjab. She’s committed to women’s empowerment and ensuring that South Asian women in Australia are heard and valued. In her spare time she enjoys listening to true crime.
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Priyanka Kaur
Community Lead
Priyanka has been an artist for over 5 years and founded her small business ‘Art by Priyanka’. She has been an artist in residence in Soul House and actively supports other artists through facilitating events and gatherings. She is the founder of the social enterprise Mahala which support South Asian women owned small businesses in Australia. Her art work has been selected by the local council to be part of the Shaping Yarra Ranges Project (2021).
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Mihika Hedge
Book Club Lead
Mihika is passionate about books by BIPOC authors and is excited about the breadth of fiction and non-fiction contemporary reads that are coming out. She particularly enjoys work that discusses the diaspora experience in Australia and around the world; and the way in which these stories bridge gaps, launch conversations and change perspectives. She is eager to see culturally diverse authors create work in genres that have typically not afforded much space to them, including crime, romance, and comedy. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, cooking, and exploring Melbourne.