Melbourne’s Parliament House hosted a celebration recognising multicultural women leaders to mark International Women’s Day 2026, with community advocates, business leaders and policymakers gathering to honour women making a difference across Victoria.
The event, organised by Parmila Tandon of P24 News Media, took place on 13 March and recognised 20 women for their leadership and contributions across sectors, including entrepreneurship, law, community service and social advocacy.
Victorian MP Steve McGhie attended the gathering alongside community leaders Cuc Lam and Kim Thien Truong, as well as community advocate Pradeep Tiwari, Mindblowing Films’ Mitu Bhowmick Lange and corporate adviser Christina Chia.
The program opened with a tribute recognising the work of Ms Bhowmick Lange and Ms Chia for their contributions to arts, business and multicultural representation. The tribute was presented through a video feature produced by Parmila Tandon.
During the ceremony, Mr McGhie also acknowledged Ms Lam and Mr Truong for their community leadership, highlighting the role of multicultural organisations in strengthening civic participation across Victoria.
A key part of the event was the announcement of the “Super 20 Women of 2026”, recognising women who have demonstrated leadership across business, law and community work.
Among those honoured were Usha Gullapalli, president of the Hindu Society of Victoria; entrepreneur Nia Sachdeva; Saumya Gupta, founder and director; Aneet Kohli, principal solicitor; SimplePreet Kaur, director at Aussizz Group; and Siya Jain, founder of Kaya Delight Pty Ltd.
Other recipients included Sugandha Manocha, chief executive of HM99 Realty Group; Pallawi Gangraj, principal accountant and director; Mahima Solanki, principal solicitor; Pansy Khurana, entrepreneur; Rasna Kaur, director of Barkat Online; and Nirpinder Kaur, podcaster.
Additional honourees included Reetu Sethi, founder of Aastha – The Base of Life; Sara Ibrahim, vice-president of Hand in Hand Inc. and business leaders Charanjit Kaur and Jasmine Kour Khosla.
The evening also recognised several community contributors for their work supporting multicultural engagement in Victoria.
Those acknowledged included Bhawna Puri, president of Kali Mata Mandir Melbourne; Kritika Sharma from Indian Women in Australia; and Monica Sharma Raizada, director of Women of Worth.
The event was hosted by Simran Sohal, who served as master of ceremonies.
Celebration highlighted the influence of multicultural women in shaping Australia’s social and economic landscape and reaffirmed the message of International Women’s Day — recognising leadership, resilience and the ongoing push for equality.
As the event concluded, attendees reflected on the inspiring stories shared throughout the evening, reaffirming the spirit of International Women’s Day and the continuing push for equality, leadership and opportunity across Australia’s multicultural communities.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
