My heritage, my business – Sapreena’s story

Written by Sapreena Kumari – co-president of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

My South Asian Heritage is an incredibly important part of who I am, my identity and how I present myself to the world.

I feel fortunate to have such a rich tapestry of history throughout my DNA that shapes the way I behave, how I treat others and my morals and values.

To me, my heritage is a huge source of pride.

I have learnt more about my faith as I have grown older – Sikhism.

I believe Sikhism has many values which impact both my personal and professional life.

Equality & serving others are principles which are paramount in my choice of career, the boards I sit on and how I treat the people who mean the most to me.

We are in a world that moves so quickly, that we often get stuck in a cycle of self.

Serving others reminds us of community, the impact of working with others and how wonderful it is to simply be a nice person for no personal gain!

Outside of Sikhism I think there is such a wonderful sense of joy in South Asian communities.

I love the noise, never leaving anyone’s house hungry and the feeling of being in a huge extended family.

Something that would have been so important to those of our families coming to England for the first time.

If I were to share a message with the next generation of South Asian Professionals it would be to take up space.

The days of shrinking away from who we are, the journeys our parents and grandparents fought through to arrive here are gone.

We should honour every step they took by living our principles and values as authentically as possible to keep them alive.

Be the safe space that the younger generation may need to navigate understanding their identity in a corporate setting and letting them see others wearing this identity with pride.