Sri Lankan Entrepreneur Wins Award For Most Significant Contribution To Education Industry In Australia

The Australian Centre for Higher Education (ACH), a leading education consulting company operates in Sri Lanka and Australia, owned by former Sri Lankan banker Ms. Chanaka Palihakkara last month won the 2024 Blacktown City Local Business Awards held in Sydney, New South Wales, for its outstanding contribution to the education industry in Australia.

The Local Business Awards is the largest Entrepreneur Awards Ceremony in New South Wales, which recognises top performing local businesses each year.

The ceremony honours businesses in 15 categories for their community contributions and excellent service. Over 300,000 companies competed, and Ms. Palihakkara became the first Sri Lankan Australian to win in any category and the first to win the education services title.

She was also a finalist for Businessperson of the Year 2024, and ACH Education was a finalist for Business of the Year 2024. Winners were chosen through a competitive selection process, which included public voting and evaluation by a panel of judges.

“Winning this prestige title in Australia is the highest recognition I could receive in my career for the valuable contribution I have delivered to the education industry,” said Ms Palihakkara to Times News Paper at a recently held interview with her and indeed it’s a great achievement to Sri Lanka.

Ms Palihakkara gave up her 20-year-old banking career at HSBC where she served at senior executive for many group offices across HSBC Sri Lanka (5 years), HSBC Middle East (7years) and 8 years in HSBC Australia and ventured into the education Industry with the passion of helping the Sri Lankan student community enabling them to increase their prospects by gaining entry into Australian Government universities.

Educated at Musaeus College, Colombo 7 and Visaka Vidyalaya Colombo 5, Ms Palihakkara graduated from the Colombo University’s Faculty of Management and Finance. She is a fellow member of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants -United Kingdom and Chartered Practicing Accountants of Australia. She completed her post graduate studies at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Australia.

During her tenure with HSBC Middle East, she held a senior executive position as the Regional Cost Controller for Global Banking and Markets overseeing operations across nine countries in Middle East reporting to HSBC Head Office in the UK.

Subsequently, she transitioned to HSBC Australia, where she assumed another Executive role in Retail Banking and Wealth Management.

Her passion to grow her own brand had driven her eventually into the field of Education after becoming a Registered Education Counsellor in Australia.

“ I wanted to help my Sri Lankan community to come and have a better life in Australia. That was the foundation to ACH Education. There are lot of young Sri Lankans who want to find their pathway to another destination to complete their higher studies. I wanted to help them”, Ms Palihakkara told Education Times.

Now the company has expanded their operations to Candana, New Zealand, United Kingdon outside their international student recruitment services offered to Australia.

Last year, ACH Education received several international awards in recognition of its outstanding performance delivered by a number of Australian Government Universities.

Ms Palihakkara will be available in Sri Lanka for two education events held on Saturday 22nd June (Future Mind Exhibition) at Kandy City Centre and her owe private event on Sunday 23rd June at Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo (Ivory Room) .

She invited anyone wish to study board to come and discuss their higher education journey with her. Entrance is free for the events and all services offered by ACH Education is free of charge to students.

ACH Education could be reached in Sydney on + 61426416868 (WhatsApp) or the Kotte branch on 0777140309 Kandy Branch 0777289466 Email: info@ACH education.org.au or visit 831, Ethul Kotte, Kotte or the Kandy branch at Kandy City Centre Shop 16, Level 6.