He arrived in Adelaide with a love of cricket and a dream of success. A decade later, Nick Shrestha is an award-winning entrepreneur helping others find their place too.
Today, he’s a successful entrepreneur whose work has helped hundreds of international graduates and skilled migrants get a foot in the door – and saw him recognised as a joint-winner in the Private Sector category at the 2024 Governor’s Multicultural Awards.
But Nick Shrestha’s journey from a cricket-loving kid in Nepal to award-winning business leader in Adelaide has been anything but straightforward.
In Bhairahawa, where his dad worked as a government accounts officer, his mum ran the household and cricket was his passion, a “successful career” meant becoming a doctor, lawyer or architect.
“I wasn’t that kind of student – I was never the top of the class,” he says. “But now my parents see me happy, doing work that matters – that’s success to me, and they’re proud.”
Cricket and finding his place
When Nick arrived in Adelaide in 2013 to study a Masters of Professional Accounting at UniSA, he’d already worked with Australian clients from a Nepalese call centre – but living here was another story.
“The culture was so much more open,” he says. “People would call you by your name, even if they were much older or senior – that’s not how it works back home. It was friendly, but getting used to it was definitely a challenge – it’s something many migrants experience.”
Within a week he’d landed a sales job; by his second semester, he was working at Westpac – a rare achievement for an international student still on a student visa.
Cricket, though, was what truly helped him feel part of the community. Playing for UniSA in the 2014 Australian University Games in Sydney connected him with new friends and later led him to join both the Adelaide Nepalese Cricket Association and Adelaide University Cricket Club.
“It gave me happiness and excitement at a time I was still figuring everything else out,” he says. “It’s a team sport, so it connected me to people. And there’s a lot in cricket you can apply to life – knowing your stats, setting targets, playing to your strengths. It’s the same in business.”
Nick’s business leap
Before 2020, Nick was building a solid career in Adelaide’s accounting and finance sectors, with roles across banking, government and manufacturing – all while dreaming of one day starting his own business. But when he asked for extended leave to return to Nepal, spend time with his family and get married, his employer could only offer three weeks. He quit, confident he’d find another job quickly – then COVID hit.
Stuck overseas for more than a year, he made the most of it. With just $100 and a laptop, he launched Career Panacea – the business he’d always wanted to start.
Using an Australian number on roaming and the power of the internet, he began building a client base, marketing his services, and liaising with companies back home. It was a model so effective he still uses it today, allowing him to work from anywhere.
“I’m a global citizen, born in Nepal,” he says. “I’m here to serve humanity – not just in Australia, but to take my services, ideas and mission outside Australia and serve the human planet as well.”
By 2022, Career Panacea had grown to deliver a six-figure profit. Today it has multiple employees and serves clients across Australia from a homebase in Adelaide’s CBD – and, if Nick has his way, will one day be making a difference around the world.
Bridging the gap for others
Career Panacea helps graduates and skilled migrants get local experience, build their confidence, and land jobs that match their qualifications. Nick knows how hard that can be – he’s supported clients from more than 40 nationalities, including a Burmese woman who was battling cancer while struggling to get her first role.
“She did an internship with us, we helped with her resume, and she got an accounting job at Deloitte,” he says. “Stories like that – that’s where the happiness comes in. Money matters, but that feeling is worth more.”
Health, balance and redefining success
Just as his business was taking off, Nick was hit with severe gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and gastritis. He couldn’t work for months, lost significant weight, and says the pain was so bad “if I’d had to live like that forever, I would have chosen not to live at all”.
The experience forced him to reassess what really mattered. Health, he says, is “the most underestimated form of wealth” – but it wasn’t the only part of the equation.
He believes money is only one piece of the career puzzle; emotional, mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing all play a role, as does feeling that your work has purpose.
“Your career is more than just a means of survival – it’s an introduction to the world,” he says. “Aim for what truly matters to you. That’s what lasts.”
For Nick, that purpose comes from helping people find jobs they love, inspiring them to see the brighter side of life, and watching them thrive.
Why multiculturalism matters
Nick is the first person of Nepalese heritage to be recognised for his business leadership in the 40 Under 40 Global Business Awards, as well as at the Governor’s Multicultural Award.
“It’s like a sign you’re on the right track,” he says. “Judges at that level see potential, and that gives you a boost to do even more.”
South Australia’s diversity is one of its strengths, he adds. “It’s like a garden full of different-coloured flowers. Each one adds something. And when you bring people together from different backgrounds, you get new ideas, better problem-solving, and more harmony.”
Your turn to nominate
Nick’s advice for anyone thinking about nominating someone for the 2025 Governor’s Multicultural Awards?
“Go for it. The worst thing is they’re not shortlisted – and even then, you learn from the process. Recognition isn’t just a trophy. It’s encouragement to keep making an impact.”
If you know someone making their own mark in building a stronger, more inclusive South Australia, nominations for the 2025 Governor’s Multicultural Awards are open across 10 categories until Sunday 28 September.
