Tanvir Gill’s career experience began on the family raspberry farm when she was young.
She helped prune, harvest and plant “ever since she can remember” on family cranberry, raspberry and blueberry farms. She started university without knowing exactly what she wanted to do – although her mom says her dedication to debate club in high school was a clear indicator.
As a undergrad at SFU, she worked in the Treaties and Aboriginal Government Department of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Government.
There, Tanvir gained exposure to the practice of law through the Ministry of Justice, which operated in the same Vancouver building. Many of the agreements she drafted required communicating with the justice ministry; being exposed to contract review and drafting she gravitated toward law. After law schools, she articled and was called to the Bar in Kelowna in 2019. Tanvir now practices commercial and residential real estate, business law and wills and estates through the FH&P offices in Kelowna and Penticton.
As a woman and as a member of a visible minority, Tanvir always felt it was very important to speak up for herself and to give herself a seat at the theoretical table in life. While at Simon Fraser University, she began volunteering for Junior Achievement BC – an NPO which provides education to elementary, middle and secondary school children on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. It was important for her to get involved in teaching children and young adults about finances and business. Getting them to think through the differences between ‘wants’ and ‘needs’, what is a business, and how can they turn their ideas (even homemade slime!) - into a business venture. Tanvir started her volunteerism with JA in Surrey and was happy to continue in Kelowna with local schools. At FH&P, she assists the partner who runs the real estate department by providing legal updates, conducting conveyance meetings, reviewing file capacities and staff workload and developing their department.
For Tanvir’s past three years in Kelowna, she has volunteered as an ambassador with the Kelowna Chamber, meeting and greeting new chamber members as well as helping out at different chamber events. She is also a board director with the Downtown Kelowna Association. This is an important position for her as someone who lives and works in the downtown core. So much change to the downtown area has been evident, whether seen within new developments, with local and new businesses, and with the ever-changing effects of COVID 19.
Tanvir holds a Juris Doctor (2018) Bachelor Degree (political science and international studies) (2015) from Simon Fraser.
Her greatest honour (so far) is her nomination to the DKA board. She is also very honoured to be a Top 40 nominee.
It is truly a rewarding feeling, she says, “to know that people find me worthy of this nomination, regardless of whether I am selected by the judges.”