Global DEI Alliance

Diversity & Inclusion Summit 2021

Time (IST) Description
10.00 – 10.05 Opening by ET Edge
10:10 – 10.30 Chief Guest Address – Championing Inclusion and Diversity in Workforce
Inclusion & Diversity helps to strengthen the business, enriches the culture and enables to deepen relationships with clients, employees and communities. It is important to create an inclusive environment where people feel comfortable bringing their whole self to work each day and have a feeling of belongingness in the office. The address from the renowned speaker will focus on below fundamental areas:

  • Embedding an Inclusive Culture in workplace
  • Creating a Mentally Healthy Workplace
  • Kiran Bedi, Former Lt Governor, Puducherry, Former DG, Founder India Vision & Navjyoti India Foundation
10:35 – 11:20 Industry Leaders Discussion: Building the Talent Pipeline: Step towards Innovation
A diverse and inclusive workforce is not just the right thing to do – it drives innovation and benefits clients. During this panel, speakers will discuss the importance of building diverse teams and share the strategies their firms utilize to recruit diverse talent.
The deliberations among the industry leaders will focus on below fundamental areas:

  • Developing strategy for talent pipeline
  • Challenges in building the talent pipeline
  • Talented workforce and diversity in talent leading to Innovation
  • Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP, SAP User Enablement & Managing Director, SAP Labs India
  • Shreyasi Singh, Founder & CEO, Harappa
  • S Sunil Kumar, President, Henkel – India
  • Arijit Pal Choudhury, Executive Director, Head of HR, Nomura Services, India

Panel Chair: Ashok Pamidi, Social Entrepreneur & Former CEO NASSCOM Foundation

11:25 – 11:35

Keynote Address: Celebrating an inclusive & diverse workforce

  • Dipali Goenka, CEO & Joint Managing Director, Welspun India
11.40 – 11.50

Special Address : What does D&I success look like?

Hear from a Govt professional about how to lead change and embed D&I in an
organization’s culture and how to make it part of the fabric of your organization.

  • Reviewing the best examples of D&I initiatives and workplace culture
  • What are the key factors that have made these initiatives successful?
  • To get to this level of success, what do D&I professionals and organisations have to do?
  • Anju Bhalla, Joint Secretary Admin, Dept of Science & Technology, Managing Director BIRAC, Govt of India
11:55 – 12.15 Fire Side Chat: Exploring the Dimensions of Workplace Diversity
In talking about diversity, the tendency might be to limit it to gender and race. From the perspective of a modern organisations, diversity has other dimensions. The dimensions of diversity are more today than they have ever been, and the likelihood is that these dimensions will increase as the future unfolds.
Age, Race & Ethnicity, Unconscious Bias, Gender, Sexual orientation, Disability are among the top issue’s companies are working on, but workplace diversity is a lot more then these issues alone. The panel will discuss these and other dimensions in detail and how it impacts workplace culture and growth of business.

  • Harish Iyer, Head Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Axis Bank
  • Dr Meenu Bhambani, VP & Head Global Inclusion, Diversity and Equity & Corporate Citizenship, APAC, State Street
12.20 – 12.30

Keynote Address: How to successfully get top leadership engaged in D&I?

  • How do we make D&I appealing and a priority to the C-level?
  • What do CEOs care about? Reinforcing the correlation between diversity and monetization
  • How are we positioning D&I as the go to strategy to generate revenue?
  • Divya Gokulnath, Co- Founder, BYJUS
12:35 –13:10

Panel Discussion: Inclusive business models and the role of tech

  • Discussing the benefits of a constantly evolving era of tech about D&I
  • How has tech influenced D&I strategies, processes, and external communication
  • What new threats do we need to consider, manage, and prepare for?
  • Addressing messaging, awareness, cyber bullying, flexible working, employee monitoring, forums, and networks – how are we managing all these areas?
  • How will tech advance further D&I efforts?
  • Sachin Khurana, Chief People Officer& VP People Practice, Happiest Minds Technologies
  • Dilip Pattanayak, President & CHRO-Steel and Corporate, JSW
  • Asfar Khan, Director IT – South Asia, Kellogg Company
  • Sudish Panicker, MD & Head, BNY Mellon India

Panel Chair: Namrata Dubashi, Partner, McKinsey & Co.

13.15 – 13.45 In Conversation: Addressing the gender gap for women in STEM
India has one of the largest young workforces in the world, yet the size of the population with knowledge and skills in STEM fields remains low. However, India also has one of the highest percentages of women entering STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. With most industrial sectors undergoing rapid digital transformation, a stark demand-supply gap is emerging for technologically skilled employees. The panel will discuss how their organizations worked towards enabling, empowering, and engaging women in STEM by running mentorship programs and encouraging women role models

  • Rajendra Mehta, President & CHRO, Welspun India
  • Vered Mivtzari, Emerging Market Director, Start Up Nation Central, Israel
  • Suraj Chettri, Regional Director HR, Airbus India & South Asia

Panel Chair: Ashok Pamidi, Social Entrepreneur & Former CEO NASSCOM Foundation

13.50 – 14.00

Closing Address : Empowered Opportunities for cohesive inclusion & diversity

  • Neerja Birla, Founder & Chairperson, Aditya Birla Education Trust

*Program timing and agenda topics are subject to change

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