2018 D&I in India Award Finalists

The winners will be announced at our 2018 D&I in India Best Practice Benchmark Results & Awards Ceremony on Monday 26 November 2018. 

Finalists are listed in alphabetical order by first name or organisation name.

To recognise an employee network that has played a proactive role in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace in India.

Finalists: 

Spectrum Network, Barclays 

Barclays India’s LGBT+ employee network, Spectrum, plays a leading role in cultivating a culture of inclusion and acceptance across the organisation.  Set up in 2016, it supports LGBT employees and improves internal communications to raise awareness and educate. Recognizing the local cultural sensitivities of this subject in India, Spectrum has also focused on building a strong Allies programme with the goal of challenging homophobia, promoting equality and garnering organisation-wide support.

True Ability Network, Dell EMC 

Dell EMC’s True Ability Network set up in 2012 has been a role model and trailblazer for the inclusion of person with disabilities in India.  With a focus on sensitisation, talent recruitment and collaboration, True Ability has been instrumental in creating a more inclusive culture and for tripling Dell EMC’s recruitment of professionals with disabilities - more than 100 are currently employed in all areas of the business. The network also runs a pioneering and unique internship programme, Redefine Abilities, for people with profound disability.

Women@Thomson Reuters Business Resource Group, Thomson Reuters 

Thomson Reuters’ well-established women’s network, Women@Thomson Reuters plays a critical role in supporting the company’s goal of achieving 40% women in leadership roles by 2020.  It focuses on engaging, energising and inspiring female talent, as well as encouraging male allies to be a part of the inclusion conversation. Operating in the field of STEM, it plays a proactive role in instilling the passion and skills for science, maths and technology amongst women and girls.

To recognise a workplace initiative that has had a significant impact on supporting and promoting the advancement of women in India.

Due to the large number and variety in scope of submissions for this Award, Community Business decided to make 2 awards in this category: one for a specific initiative and one for an overall approach to the advancement of women.

Specific Initiative Award Finalists:

Stand Tall, Akamai Technologies

Stand Tall is a highly tailored and successful professional development programme, developed internally by Akamai Technologies to strengthen their pool of aspiring women leaders. This immersive programme starts with diagnosis interviews between leadership and the women to understand opportunities for personal development and growth followed by a 3-step approach of training intervention, a development center and 1:1 coaching. Akamai reports that 65% of graduates from this programme have experienced career progression.

Career Watch, EY 

EY’s Career Watch initiative is a career sponsorship program designed to equip high-potential women at senior managerial levels to be future-ready. In addition to its robust strategy, structure and program content, what differentiates this from other sponsorship programs, is that the sponsor (known as the Career Watcher) is equally responsible for, and invested in, the participant’s growth - increasing accountability and success rates of the progression of women to senior leadership positions.

Vapasi, ThoughtWorks 

ThoughtWorks’ successful Vapasi programme is specifically designed to address the high rate of women technologists who drop out of the technical workforce in India and to bridge the leaking pipeline. Targeted at experienced women developers currently on a career break and looking to re-enter the world of programming, the intense bootcamp provides hands-on technical programming sessions. In updating their skills and providing career support, it builds the confidence of these women and encourages them to re-apply for full-time technical roles

Overall Approach Award Finalists: 

Northern Trust 

Diversity and Inclusion is a strategic priority for Northern Trust (registered as Northern Operating Services in India) with a special focus on improving the representation of women across levels and creating an enabling environment for women. Diversity by design is a talent acquisition initiative focused at hiring more women across levels leveraging the available talent pool using different initiatives such as campus hiring, women only hiring drives, alumni events, returnship programs for women on career breaks and diversity panels for hiring women in senior roles. All of this has resulted in a good representation of women across levels as well as a positive sentiment among both men and women that the organization is a great and safe place to work for women. 

RBS 

With a bold target of having >30% women in its top three leadership layers by 2020, RBS is committed to achieving a gender balanced workforce across all levels in India. Going beyond standard policies and programmes, the bank’s comprehensive strategy is pushing the boundaries – exploring, for example, alternative channels to onboard women in difficult areas, auditing bias out of the system, reviewing the design of roles predominately held by men and researching the gender pay gap.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) 

As a leader in the technology field, TCS is strategically and purposefully committed to supporting the advancement of women – both internally and externally.  TCS ensures sustainable interventions to make the working environment inclusive and bias free, enabling it to develop, retain and advance its 141,000 women.  Particularly notable are its iExcel, iSpeak and iWin programmes – targeted initiatives for women at different levels.  Its combined and sustained efforts are clearly having an impact, with a reported 23 fold increase in overall representation of women in TCS India since 2004 and the lowest female attrition rates in its industry.

To recognise an organisation that has adopted a proactive approach to building disability confidence in the workplace in India.

Finalists: 

EY 

EY has had a long-term commitment deeply embedded in the organization to the inclusion of people with disabilities.  A core group of senior leaders across locations in India leads the disability inclusion agenda, whilst a Purple Champions ally group drives awareness and support at all levels. With targeted recruitment initiatives and a focus on building an accessible infrastructure, EY is invested in building a better working world for all.

IBM 

Since its first disability hire in 1914, IBM has always looked at the employment of persons with disabilities as a skilled talent pool which contributes to the business, not merely a CSR initiative. IBM excels in ensuring accessibility in all aspects – from technology and infrastructure to opportunities and career development. It is particularly focused on the skills development of disabled talent in growth areas like cognitive, cloud and analytics, building competitive employment opportunities not just within IBM but also in the wider marketplace. It has also pioneered a focus on mental health and emotional well-being for employees with disabilities.

Intuit

Intuit’s mission to power prosperity around the world is fueled by its values and the company supports the belief that every employee should be able to bring their whole self to work. The Intuit Ability Program focuses holistically on hiring persons with disabilities (PwD). The recruitment team, support staff, HR team and hiring managers who deal with the interns are all provided with training to ensure they are fully equipped to assist PwD. In a bid to be truly accessible and inclusive, Intuit have overhauled their office infrastructure and introduced an unique sporting zone for PwD. Intuit's contribution and support is not restricted to employees. In fact, the Special Needs and Abilities Network has transformed lives of 350 + visually impaired children by establishing 10 tactile libraries, made possible through the volunteering efforts of 250 + employees.

JP Morgan 

With a clear understanding of the business imperative for promoting disability inclusion – not least the need to meet the obligations and accelerate the adoption of the various provisions of the 2016 Disabilities Bill, JP Morgan has taken proactive steps to build the disability confidence of its organisation.  This includes the establishment of an Office of Disability Inclusion in 2016, focusing on attitude, accessibility, accommodations and assimilation and a targeted strategy to grow and increase the impact of its Access Ability Business Resource Group.

To recognise an organisation that has adopted a proactive approach to creating an inclusive workplace for LGBT+ employees in India.

Finalists: 

Akamai Technologies 

Understanding the significant challenges that LGBT+ employees in India can face, Akamai Technologies has made a clear commitment to promoting greater LGBT+ inclusion. Akamai's out@akamai employee resource group largely drives its strategy, but Akamai leaders, HR, talent acquisition and facilities teams are all working together to bring about a fundamental shift in mindset and culture – setting the tone from the top, facilitating conversation, reviewing policies, adapting employer branding and extending training.

IBM 

IBM has long been a pioneer in the LGBT+ inclusion space, including sexual orientation in its equal opportunity and non-discrimination policy back in 1984, setting up the India chapter of its LGBT+ network, EAGLE as early as 2007 and being amongst the first to introduce LGBT+ inclusive benefits. Today IBM’s continues to pioneer the way, with programmes such as Out Executives & Out Role Models, Out Leadership development, LGBT+ Reverse Mentoring and LGBT+ Executive Forums for the industry. It is also leading the way in promoting transgender inclusion – both internally at IBM as well as through community initiatives such as Project Vayati.

RBS

RBS’ LGBT+ inclusion strategy is multi-pronged focusing on workplace policies, education and sensitisation, external support and industry participation as well as support and outreach for the transgender community. The bank has taken a bold stance, being visible and vocal in upgrading its policies (including its Partner Medical Benefits policy) and showing public support for the LGBT+ community.  In so doing it has played a key role in encouraging and emboldening other organisations in India to be more proactive in addressing LGBT+ inclusion.