DIAN Decade Award Finalists

We are delighted to have received over 60 nominations from companies and individuals for the DIAN Decade Awards. All nominations were reviewed and shortlisted in September and the finalists for each award are listed below. The winners will be announced at the DIAN Decade Conference & Awards on Monday 12 November 2018. Finalists are listed in alphabetical order by company name or first name.

To recognise a corporate initiative that has demonstrated a new, different or creative approach to promoting, and/or creating, understanding of diversity and inclusion in Asia.  

Finalists: 

Linklaters for ‘Linklaters' Mental Health Awareness Campaign’  

Linklaters’ Mental Health Awareness Campaign aimed to increase knowledge and resources relating to mental health issues in the workplace. To introduce the campaign the team organised sessions around the benefits of sleep, good relationships etc., to make people aware of managing their mental state at work. After laying the groundwork, Asia partners received “mental health first aid” training, including spotting the signs of mental ill-health and how to have conversations about mental health issues. Several practical sessions related to mental health have now been made available to staff. One-on-one in-house psychologist sessions are being piloted. 

Several staff members recorded “This is Me” videos and these have been shown alongside facilitated group discussions, with stories from senior colleagues in Asia helping to reduce the stigma around mental health issues at work in Asia. As a founding member of the City Mental Health Alliance Hong Kong, Linklaters share best practices and resources.

Shell for ‘Workplace Accessibility’ 

Going beyond simple compliance with legal requirements such as the Rights of People with Disabilities Act 2016, and as part of a global initiative, Shell has collaborated across multiple functions, including IT, Real Estate, Health, Human Resources, Finance, and Procurement, to create a unified Workplace Accessibility Service for employees. This is designed to streamline and mainstream the support provided to employees that need workplace adjustments and includes a catalogue of services and equipment available to employees. Shell has also set up a central Accessibility Centre with advisors who manage employee requests and provide advice on more specialised needs. This approach sends a powerful message to employees that the company respects the needs of all employees and is committed to creating an inclusive environment that enables them to do their best work.

Telstra for ‘All Role Flex’   

Telstra, as a technology organisation, helps people to connect no matter where they are or what they are doing. Telstra are also an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality, strongly committed to ensuring that people of all genders are able to balance their professional and personal lives. All Roles Flex means flexibility is the starting point for work at Telstra. Its leaders aim to model balance, focused on outcomes, not face-time, and using technology, workplace design and a solution-focused attitude to make flexibility work. Telstra were the first corporate in Australia to take a leadership position on mainstreaming flexibility for all. Today, they remain committed to ensuring that all employees in Asia are supported by a culture that truly embraces flexibility in all its forms.

To recognise an initiative that has involved two or more parties working together towards a particular diversity and inclusion goal in Asia.  

Finalists: 

Corporate collaboration on the QT vs Department of Immigration Case (Credit Suisse, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Amnesty International, 14 financial institutions and  15 law firms)

4th July is a monumental date and in Hong Kong 2018 it became meaningful for the LGBT+ Communities too. The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal ordered the city’s immigration department to grant married same-sex couples visas just as it does for heterosexuals. This was a result of the ruling in favour of an expatriate lesbian, known as “QT”, who applied for a visa to reside in the city with her wife who she married in 2011. Credit Suisse drove the initial coordination of the petition to intervene in this court case, signing Davis Polk in a pro bono capacity, encouraging other banks engage, and partnering with lawyers to get the petition submissions finalised. Collaboration is a core value at Credit Suisse and this has been clearly demonstrated in the QT vs The Director of Immigration where the business and legal sectors united to support QT.

Reach Out (American Express, Microsoft, PepsiCo, PwC, Reckitt Benckiser, Tata Sons Ltd)  

Reach Out is a unique cross organisational Diversity and Inclusion programme designed to create learning and networking opportunities for women leaders across 6 organisations namely, American Express, Microsoft, PepsiCo, PwC, RB (erstwhile Reckitt Benckiser) and Tata Group. This collaborative platform extends a structured and sustainable solution for senior diverse talent to share, network and learn with their peer groups from the industry, as well as be mentored by senior leadership across industries. Reach Out encourages talent to strive for personal and professional milestones and seek out opportunities to pay it forward to society by volunteering their time and expertise and mentor young women to give direction, inspiration and hope. 

In the long run, the aim is to create a strong network of women; supporting, enabling and advocating for more diversity at the top. Reach Out has completed 3 batches and has covered 91 senior women mentees and 47 senior leaders as mentors across partnering organisations. The learning roadmap of ten months includes meaningful interaction opportunities with external peers and senior leaders thereby creating an extended network that can be leveraged beyond the programme.

Singapore Business Network on Disability (Deutsche Bank, a founding member of the network)

Deutsche Bank’s dbEnable established an impactful partnership with the Singapore Business Network on Disability (SBNoD) to further the cause of and create valuable programmes and activities centred on inclusivity. The collaboration gave birth to the gathering of 25 like-minded companies who collectively help create a more inclusive society by promoting the inclusion of people with disability. 

To recognise a corporate initiative that has promoted the social inclusion of a diverse or under-represented group in the wider community in Asia.   

Finalists: 

AIG Singapore for ‘AIG Singapore Student Innovation Programme’ (SIP)  

The Singapore disAbilities and Allies ERG launched the AIG Student Innovation Programme in June 2016, where AIG Singapore partnered with students with disabilities from Singapore Management University and other tertiary institutions to innovate an AIG process, product or service, through understanding the insurance needs of people with disabilities. Key objectives of the programme include business integration, disability awareness, employee opportunity, career development and community engagement. The programme was a success and is running its third instalment, with positive feedback from various parties. “We have listened and heard feedback from the students on how to enhance the customer experience for people with disability, which makes up 4% of the Singapore population (Source: Singapore Disability Sports Council).  “We hope to put some of these good ideas into practice in the coming months”, says Om Bhatia, Head of Digital and Direct Marketing, who participated in the programme. 

Northern Trust India for Initiatives for 'Advancement of Persons with Disabilities in India'  

Northern Operating Services India (Pvt.) Limited (NOS) began operations in 2005 and has since grown to play a significant role in social inclusion, with a special focus on people with disabilities in India. Disability in India is compounded by other social divisions such as class, gender, and caste. NOS realised that intervention is required at multiple stages for an individual with disability. Their primary focus has been children, disabled youth - especially in rural areas - and women with disabilities. NOS focuses on the strengths of persons with disabilities, their potential for excellence not just at the workplace but also in the wider communities in which we live and operate in India. 

NOS has a strong emphasis on volunteering. NOS employees clocked over 3000+ volunteering hours in the past year including conducting a sports meet, school annual meet, painting completion, examination support for children with disabilities, wheelchair fitting and also taking part in a ’Walkathon’ to raise funds to support schools for disabled children.

Tata Consultancy Services for ‘BridgeIT’ 

BridgeIT aims to bridge the access and competency gap between marginalised communities and mainstream society using digital tools. The key objectives of the project are to train socially and economically disadvantaged young men and women to become successful digital entrepreneurs; provide computer-aided learning and digital literacy skills to children studying at state-run schools; and improve adult literacy in village communities through TCS’ Computer-based Functional Literacy (CBFL) solution. 

Tata Group for ‘Tata Affirmative Action Programme’   

The Tata Affirmative Action Programme (TAAP), established in 2007, is a voluntary effort by Tata companies to improve the lives of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), both of which are deeply discriminated against.While SCs suffer the double burden of being amongst the poorest of the poor and socially discriminated against, STs suffer grave deprivation due to the long-term neglect they have faced. 

Once the need for Affirmative Action (AA) was established, institutionalised assessments against a TAAP criteria were put in place. The key focus areas are Employment, Entrepreneurship, Employability and Education, driven by leadership and engaged employees. Tata companies have made significant strides along the TAAP jouney, with 10,000 SC/ST added to the workforce of Tata ecosystem, 257 SC/ST vendors developed, doing business worth USD 1 million, and 30,000 SC/ST apprentices trained under the employability programme. 

To recognise a company that has made significant and measurable progress in advancing a particular diversity and inclusion issue in their organisation in Asia.  

Finalists: 

Credit Suisse    

Credit Suisse AG is one of the world's leading financial services providers and is part of the Credit Suisse group of companies. Our strategy builds on Credit Suisse's core strengths: its position as a leading wealth manager, its specialist investment banking capabilities and its strong presence in our home market of Switzerland. At Credit Suisse India, we are extremely proud of our achievements in the gender diversity space. We invested early on in signature leadership development programmes such as Mentoring Advisory Group and RISE (exclusive development programme for junior women talent) with the objective of strengthening our female leadership pipeline. Our flagship Real Returns Programme offering talented senior professionals who have taken an extended career break a smooth transition back into the workforce, is now in its third year of launch and growing from strength to strength, with increasing conversion rates from 75% in 2016 to 93% in 2018. Our policies and benefits, including our commitment to creating a truly inclusive culture through campaigns such as Draw The Line, provision of flexible working options, and parental support benefits continue to shape and solidify our Employee Value Proposition in the talent market. Earlier this year in April 2018, Credit Suisse was also recognised for ‘Excellence in Gender Diversity’, at NASSCOM India’s Global Capability Centre’s (GCC’s) 2018 Awards for our industry leading initiatives in the gender diversity space. 

EY Greater China   

EY understands that to be truly insightful, connected, and responsive, and to serve our multi-sector and geographically dispersed client-base effectively - it needs the best talent. This means diverse talent. EY believe that diversity and focused inclusion strategies provide the firm with a competitive advantage. EY are proud to be making meaningful progress in creating an open and inclusive workplace, where all people can achieve their potential. Over recent years, EY have invested efforts into breaking down gender stereotypes, accommodating a flexible work environment for all, and ensuring that EY’s employees’ wellbeing remains a leadership priority.

To promote LGBTA+ inclusion in Greater China, EY has established a LGBT+ network, “Unity”. The Unity network is open to all partners and employees with the purpose of enabling networking opportunities for our LGBT+ and non-LGBT+ professionals. Over the past year, the network has hosted events, LGBT+ ally training, panels, and virtual connections. As a result, Unity membership increase by 236%.

Herbert Smith Freehills  

Over the last four years Herbert Smith Freehills has made a conscious effort to increase female representation in the Asia partnership. In April 2014 19% of partners in Asia were women. That year the firm publicly announced a series of aspirational global diversity targets, including to increase female representation in the global partnership to 30% by 2019. In the Asia region, the 30% target was hit 30% target a year ahead of schedule, increasing from 19% in 2014 to 30% as at 1 May 2018.  A more gender diverse partnership is a key strategic imperative for the firm.

Herbert Smith Freehills believes that no organisation can succeed on a sustainable basis if those charged with leadership are not representative of those they aim to lead. Although the gender targets were a global initiative, that the firm was able to achieve the target in Asia a year ahead of schedule is largely down to the commitment, drive and passion of key champions, sponsors and role models within the Asia leadership team, as well as the buy in of the wider Asia partnership and support from key business services functions. It has been a genuinely collaborative effort. The result has been a game-changer not only in the demographics of the partnership, but in the way the firm think about and approach diversity in Asia.  

To recognise an HR/D&I corporate professional based in Asia who has been a visible and committed champion of change in advancing diversity and inclusion in Asia.   

Claire Goodchild, Morgan Stanley   

As Asia Head of Diversity & Inclusion for Morgan Stanley, Claire Goodchild works closely with the Firm’s leaders in the design of the Firm’s diversity and inclusion strategy with emphasis on hiring, retention, development and advancement of key talent. Through this work, Morgan Stanley has been recognised as one of the 100 Best Companies for Women in India and has received a Gold Standard for LGBT Inclusion in published indices in Hong Kong and Japan. Claire has been with the Firm for over 15 years and has held various roles in talent development, during which she led a Morgan Stanley team to win a Silver Award for Excellence in Training and Development for an internally created programme to develop new staff’s technical expertise.  Outside of Morgan Stanley, Claire volunteers with The Women’s Foundation in Hong Kong, mentoring talented female professionals in the early stages of their career and was a co-chair of the Foundation’s Mentor Programme Steering Committee from 2016 to 2018.

Katrina North, EY  

Katrina is an experienced, MBA qualified Executive with demonstrated skills in leadership, strategy, governance, change management, board and C-suite stakeholder management, marketing, corporate administration, strategic and financial analysis, risk and operations. Broad industry experience including banking and finance, professional services (legal, accounting and real estate), membership organisations and not for profit. Katrina has experience as a non-executive director. Her prior board positions include Deputy Chair and Company Secretary, Museum and Gallery Services Queensland; Queensland State Councillor, Governance Institute of Australia and Immediate Past President Brisbane Boys College Parent’s and Friend’s Association. Katrina North builds sophisticated relationships and high performing teams in complex environments driving sustainable growth by guiding Boards and organisations through positive change journeys. Katrina believes passionately in the importance of equity and diversity in all its forms for the good governance and building of successful and sustainable business, economies and society.

Mellener Anne Coelho, Northern Trust India   

As global D&I programme manager at AXA, Mellener was instrumental in managing a global community of D&I leaders, developing a global framework for Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) which further led to setting up 3 global networks and several local chapters of ERGs at AXA. She played a key role in the global LGBT inclusion programme at AXA and has represented the organisation at several external forums as a speaker including the 2014 Disability Matters Conference APAC Awards ceremony hosted by CISCO in India and the 2015 Disability Matters Conference APAC Awards Ceremony hosted by Krungthai AXA Life in Thailand. In 2016, she worked together with the Bharti AXA management team to host the first ever D&I Symposium in India. In 2017, Mellener was presented with an award for excellence in D&I by the World HRD Congress and is currently a task force member for the 2018 DIAN India D&I Deliverable. Earlier this year she was a co-panellist for the Mental Health roundtable at the Launch of the Community Business Mental Health in Asia Research at Shell, India. In 2018, under her leadership, Northern Trust in India hosted an Employee Resource Group Summit for over 20 companies in partnership with DIAN India. She has recently been invited to be a guest speaker for the Certified Diversity Professional Programme run by Interweave Consulting India. Mellener is honoured to be included as one of the four finalists for the D&I Champion of change award in Asia 2018.

Sophie Guerin, Dell 

Sophie Guerin is the Diversity & Inclusion Lead, APJC at Dell Inc. responsible for setting and driving Dell’s diversity and inclusion strategy serving over 40,000 team members in 18 countries. In her role, she focuses on driving inclusive leadership, culture, and enhancing Dell’s brand. She is also responsible for leading key strategic initiatives including the Asia roll out of Men Advocating Real Change, a Catalyst initiative, and the launch of Pride LGBTI & Allies Employee Resource Group. Prior to joining Dell, Sophie was Head of Diversity & Inclusion for Community Business and the Greater China Deputy Director for WEConnect International, a corporate driven non-profit that helps to empower women business owners to succeed in global markets. Currently residing in Singapore, she is a recognised expert on diversity and inclusion in Asia and speaks frequently at industry and thought leadership forums. She is the author of Silicon Valley: A Look at Diversity Data Transparency and co-author of a Community Business study, Examining Diversity & Inclusion from an Asian Perspective. Sophie is a member of the Diversity & Inclusion in Asia Network Leadership Council and the American Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong Women of Influence Steering Committee. She is the first recipient of the American Chamber of Commerce China Committee of the Year Award and is the Founder of Women in International Public Affairs based in Paris, France.