In today’s episode, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue and Rohini Anand a strategic senior DEI advisor who holds key positions on numerous external diversity advisory boards delve into her personal journey, from her roots in Mumbai, India, to her migration to the United States, which provides a unique lens to her work in DEI. Rohini brings a wealth of global perspective to their conversation as she talks about her experiences in navigating between majority and minority spaces, and how this informs her perspective on diversity and inclusion. 

“Ultimately this global work is very complex, and it's very dynamic in nature. So there's no quick sort of checklist or playbook. And even best practices are really not enough. So the principles that I have, these five principles are simple, but they're very disruptive. And they don't provide sort of standards, or plug and play templates, based on what's worked in one country or one location. And I think that's been the foundational mistake in doing this work is replicating what's worked in one part of the world elsewhere, it can be sort of adapted to apply with sensitivity to any country and empowers global leaders to kind of develop their own solutions without mimicking a solution.”

Episode Highlights: 

● Cultivating a global mindset as chief diversity officers

● Advice for aspiring diversity and inclusion professionals

● How to keep developing and nurturing skills

About Rohini Anand:

 

DR. ROHINI ANAND, Founder and CEO, Rohini Anand LLC

 rohinianand1121@gmail.com 

Web site: https://www.rohinianand.com; 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohinianand

Dr. Rohini Anand is Founder and CEO of Rohini Anand LLC providing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) advisory services to clients in the public and private sectors. She is a strategic business leader and trusted board member who has successfully transformed cultures and built an iconic brand with an enduring reputation, resulting in accelerating new business creation. With expertise that spans executive leadership, human capital, global corporate responsibility, wellness and diversity equity and inclusion, Rohini brings a unique perspective on the critical alignment of the business culture and the triple bottom line to drive exceptional performance. Rohini is recognized as a pioneer in the DEI field and is a sought- after expert by leaders around the world. Her global experience, cultural dexterity, extensive network and ability to influence leaders result in a reputation for judgment, integrity, and accountability.  

Rohini Anand is a thought leader and a published author. Her book, Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A Guide for Systemic Change in Multinational Organizations, has been endorsed by luminaries like Indra Nooyi, former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO Chobani and Tent, Michel Landel, Danone S.A Board member and former CEO, Sodexo, amongst others. It is available on Amazon here and Bookshop.org and on bookdepository here  for international orders.

Most recently Rohini was SVP Corporate Responsibility and Global Chief Diversity Officer for Sodexo. She reported to the Global CEO and was a member of Sodexo’s North America Executive Committee. Rohini successfully positioned Sodexo as a global thought leader in DEI and Corporate Responsibility. Sodexo’s remarkable global culture change, led by diversity and inclusion, is featured in a Harvard Business School case study entitled Shifting the Diversity Climate: the Sodexo Solution . 

Rohini has been featured in several articles in CNBC, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and the Washington Post. Rohini has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg and CNN Money as well on National Public Radio. She is the recipient of many accolades including the Mosaic Woman Leadership Award, the Women’s Foodservice Forum Trailblazer Award, Webster University’s Women of Influence Award and the Who’s Who in Asian American Communities Award (WWAAC), amongst others. 

Dr. Anand received her PhD from the University of Michigan. She serves on the boards of several organizations including WomenLift Health a Gates Foundation initiative, Aspen Institute’s Family Prosperity Initiative, Tent Partnership for Refugees and Galt Foundation. She also serves on the external diversity advisory boards for Sanofi and for Charter Communications and chaired the Catalyst Board of Advisors. Rohini is a Senior Fellow with the Conference Board and is on the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Center for Inclusive Governance’s Advisory Council. 

If you would like to apply to be a guest on the show email: operations@goodsoilleaders.com

 

If you would like to schedule a capability briefing call with our team, email: operations@goodsoilleaders.com 

 

If you would like to apply for DEI PRO Coaching, email:

operations@goodsoilleaders.com 

Stay Connected with Ashanti: 

LinkedIn: Ashanti Bentil-Dhue