P Sriram has around 39 years of corporate experience comprising Senior Leadership Roles across large MNCs and reputed Indian organizations like Pernod Ricard, UB Group, and Shaw Wallace.
During his stint at Pernod Ricard India, he was instrumental in enabling women’s employment at the Nashik factory. From organizing boot camp training for the recruited women to building awareness and sensitivity for fellow male employees, the plant moved from a few women on the shopfloor to several hundred women, including those in supervisory and engineering roles.
As a Chief Strategist – DEI Transformation— Sriram has mentored and conducted DEI Programs for companies like ITC, JSW Group, ICICI Lombard, and TIAA.
As a member of the Avtar Advisory Board, he talks to Avtar Insights about the purpose of inclusive leadership as a bridge between diversity strands in the workplace.
Tell us about the first moment you felt and experienced the importance of DEI.
Five to six years ago, one woman, who was reporting to me went to a factory for conducting an Audit and informed me that the factory did not have a women’s toilet. That incident left a deep impression on me that neither we had women working in factories nor did we think it was essential for us to build infrastructure such as washrooms for women who were visiting the Unit. That’s when I realized the importance of DEI and set off on a personal mission to create an inclusive culture within the organization!
How do you think Avtar has made a difference to the discourse around DEI in the country?
Many leading and progressive organizations surprisingly are not aware of how DEI can bring about a change in their working styles, and processes and also get desired business results. Avtar has done a remarkable job of sensitizing such like-minded organizations to realize that creating an inclusive culture is not an expenditure but an investment that each organization must undertake and move ahead. Thanks to Avtar, many top Leaders now realize the importance of creating a culture that is diverse & inclusive and is helping to proliferate this message across the length and breadth of the organization— within and outside!
There are several sub categories that DEI operates in. What is the single most common factor that you believe applies to all aspects of DEI?
I believe ‘Inclusive Leadership’ is one area that’s common & can fit into any sub category of DEI. It’s important whether it’s gender, ethnicity, PwD, or any other strand of diversity, if the leaders create a conducive environment within the organization to include them all, they make a big difference to the culture and values of the particular organization. Leaders are a few, but followers are plenty, and hence, these leaders need to realize that leading from the front is paramount to propagate this culture of “inclusivity”!
