India Diversity Forum inducts Satish Rao CMD, Firmenich India to Advisory Board

New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI/SRV): Satish Rao, Chairman, and Managing Director, Firmenich India, has joined the India Diversity Forum's Advisory Board. He was inducted to the Board at the highly successful and much anticipated Annual Flagship of IDF: India Diversity Conclave 2023 in Mumbai on April 6th.
As a highly respected Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion expert, Satish Rao brings knowledge and experience to the Advisory Board. His addition to the team will provide critical guidance and input to help IDF achieve its mission to eliminate discrimination at workplaces on account of gender, region, language, religion, caste, class, occupation, background, disabilities, race, age, and sexual orientation by facilitating and guiding organizations to build an environment of equality and diversity.
"We are thrilled to welcome Satish Rao to our Advisory Board," said Rishi Kapoor, Head Management Committee. "His expertise and insights will be invaluable in helping us tackle some of the most complex challenges under DEI roof facing our broader community."
Satish Rao shared his excitement about the new responsibility, which will see him contribute to the vision and strategic roadmap of IDF drawing on his immense experience and passion for DE&I: "As an independent industry body dedicated to creating inclusive workspaces, IDF has been working very closely with companies to address and prevent workplace discrimination and make workplaces thriving centres of innovation and collaboration. Diverse workforces that truly belong in their work communities bring a qualitative impact in addition to revenue generation. This is the future of work. The hunt for talent and its retention, too, finds answers in effective D&I. As a business leader, I have had the opportunity to observe this. As the Advisory Board Member of IDF, I look forward to sharing my learning with others on their D&I journey and helping nurture an ecosystem of passionate leaders and employees dedicated to creating diverse, safe, and inclusive workspaces."

Rao will work closely with other Advisory Board members and leadership team members to advance India Diversity Forum's goals.
Ankit Bansal, Serial Entrepreneur and Founder & CEO, Sapphire Human Solutions, Advisory Board Member IDF shared his enthusiastic reaction to the induction of Rao: "On behalf of the Advisory Board and the entire team of IDF, I would like to warmly welcome Satish Rao, Chairman, and Managing Director, Firmenich India, as a new Advisory Member. It is always inspiring to have new perspectives and expertise join our community, and we are thrilled to have such a highly respected and accomplished individual on Board. Rao's insights and contributions will be instrumental in helping us achieve our mission. We look forward to working together and learning from each other."
Satish Rao stated, "I am honoured to serve on the Advisory Board of the India Diversity Forum (IDF), an organisation that has worked relentlessly not only to address and prevent workplace discrimination but also to create awareness about any issues of diversity and inclusion. After holding many leadership positions at several companies, I realised that diversity, inclusion, and equity are vital aspects of attracting and retaining talent. As a member of the Advisory Board, I'm looking forward to discussing and sharing ideas with others as they embark on their D&I journey to create a diverse, safe, and inclusive workplace."
For the past four years, Firmenich has been recognised as a Great Place to Work in India, because of Satish's leadership style, which generates a continuously high-trust workplace atmosphere for everyone, regardless of who they are or what they do for the firm. Satish promoted a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion by instituting progressive gender-neutral policies and practises such as Employee Resource Groups, a network of allies and role models for peer-to-peer support, training on unconscious bias with a special focus on LGBTQ+, sessions with leadership and managers, fireside chats with members of the community, and so on. Today, Firmenich India leads its other affiliates in implementing systematic, business-led approaches to inclusion and diversity (I&D).
"I am delighted to welcome Satish to the Advisory Board of IDF. Recounting the journey of IDF that began with the inception meeting in 2021, today there is a lot more awareness and desire among Indian companies to learn about and implement effective D&I policies. Today 550 plus committed member organisations have come together with the vision to create a world free of discrimination. IDF has been successful in mobilizing corporate India to work together for the cause of DE&I. I am sure that the leadership, passion and experience that Satish brings with him, and his business and leadership acumen will enhance the focused efforts towards policy and implementation aspects of D&I", Gautam Chainani, former Group President Human Resources - Strategic Initiatives & Workforce Automation, JSW.
"With focus on workplaces, IDF's mission is to help eliminate discrimination in the workplace and have an equitable, inclusive and safe space for work. It is time to build critical mass for the movement that DE&I and Satish joins us at the right time. I wish him all the best and look forward to being on this journey together for nation building and to creating healthy workplaces", Anisha Motwani, eminent independent Director (on Boards of Abbott, Welspun India and L&T Investment).
India Diversity Forum is India's only independent industry body (constituted as a Section 8 Company) formed to spread awareness and bring single-minded focus to the discussion around diversity and inclusion in India at a company, government, and national level. IDF, through its ten industry councils that will have organizations of specific ecosystems as their members, will focus on gender diversity, including the LGBTQ+ community, disability, multi-generational diversity, cognitive diversity, women's employment, pay parity, safety, and well-being of employees, team sensitization, sharing and rewarding of best practices and equal opportunity employment among other issues.
India Diversity Forum aims to make D & I conversations mainstream in India. To become a member or to request a copy of Best D & I Practices, IDF D&I Survey 2023, mail to
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