Our August Member of the Month is Rohini Anand, a retired Global Chief Diversity Officer for Sodexo and the author of Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Rohini recently served a 3-year term on the Membership Committee and has been an IWF-DC member since 2020.
Q&A with Rohini
Q: Tell us about you, where you work.
I grew up in Mumbai, India and came to North America to go to graduate school as a young, single immigrant woman. I clearly remember that sweltering and humid monsoon night, when my entire family came to see me off at the airport in Mumbai. I was nervous and excited. Excited because I was finally going to graduate school in North America and nervous because it was my first trip on an airplane.
As I geared myself up for the long flight, I was bursting with anticipation for the next phase of my life. I was ready for this adventure but had no clue of what lay ahead. I recalled stories my father had shared. He had come to the United States as a young man and, throughout my childhood, had told me wonderful stories of the land that 19th century Chinese American pioneers had called "Gold Mountain" or the land of opportunity where fortunes could be made. After completing his university studies and before returning to India, he had worked in Hollywood with the likes of Cary Grant. Not exactly the "typical" immigrant experience.
To provide some context, in the 1970s few single Indian women traveled to the United States to study. This was at a time when women in India generally completed their undergraduate degree as a qualification for a "good" arranged marriage. Yet, despite the prejudices he'd encountered in traveling through the southern U.S. in the 1940s, my father encouraged and supported me to go to North America for my master's degree. I'm glad he didn't dwell on the negatives. He afforded me the opportunity to be open to my own journey.
The underlying expectation was that I would return to India as he had and "settle down." But the aerograms from my grandfather, an academic, urged me to complete my studies and become financially independent. I often reflect on how life would have been different had I been swayed by the cultural assumptions of me as an Indian woman.
I went on to do an interdisciplinary PhD in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan and focused on how migration and its related context and experiences shape identity. I spent some time teaching in higher education but realized that I needed to do something where I could directly impact systems and people. I worked for a nonprofit organization leading their multicultural consulting for universities, government agencies and health systems. While I enjoyed the variety of clients I interacted with, I yearned to engage with one system and guide a more sustained cultural transformation in an organization.
I got the opportunity to work for Sodexo, a French multinational providing food and facilities management in over 80 countries with 465,000 employees. I worked at Sodexo for 20 wonderful years and led their global sustainability, diversity and inclusion and wellness efforts. Thirty minutes into my interview with the Sodexo CEO, I knew that I wanted to work for a company he was leading. Also, Sodexo's workforce presented an incredible opportunity for fostering a diverse and inclusive culture. It was a microcosm of society.
What I had not bargained for was a promotion discrimination lawsuit filed by Sodexo's African American managers, which pre-dated me, and was certified as a class-action lawsuit, six months after I joined the company! I was acutely aware of my Asian American identity in this context, and I have to say that I questioned the company's judgement in hiring a non-African American, when there was so much at stake! This period and my work there was the most impactful learning experience of my life! Fast forward- we took the company from class action to best in class and received recognition including a Harvard Business Review case study -- for the cultural transformation to a diverse and inclusive culture at this global company.
I retired from Sodexo during Covid and decided to use the Covid isolation to write my book, Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. For me, it was an act of closure, and I wanted to share the lessons I had learned doing this work globally.
Since then, I have been doing executive engagement, coaching, book talks and my most favorite part: being on boards. I am on several nonprofit boards including WomenLift Health, a Gates Foundation initiative focused on advancing women in global health in North America, Africa and India; Galt Foundation, which is focused on hiring people with disabilities; and Tent Partnership for Refugees, which is focused on employment of refugees worldwide. I am also on the external diversity advisory boards for Sanofi and Charter Communications and am the Chair of the Impact and Belonging Leader Board for i4cp.
Today, with the backlash against diversity, I am finding that organizations that are committed because they know it benefits their business outcomes, are continuing the work in new ways. Some have changed the name, and others have embedded it more broadly in the organization. I believe that the field will emerge sharper and stronger as a result.
Q: How long have you been an IWF member and have you been an IWF member in another chapter?
I have been an IWF member since 2020 but was not very active while I worked at Sodexo as I travelled 80% of the time. I have only been an IWF-DC member and have recently become more engaged in IWF and am loving my interactions
Q: Looking back, what moment or decision most shaped the direction of your career?
My move to North America as a young, single student pursuing my graduate studies was clearly a critical pivot in my life that shaped me personally and professionally.
Moving to North America was an inflection point in my life. Growing up in India, almost everyone looked like me. I belonged to the majority religion, Hinduism. Surrounded by others like me, I had the privilege of not having to think about my identity.
That was my identity before I flew to North America. In my own naïve way, I saw myself as a citizen of the world. But in the hours and days after I passed through customs, that fantasy gave way to another reality. My identity shifted from being a person who saw herself at the center of her world, part of the educated elite, to being a minority--an immigrant--and yes, a foreigner. And I was totally unprepared for that.
Yet, like millions of people before me, upon arriving in this new land, I took on a new identity. Or, more accurately, identities. My India-to-North America journey crystalized how I perceived myself, how others saw me, my response to their perceptions and, subsequently, how I reacted to the world around me. My move and the related experiences gave me a brand new awareness of myself and others' perceptions of me that took years to unpack and fully understand.
This multilayered, cross-cultural experience became the core of my graduate research and today is at the center of my work. The change to being identified as a minority made me realize the privileges that came with being part of a majority. I was part of the majority growing up in India and had not recognized or reflected upon my privilege in that way. More importantly, I was unable to, until I was perceived as a minority and I experienced things differently. The realization that identity is situational and fluid still informs my work.
So, this vocation is very personal to me. And I've come to realize that the personal journey of understanding what it means to be perceived as a minority--an outsider--in disparate contexts is at the heart of DEI. It's not abstract. It's embedded in how people see themselves, others, and their world.
Q: What leadership lesson has been the most valuable?
There are three lessons that have informed my leadership approach:
Q: What advice would you give to women earlier in their careers that you wish you had received sooner?
Actively seek out sponsors and mentors. Mentors speak with you and sponsors speak about you in places you may not have access. It is important to have both
Raise your hand and ask for what you want. What's the worst that can happen? Someone will say "no," and you are no worse off. And don't be afraid to ask for help as well.
Take risks and stretch yourself- don't be afraid of failure as there is great learning that comes from failure.
Q: Is there a skill you're still working on or something you are learning right now?
I am learning about AI: It's capabilities, as well as its limitations. I believe that we all have a responsibility to be comfortable in both using AI responsibly and also knowing enough to be able to interrogate it for bias. The field is evolving rapidly, and I believe that if I don't keep up with the evolutions, I will be at a disadvantage.
Q: What is a word that guides you these days?
Resilience. Given the volatile environment we are living in, I have to tap into my resilience to stay whole and centered. My family and community and the wonderful sisterhood around me gives me the energy to remain resilient.
Q&A with Rohini
Q: Tell us about you, where you work.
I grew up in Mumbai, India and came to North America to go to graduate school as a young, single immigrant woman. I clearly remember that sweltering and humid monsoon night, when my entire family came to see me off at the airport in Mumbai. I was nervous and excited. Excited because I was finally going to graduate school in North America and nervous because it was my first trip on an airplane.
As I geared myself up for the long flight, I was bursting with anticipation for the next phase of my life. I was ready for this adventure but had no clue of what lay ahead. I recalled stories my father had shared. He had come to the United States as a young man and, throughout my childhood, had told me wonderful stories of the land that 19th century Chinese American pioneers had called "Gold Mountain" or the land of opportunity where fortunes could be made. After completing his university studies and before returning to India, he had worked in Hollywood with the likes of Cary Grant. Not exactly the "typical" immigrant experience.
To provide some context, in the 1970s few single Indian women traveled to the United States to study. This was at a time when women in India generally completed their undergraduate degree as a qualification for a "good" arranged marriage. Yet, despite the prejudices he'd encountered in traveling through the southern U.S. in the 1940s, my father encouraged and supported me to go to North America for my master's degree. I'm glad he didn't dwell on the negatives. He afforded me the opportunity to be open to my own journey.
The underlying expectation was that I would return to India as he had and "settle down." But the aerograms from my grandfather, an academic, urged me to complete my studies and become financially independent. I often reflect on how life would have been different had I been swayed by the cultural assumptions of me as an Indian woman.
I went on to do an interdisciplinary PhD in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan and focused on how migration and its related context and experiences shape identity. I spent some time teaching in higher education but realized that I needed to do something where I could directly impact systems and people. I worked for a nonprofit organization leading their multicultural consulting for universities, government agencies and health systems. While I enjoyed the variety of clients I interacted with, I yearned to engage with one system and guide a more sustained cultural transformation in an organization.
I got the opportunity to work for Sodexo, a French multinational providing food and facilities management in over 80 countries with 465,000 employees. I worked at Sodexo for 20 wonderful years and led their global sustainability, diversity and inclusion and wellness efforts. Thirty minutes into my interview with the Sodexo CEO, I knew that I wanted to work for a company he was leading. Also, Sodexo's workforce presented an incredible opportunity for fostering a diverse and inclusive culture. It was a microcosm of society.
What I had not bargained for was a promotion discrimination lawsuit filed by Sodexo's African American managers, which pre-dated me, and was certified as a class-action lawsuit, six months after I joined the company! I was acutely aware of my Asian American identity in this context, and I have to say that I questioned the company's judgement in hiring a non-African American, when there was so much at stake! This period and my work there was the most impactful learning experience of my life! Fast forward- we took the company from class action to best in class and received recognition including a Harvard Business Review case study -- for the cultural transformation to a diverse and inclusive culture at this global company.
I retired from Sodexo during Covid and decided to use the Covid isolation to write my book, Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. For me, it was an act of closure, and I wanted to share the lessons I had learned doing this work globally.
Since then, I have been doing executive engagement, coaching, book talks and my most favorite part: being on boards. I am on several nonprofit boards including WomenLift Health, a Gates Foundation initiative focused on advancing women in global health in North America, Africa and India; Galt Foundation, which is focused on hiring people with disabilities; and Tent Partnership for Refugees, which is focused on employment of refugees worldwide. I am also on the external diversity advisory boards for Sanofi and Charter Communications and am the Chair of the Impact and Belonging Leader Board for i4cp.
Today, with the backlash against diversity, I am finding that organizations that are committed because they know it benefits their business outcomes, are continuing the work in new ways. Some have changed the name, and others have embedded it more broadly in the organization. I believe that the field will emerge sharper and stronger as a result.
Q: How long have you been an IWF member and have you been an IWF member in another chapter?
I have been an IWF member since 2020 but was not very active while I worked at Sodexo as I travelled 80% of the time. I have only been an IWF-DC member and have recently become more engaged in IWF and am loving my interactions
Q: Looking back, what moment or decision most shaped the direction of your career?
My move to North America as a young, single student pursuing my graduate studies was clearly a critical pivot in my life that shaped me personally and professionally.
Moving to North America was an inflection point in my life. Growing up in India, almost everyone looked like me. I belonged to the majority religion, Hinduism. Surrounded by others like me, I had the privilege of not having to think about my identity.
That was my identity before I flew to North America. In my own naïve way, I saw myself as a citizen of the world. But in the hours and days after I passed through customs, that fantasy gave way to another reality. My identity shifted from being a person who saw herself at the center of her world, part of the educated elite, to being a minority--an immigrant--and yes, a foreigner. And I was totally unprepared for that.
Yet, like millions of people before me, upon arriving in this new land, I took on a new identity. Or, more accurately, identities. My India-to-North America journey crystalized how I perceived myself, how others saw me, my response to their perceptions and, subsequently, how I reacted to the world around me. My move and the related experiences gave me a brand new awareness of myself and others' perceptions of me that took years to unpack and fully understand.
This multilayered, cross-cultural experience became the core of my graduate research and today is at the center of my work. The change to being identified as a minority made me realize the privileges that came with being part of a majority. I was part of the majority growing up in India and had not recognized or reflected upon my privilege in that way. More importantly, I was unable to, until I was perceived as a minority and I experienced things differently. The realization that identity is situational and fluid still informs my work.
So, this vocation is very personal to me. And I've come to realize that the personal journey of understanding what it means to be perceived as a minority--an outsider--in disparate contexts is at the heart of DEI. It's not abstract. It's embedded in how people see themselves, others, and their world.
Q: What leadership lesson has been the most valuable?
There are three lessons that have informed my leadership approach:
- Have an Impact and take a stand aligned with your values, even when it is not popular. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
- Be self-aware and lead with authenticity and passion. Know your blind spots, your strengths and weaknesses and develop your own unique leadership style based on that knowledge of yourself while leaning into your passion.
- Build diverse teams that complement your weaknesses and then empower and develop your teams. The mark of a great leader is the people they have developed that go on to greatness.
Q: What advice would you give to women earlier in their careers that you wish you had received sooner?
Actively seek out sponsors and mentors. Mentors speak with you and sponsors speak about you in places you may not have access. It is important to have both
Raise your hand and ask for what you want. What's the worst that can happen? Someone will say "no," and you are no worse off. And don't be afraid to ask for help as well.
Take risks and stretch yourself- don't be afraid of failure as there is great learning that comes from failure.
Q: Is there a skill you're still working on or something you are learning right now?
I am learning about AI: It's capabilities, as well as its limitations. I believe that we all have a responsibility to be comfortable in both using AI responsibly and also knowing enough to be able to interrogate it for bias. The field is evolving rapidly, and I believe that if I don't keep up with the evolutions, I will be at a disadvantage.
Q: What is a word that guides you these days?
Resilience. Given the volatile environment we are living in, I have to tap into my resilience to stay whole and centered. My family and community and the wonderful sisterhood around me gives me the energy to remain resilient.