The EMpower role model list released last week brings to light major black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) game changing business leaders in the UK, Ireland, US, and Canada. Scored on the seniority, influence of their role, their impact on ethnic minority inclusion inside and outside the workplace and their business achievements.
The individuals were nominated by peers and colleagues, and reviewed by EMpower's judging panel consisting of Ashok Vaswani, Barclays, Vivian Hunt, McKinsley, Paul Polman, Unilever, Linda Yueh, Oxford University, Nina Vaca, Pinnacle Group, Suki Sandhu, OUTstanding, and Carola Hoyos, former FT Executive Appointments editor. The list includes several business leaders.
Founder and CEO of EMpower and OUTstanding, Sandhu said, “There is a diversity deficit at the very top of organisations in both the UK and the US. We whole-heartedly believe that making diverse role models visible and celebrating them is the most powerful way to address this- demonstrating to the leaders of tomorrow exactly what is possible for minority ethnic groups. We're extremely proud to be taking this important initiative into its second year. The EMpower message is clear: your ethnicity or background should not and will not be a barrier to your professional success.”
The list is topped by Carnival Corporation's CEO Arnold Donald, followed by Mediacom Chairwoman Karen Blackett, and Worldpay's Deputy Chairman Ron Kalifa. US-based Donald said, “It is a great honour to be included in this year's EMpower 100. As the world's largest leisure travel company with a fleet of 103 cruise ships visiting over 700 global ports, we take great pride in connecting nearly 12 million annual guests with people, cultures, and other places from around the world to help foster better understanding and appreciation of each other. We are also very proud of the diversity of our workforce and believe that the power of diversity of thinking drives innovation, which is fuelled by leveraging the knowledge and creativity of our rich backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to achieve common goals.”
The list also features several leaders of South Asian origin. Standing at 4th on the list is Manjit Wolstenholme of Provident Financial, followed by Raj Nair of Ford Motor Company EVP at seven. With over 30 South Asians in the list, the community's contribution to the countries' economy is evident.
Nishma Gosrani named EMpower Top 30 Leader
Director at Deloitte, Nishma Gosrani FRSA, has been named as an EMpower Top 30 Future Leader in the Financial Times. A leader of Deloitte's 3,000 strong Banking and Capital Markets consulting practice in London, she is also the co-sponsor of the firm's Multicultural Network. Nishma is a trustee and board member of leading theatre company, Tamasha, helping emerging and established BAME artists from culturally diverse backgrounds. She is also an advisory board member of the City Hindus Network, and Corporate Development Board Member for The UK Fund for Women and Girls, ROSA. Both, Nishma and her husband Visesh were listed in this year's list of Asian Power Couple.
South Asians in the EMpower 100 ethnic minority leaders list
Manjit Wolstenholme, Provident Financial Chair
Raj Nair, Ford Motor Company EVP, global product development and chief technical officer
Shirine Khoury-Haq, Lloyd’s of London Chief operations officer
Anit Chandarana, Network Rail Finance Director
Jagdeep Rai, Barclays Bank Director, head of corporate banking, Heathrow and SW
Suresh Raj, Ogilvy Group Worldwide chief business development officer
Habib Motani, Clifford Chance Partner
Rakesh Sharma, Ultra Electronics Holdings CEO
Nick Amin, Aviva Group chief operations and IT officer
Riaz Shah, EY Senior partner
Sanjay Bhandari, EY Partner
Amee Chande, Alibaba Group MD, global strategy and operations
Leena Nair, Unilever Chief HR officer
Maz Majid, Marks and Spencer Supply chain director, clothing and home
Rohan Gunatillake, Mindfulness Everywhere Director
Shanika Amarasekara, British Business Bank General counsel and company secretary
Shahzad Saleem, BT Group transformation MD
Amolak Dhariwal, Sodexo UK&I Finance director, service operations
Dawood Gustave, Reluctantly Brave Chief and imagination officer
Kalpana Shah, RiverStone Managing Agency, Chairman
Kashif Zafar, Barclays Co-head of global distribution and co-head of macro products
Mo Ajaz, National Grid Global head of legal operations
Pam Kaur, HSBC Holdings Group managing director and group head of internal audit
Payal Vasudeva, Accenture UKI Human capital and diversity lead UK&I
Mandhir Singh, BP Chief operating officer, lubricants
Bansi Nagji, McKesson EVP, corporate strategy and business development
Jatin Patel, TSB Bank Products director
Dhiraj Mukherjee, Midlife Creations Entrepreneur at large
Devyani Vaishampayan, BSI Group HR director
Kamel Hothi, Lloyds Banking Group Head of colleague fundraising and volunteering
Rashik Parmar, IBM Technical executive, Europe, IBM distinguished engineer
Vimi Grewal, Carr Deloitte Managing partner, innovation and delivery methods
Dr. Anand Kumar, Union Bank of India (UK) Executive director and deputy chief executive
Harish Sodha, Diversity Travel Executive chairman
