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2023 LGBTQI+ APAC Forum: A Day of Transformation
July 11 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The Ritz Carlton, Bangalore (India)
Asia Pacific’s premier LGBTQI+ workplace inclusion event, Out & Equal’s 2023 LGBTQI+ APAC Forum, returned to an in-person gathering this year with an even wider geographic reach and an agenda designed to incorporate more diverse perspectives from across the region. Hosted in partnership with Pride Circle, Out & Equal’s “A Day of Transformation” aimed to convene top LGBTQI+ and ally workplace inclusion professionals to learn from each other and grow into even more transformative and impactful leaders through trailblazing discussions, peer-to-peer workshop sessions centering on best practice development, and once-in-a-lifetime networking among key business leaders and influencers. The Forum featured speakers from across the region, including China, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and more.
Out & Equal’s LGBTQI+ APAC Forum comes at a momentous time in the region. While there is no one “APAC” identity, we know that businesses do coalesce around regional strategies and there is great richness in sharing across experiences. Businesses across Asia Pacific are blazing a path of inclusion and innovation through commitments and actions being taken both inside and outside their walls of operations: from supporting marriage equality in Japan, Taiwan and India (the world’s second most populous nation), to rolling out trans and nonbinary inclusion practices in the Philippines, and beyond. APAC Forum aimed once again, through interactive workshops, inspirational storytelling, and peer-to-peer education sessions, to harness the power of these efforts into a collective strength and united vision for a more inclusive future for LGBTQI+ talent, for the organizations that employ this talent, and for communities broadly.
Out & Equal’s LGBTQI+ APAC Forum provided participants with:
- Concrete skills in the necessary work of internal persuasion and storytelling for change;
- Practical toolkits for LGBTQI+ workplace inclusion and belonging practice implementation; and,
- Ample networking opportunities.
Who attended:
- Executives
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and HR practitioners
- ERG leaders
- Change-makers from across the region
Our power as a global community comes from our ability to transform individual experiences into collective strength and innovation. Together, we will create workplaces where LGBTQI+ employees and allies belong, thrive, and contribute to greater impact on the world.
Keynote Speakers
Zainab Patel
She/Her
Petitioner for the Indian Supreme Court NALSA Case on Transgender Rights and for the Indian Supreme Court Marriage Equality Case
Utkarsh Saxena
He/Him
Petitioner and Lawyer for the Indian Supreme Court Marriage Equality Case
Speakers
Curtis Baker
He/Him
Regional Inclusion & Diversity and Employee Experience Lead, Asia, Dow
Anubhuti Banerjee
She/Her
Sr. Manager IT C&I, Tata Steel Ltd.
Mukesh Batra
He/Him
Senior Vice President, Bank of America
Dhritisha Bhagawati
She/Her
Senior Program Manager, Pride Circle
Preksha Bothra
She/Her
Sr. Program Manager – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), Pride Circle
KANISHKA CHAUDHRY
He/Him
Director of Business Transformation Services, Alvarez and Marsal Co-Founder, Samavesh Chamber of Commerce India
Erik Day
He/Him
Senior Vice President & General Manager, Global Small Business, Dell Technologies
Weena Ekid
He/Him
Vice President, Corporate & Investment Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Zahara Fernandes
She/Her
Managing Director Global Delivery & India Pride Sponsor, Accenture
Deena Fidas
She/Her
Managing Director, Chief Programs and Partnerships Officer, Out & Equal
Charlene Liu
She/ Her
Co-Founder, Diversity & Inclusion Consulting (DNIC)
Sanjay Paramesh
He/Him
Vice President – Business Management & Pride Co-chair – GSC, HSBC
Jayant Parte
He/Him
Lead – Logistics Procurement (Indian Subcontinent), Dow Chemical International Pvt Ltd
Srini Ramaswamy
He/ Him
Co-Founder, Pride Circle & Rainbow Bazaar
Jeiz Robles
She/Her
Asia Pacific Marketplace Diversity Leader, IBM
Gaurav Sharma
He/Him
Vice President, IBM Software (India Software Labs, Partnerships, IBM Cloud Paks), IBM
Arunabh Singh
He/Him
Chief Compliance Officer & Co-Chair of Citi India Pride Inclusion Network, Citi India GCC
Priyanka Shetty
She/Her
Associate Director – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Pride Circle
Ramkrishna Sinha
He/Him
Co-Founder, Pride Circle & Rainbow Bazaar
Priyank Asha Sukanand
He/ Him
Co-Founder, Queer Collective India
SAHIL SETHI
He/ Him
Category Leader, Personal Healthcare, P&G
Sneha Suresh
She/Her
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leader | India and Philippines, Wells Fargo
Jon Tilli
He/ Him
Director,
Deutsche Bank
Zoya
They/Them
D&I, Employer Branding,Godrej Properties