Speaker

Dr. Rohini Anand

Founder & CEO, Rohini Anand LLC

Dr. Rohini Anand is Founder and CEO of Rohini Anand LLC providing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) advisory services to clients in the public and private sectors. She is a strategic business leader and trusted board member who has successfully transformed cultures and built an iconic brand with an enduring reputation, resulting in accelerating new business creation. With expertise that spans executive leadership, human capital, global corporate responsibility, wellness and diversity, equity and inclusion, Rohini brings a unique perspective on the critical alignment of the business culture and the triple bottom line to drive exceptional performance. Rohini is recognized as a pioneer in the DEI field and is a sought after expert by leaders around the world. Her global experience, cultural dexterity, extensive network and ability to influence leaders result in a reputation for sound judgment, integrity, and accountability.

Rohini Anand is a thought leader and a published author. Her book, Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A Guide for Systemic Change in Multinational Organizations, has been endorsed by luminaries like Indra Nooyi, former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani and the Tent Foundation, Michel Landel, Danone S.A. Board member and former CEO, Sodexo, among others. It is available for pre-order on Amazon, Bookshop, and Book Depository for international orders.   

Most recently Rohini was SVP Corporate Responsibility and Global Chief Diversity Officer for Sodexo. She reported to the Global CEO and was a member of Sodexo’s North America Executive Committee. Rohini successfully positioned Sodexo as a global thought leader in DEI and Corporate Responsibility. Sodexo’s remarkable global culture change, led by diversity and inclusion, is featured in a Harvard Business School case study entitled Shifting the Diversity Climate: the Sodexo Solution.

Rohini has been featured in several articles in CNBC, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Rohini has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg and CNN Money as well on National Public Radio. She is the recipient of many accolades including the Mosaic Woman Leadership Award, the Women’s Foodservice Forum Trailblazer Award, Webster University’s Women of Influence Award and the Who’s Who in Asian American Communities Award (WWAAC), among others.

Dr. Anand received her PhD from the University of Michigan. She serves on the boards of several organizations including WomenLift Health, a Gates Foundation initiative, Aspen Institute’s Family Prosperity Initiative, Tent Partnership for Refugees and the Galt Foundation. She also serves on the external diversity advisory boards for Sanofi and for Charter Communications and chaired the Catalyst Board of Advisors. Rohini is a Senior Fellow with the Conference Board and is on the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Center for Inclusive Governance’s Advisory Council.

Moderator

Dr. Deborah Ashton, PhD, CDM

President, Planet Perspective

Dr. Ashton, President of Planet Perspective, is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategist and consultant with 30+ years of cross-industry experience. She heads Equity Rising with the mission of social justice. She headed DEI for Medtronic, Darden Restaurants, Harley-Davidson, Novant Health and Argonne National Laboratory. She is the former Chief of Test Development and Validation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She serves on the HBS Club of Chicago Advisory Council and is the DEI Industry Lead.

Dr. Ashton, a licensed psychologist, specializes in organizational psychology and developing an inclusive workplace. She provides coaching on how to mitigate unconscious bias in the workplace. She advises Boards on DEI. She created the 360° Inclusion Leadership Profile © TM (360° ILP), the Inclusive Culture Profile© ® (ICP) and the Six Pillars of Diversity and Inclusion TM strategic framework to promote an inclusive workplace.

She was an inductee into the Inclusion Magazine’s 2021 Diversity & Inclusion Hall of Fame and is the recipient of the Clarke University 2021 Outstanding Achievement Distinguished Alumni Award. She has published in the Harvard Business Review, American Diversity Report, etc. Dr. Ashton received her doctorate from Harvard University and studied with Dr. Chester ‘Chet’ Pierce, who coined the term ‘microaggression’. Her cum laude B.A. in psychology is from Clarke.