Introduction
- Can you briefly introduce yourself and your role at Traydstream? My name is Anand Iyer and I am the Chief People & Brand Officer at Traydstream.
The Challenge
- Can you share a time when you supported or championed gender equality in the workplace? I have been an ardent supporter of diversity in the workplace and in every team that I have led, I have ensured we have a diverse team. Diverse not only on the basis of gender but diverse in terms of ethnicity and diverse in terms of thought and perspective. During my Executive Masters, my thesis/dissertation topic was ‘Lack of Women in Senior Roles in a global Organization’. The thesis included a qualitative review where I interviewed both men and women from a cross-section of businesses/functions across this organization. The results and findings were fascinating and although I was leading the Human Resources Function, I would have never been able to know this had it not been for the thesis and the qualitative review. Based on these findings, I was able to implement a lot of gender equality initiatives in the workplace which were well received.
The Message
- What advice would you share with men about supporting women in trade and fintech? Be open as great teams are ones that are diverse, not only in terms of gender but ethnicity and thought. Always build your team with people who are different than you.
- Why do you believe men play a crucial role in advancing gender equity? Men play a critical role and as leaders it is imperative that each of them champions the cause of promoting diversity in the workplace. Gender equity is critical for a business, function, and team to be successful. I would go further to say that men and women in senior roles have a responsibility to promote equity and ensure that a diverse workforce is built across the organization for sustained success.
