Empowering Women Leaders: Insights From Nestlé India's Anurag Patnaik

Savi Khanna Jul 27, 2024

"Bold leadership, an empowering culture and enabling practices are key to ensure steady steps towards building a diverse & inclusive workplace," says Director HR of Nestle India

In India, the representation of women in leadership and board roles remains significantly lower than the global average. Despite some progress, societal expectations and structural barriers continue to hinder gender equity in the workplace. Anurag Patnaik, Director of Human Resources at Nestlé India, emphasises the importance of consistent and conscious efforts to increase women's representation in leadership positions. In this discussion, he shares insights on overcoming barriers, the critical role of male allies, and how organisations can embed diversity and inclusion in their policies and practices to foster a more inclusive work environment.

Women in leadership roles and at the board level are significantly lower in India as compared to global scenario. What is the reason? How can women representation be increased in these roles?

We believe that it is through consistent and conscious efforts that women representation in leadership roles can be further increased. While there is ample evidence of progress on this front, the situation will further improve as our society gradually moves away from gender biases stemming from societal expectations and structural barriers. The 2013 Companies Act mandating the presence of at least one-woman director on the Board of Directors of listed companies and regulatory reforms such as SEBI’s gender diversity disclosures have also helped.

We believe that as a society, we should continue to create the realisation that it is the right thing to do and support this commitment through tangible actions.

What role do male allies play in advancing gender equity initiatives in the workplace, and how can organisations encourage their participation?

Male allies play a vital role in advancing gender equity initiatives in the workplace. The commitment from male allies to create a fair, inclusive and diverse workplace, helps foster a sense of trust and confidence in women employees.

Organisations can encourage such practices by holding leaders accountable for advancing gender equity and making sure their commitment is reflected in the policies that are formulated. Further, participation of allies in mentorship programmes which pair aspiring women leaders to experienced executives can help develop the necessary skills and networks to excel in leadership roles.

How can organisations ensure that diversity and inclusion are embedded in its policies and practices?

Diversity and inclusion can be seeded in an organisation’s DNA through consistent and honest efforts. Bold leadership, an empowering culture and enabling practices are key to ensure steady steps in the right direction. This requires organisations to acknowledge the barriers and to systematically remove them. It also requires creating inclusive policies and practices like parental leave, childcare, hybrid working and sabbatical which aim to support work-life balance and accommodate individual circumstances recognizing that employees have diverse needs.

For us at Nestlé India, diversity and inclusion is about embracing differences, creating possibilities, and progressing together to build a future ready business. Our efforts have ensured that today we have one of the highest representation of women employees at the field level.

At Nestlé India, parental leave policy for primary caregivers is for 26 weeks and secondary caregivers is for 4 weeks of leave inclusive of all parents, including biological, adoptive, commissioning, single and same gender parents; giving childcare benefits to parents with children below 6 years.

How do organisations promote cultural competence among their employees to foster a more inclusive work environment?

Promoting cultural competence requires a deep understanding of the cultural environment in which the organisation operates. A thorough understanding of the cultural nuances and the openness to embrace them dispels several apprehensions, thus promoting a more collaborative and culturally aware workforce. Empathy is at the core of an inclusive work environment. Understanding each other and empathising with all individual’s motivations and aspirations form the foundation of this inclusivity. Establishing employee resource groups can be a useful step towards achieving such environment.

How do companies recognise and leverage the unique skills and qualities that female leaders bring to the table, such as empathy, emotional intelligence, collaboration, and communication, to foster a more creative, innovative, and inclusive workplace culture?

We have witnessed that balanced representation brings better responsiveness to business challenges. Fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability requires concerted efforts and a commitment to inclusivity. This can be achieved through embracing diverse perspectives, creating a psychologically safe workplace, sharing ideas, and challenging the status quo without fear of judgement, which includes learning from failure.