HRC was in Hyderabad, India, to kick off and participate in the city’s first summit focused on LGBTQ workplace inclusion last week, convened by the U.S. Consulate General. Hyderabad is a booming business center, home to investments and dozens of multinational companies, with a population roughly the size of the New York and growing rapidly.
Opened by Consul General of in Hyderabad, Michael Mullins, the event, “Inclusive Workspace: Employing the LGBTI” was at the prestigious Indian School of Business. Deena Fidas, HRC’s director of the Workplace Equality Program, offered a keynote on the path HRC took to starting the Corporate Equality Index and how leaders in the current global economy have forged a path for LGBTQI equality. With over 200 attendees, many from the 70+ highly rated Corporate Equality Index businesses in the area and members of HRC’s Global Business Coalition, the event also brought together a panel with Fidas, the President of the American Chamber of Commerce, who is also the Vice President for Human Resources for AMD Asia; the CEO of Google, India; the Human Resource Officers of Facebook and Synchrony Financial; a Professor of Marketing from the Indian School of Business; and LGBTI activists.
Steffan DeClue, HRC’s Associate Director, Foundation Relations, who has prior experience with civil society in India, supported the summit and met individually with top LGBTQI leaders in Hyderabad to discuss challenges and opportunities ahead.
Numerous press outlets covered the summit, including THE HINDU, which is the second most circulated English-language newspaper in India, with sales of 1.5 million copies each day.
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