This is how I Lead from Within as the Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Ernst & Young's Global Delivery Services.

Jaya Virwani leads the Diversity and Inclusiveness strategy and agenda for EY (Ernst & Young) Global Delivery Services (Argentina, China, India, Poland, and the Philippines). She has been with the firm since June of 2004 and took on the role of Diversity and Inclusiveness leader in March of 2012. In her role, she focuses on initiatives that promote cross-cultural teaming and inclusive leadership, eliminate unconscious biases, and create an ecosystem that supports gender equity in senior leadership positions. This is her story, and how she leads from within…

I remember she was consciously recruiting to ensure fair representation of both men and women at the time, and when this opportunity came up she hired me to help 200 people back then to communicate more effectively with the U. There has been no looking back since, and in hindsight, I’ve experienced great inclusion: I was a stay at home mom and I was brought into the workforce and mentored and coached by the best.

As a woman in India, I’ve had to refer to myself today as a senior woman leader, leading a global organization out of five countries and doing what I do in terms of D&I work, which is a lot of influencing and change management, it’s a lot of being persistent about the outcomes and goals that you set for yourself. It’s being persistent and intentional about what you want to change professionally and personally.

Despite the cultural context where I feel there are so many demands made of you and what you represent, it’s about being very clear about what is it that works for you, what is it that you will negotiate for or not negotiate for, and what is it that you want out of your life just persist with that.

I always tell women that you have to be able to keep yourself happy and take care of yourself for you to be present and fully functional for everyone around you whether it’s your work or whether it’s your children, your parents, your siblings, your loved ones, anyone. 

In terms of building relationships, have those advocates and sponsors in your personal life and your professional life and support other women. I believe that we don’t invest enough of our time in these relationships and I think it needs to be something you do deliberately from the very start to be able to nurture, invest, be there for each other, and support each other through the hula hoops that we all go through.

Respect for individuals, for what you do, for what you represent, for equations that you share, for the work or just for life, is very integral to who we are as individuals and I feel the lack of respect can damage not only relationships but can damage a whole lot more than you ever could impact. If I’ve made a mistake or if I have done something that I may think “Oh, my God, I shouldn’t have”, to just find humor in life – that is my superpower for sure.

I tend to look at it from an outsider’s point of view, saying don’t take everything so personally, you know, move away from the situation, try and be less emotional. I also have a 17-year-old daughter who I want to be able to be a role model for, so all of these women sort of drive me collectively.

I think that has served me well – the transparency, the honesty, the sharing of everyday moments, the talking about what happened at work, and exchanging stories about the many amazing people that I come across here.

I think it’s become even more important to represent and understand what your brand says about you; and basic things like making sure your nails are done, making sure your hair is clean, and that your footwear is nice. This is our second year of being in the top 10 companies for women to work in India. We are looking at reskilling women, and ensuring that they have a seat at the table and that they’re intentional about their careers.

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