Dinesh Paliwal
President and CEO
HARMAN
Headquarters: Stamford, CT
Business: Technology
Website: www.harman.com
Diversity and inclusion is a primary pillar for HARMAN. Building an inclusive organizational culture that values integrity, respect, diversity, and teamwork above all else has unlocked incredible value for HARMAN—from its ability to hire the best talent and enhance the technologies the company produces, to unlocking innovations and services that improve the lives of millions of customers around the world.
In 2018, the company launched the HARMAN Women’s Network (HWN), an initiative focused on attracting and developing top female talent, and made it a requirement that anyone at the executive level have experience working outside his or her home country for an extended period. Today, on average, members of the HARMAN management team have worked in three countries.
HARMAN also extended its partnership with the 1,000 Dreams Fund (1DF), a national nonprofit that provides micro-grants to women, through its #NewFaceofTech campaign. The campaign financially supports young women interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). The campaign was launched on International Women’s Day at the first-ever “Full STEAM Ahead” panel discussion. Hosted at HARMAN’s flagship store In New York, the event gathered powerful group leaders from Lincoln Center, Amazon, Becton Dickinson, UNICEF, and USA Today. HARMAN also broadened its partnership with 1DF by powering the BroadcastHER Academy, a campaign that provides support to young women pursuing careers in the video streaming and broadcast industry.
“Upon joining HARMAN as CEO in 2007, I made it a priority to strengthen the corporate culture by putting diversity and inclusion at the top of the agenda,” says Dinesh Paliwal. “By establishing a formal diversity and inclusion talent strategy, we diversified HARMAN’s leadership team and global workforce, attracting individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds, expanding the mix of professional experience, and fostering a climate of inclusiveness, which gave way to new innovative ideas.”
Transitioning to a diverse workplace doesn’t happen overnight, and inclusion doesn’t come easily. People carry preconceived notions—often unintentional or subconscious— about those who may look or sound different, or act differently, from themselves. That is why in 2019, one of Paliwal’s top priorities will be to continue to work hard to engage employees at all levels and make diversity and inclusion part of day-to-day operations.
