Aparna Mittal, a renowned Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisor and corporate lawyer with 18 years of professional expertise, founded the Samāna Centre. She oversees the advisory work for all six service verticals of the center. Aparna’s broad knowledge and proficiency in various industries such as hotels & hospitality, information technology, hospitals & healthcare, pharmaceuticals, telecom, wholesale distribution, retail, and e-commerce, media & entertainment (including cinema business), banking, insurance, oil & gas, infrastructure, hydro power, automotive, real estate, mining, food, and manufacturing, and service sectors, is impressive.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Aparna Mittal:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
I would like to believe I am a self-motivated go-getter, who practices and pursues high ambition within the realms of ethics. I strongly believe in approaching problems and issues using the power of respectful dialogue and in a spirit of good faith collaboration.
Describe your background and what did you do before you started/joined the company?
I set up Samāna – in 2018 as a go-to consultancy to address the glaring gaps in corporate India on all matters related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Before that, I was Partner – Corporate / Mergers & Acquisitions, with India’s leading corporate law firms, where I worked for more than 13 years, advising leading multinational and domestic clients on significant and complex M&A matters, including cross-border acquisitions, business and asset transfers, joint ventures, private equity transactions, investment structuring, commercial contracts, franchises, and extensive general corporate and regulatory advisory matters. I joined the law firm’s practice straight out of graduation in 2005 from India’s premier law school, the National Law School of India University, Bangalore.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
Through a decade-plus of corporate law practice, it had become clear to me, that while there was immense value created through mergers, acquisitions, private equity investments, and joint ventures, it did very little for people who were institutionally marginalized, such as women, the LGBTQ community (especially transgender persons), persons with disabilities, and ethnic and caste-based minorities. Issues related to their mainstreaming and inclusion were seen as work for the development sector or nonprofit sector only, with very little recognition of the broader legal, social, human, and business case for their inclusion. These gaps reflected across the ecosystem, whether it was in matters of investments and funding, employment, large-scale project and infrastructure creation, philanthropy, or even in matters of both public and private policy.
After spending 13+ years at law firms, I was keen to explore the social impact space, as I believed skills are transferable (and not just ought to be practiced in pre-defined silos), and I could use my extensive experience and skills in taking the proverbial road less traveled—and setting up a go-to, one-stop, B2B consultancy, with multi-thematic and cross-sectoral capabilities, that could advise clients (companies, nonprofits, government entities, and all others as well) on not just the “Why” but also the “How to” of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
A mix of many aspects and approaches I would say- which I value and have followed every day of the past 2 decades of my professional working life!
Aspects such as serious work and professionalism, a focus on quality over quantity, and a very strong commitment to integrity and ethics form the robust foundation for anything that I undertake. Additionally, the ability to think laterally, leveraging cross-functional skills, and ensuring that our work and advice is thought through and made relevant and customized to comport to the specific unique facts and realities of each client—across parameters such as sector, stage of growth, geographical location, and size—to name a few.
Which are the major services of the company and how do the company to get ahead in the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?
The major services at Samāna include advising on
- workplace diversity, equity and inclusion across segments of diversity (such as gender, sexual orientation , religion, faith, ethnicity, race, age, abilities, caste, language, customs, socio-economic backgrounds, and more);
- gender impact investing and ESG;
- entrepreneurship development/ financial empowerment for marginalized communities;
- gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in projects and policy;
- gender mainstreaming in philanthropy & corporate social responsibility CSR; and
- anti-discrimination and anti-harassment (including anti sexual harassment) frameworks.
For details, please visit www.samanacentre.com
Our quality and depth of services ensure we stay miles ahead of the competition. Having said that, we believe in focusing ahead and bettering ourselves every day based on our self-reflection and our own goals (both tangible and intangible), and are not driven by a sense of competition, or wanting to outdo anyone in the “race”.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
An enabling environment that nurtures talent, gives them a space to grow and evolve, encourages independent thinking and speaking up, and ensures every person (and their opinions), no matter how diverse, are heard and understood, keeping it professional, respectful, and dignified at all times. The culture is built by being mindful, encouraging self-reflection and reform, and leaving any egos outside the door!
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
Given the critical work that we do across themes, geographies, diversities, and cultures, innovation is necessary and a game changer for us. It also helps us find comprehensive, holistic, and practically implementable solutions to long standing complex problems in the area of our work.
Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes?
These are not mutually exclusive. Different people in the team bring different skills, approaches, and work experiences that are collectively and collaboratively leveraged – within a broader framework of rules, goals, ethics, and processes.
What are your responsibilities as the founder of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
As an entrepreneur, it includes everything from leading the advisory work and delivery with a focus on high quality and integrity, developing new services to cater to emerging trends and issues, business development, mentoring, and a whole host of administrative things to do !
The happiest part of the day is when we see our work creating the impact we sought to create and the positive feedback we receive from our clients and members of their workforce who narrate the positive impact our work has brought into their organization or lives.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
I think leadership is an attitude and skill set, and every day and scenario gives people the opportunity to practice leadership (and continuously evolve as one) and that you don’t have to wait for a particular age or designation to “be a leader.”
