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Bangalore: Catalyst announces the appointment of Shachi Irde as Executive Director of Catalyst India WRC and member of the Catalyst India Advisory Board. Based in Bangalore, Ms. Irde leads Catalyst India?s work with its growing community of close to 60 member companies committed to creating inclusive workplaces that leverage the skills and talents of both women and men and help address India Inc.?s increasingly competitive talent challenge.
Catalyst is the leading global nonprofit organization working to expand opportunities for women and business. Through its research, events, best practices and tools, consulting services and engaged community, Catalyst India WRC empowers corporate members to drive the change that will increase diversity, and in turn, expand the pool of top candidates available to Indian companies.
Ms. Irde brings a rich background in business development, marketing, human resources and diversity and inclusion (D&I) practices to her new role. She joins Catalyst after six years at Infosys, where she helped develop and manage D&I initiatives across the organization as the Head of Diversity. Her efforts helped launch D&I Councils regionally and within business units as well as the first leadership development program for women, and a ground-breaking employee resource group (ERG) for India-based LGBT employees. In addition, she conceptualized and delivered successful employee engagement programs focusing on communication, health and safety.
Ms. Irde also held HR leadership roles within WeP Peripherals. She is a member of the steering committee on D&I at NASSCOM. A strong advocate for women?s empowerment, she works with voluntary organizations supporting under-privileged women in her spare time. She received her Bachelor?s degree in computer science and Master of Business Administration from Pune University. She is married with one son.
"We are very pleased to welcome Shachi Irde to Catalyst India. Her proven expertise in diversity and inclusion, coupled with her skills in promoting and managing effective change, will be instrumental in expanding the Catalyst India community of corporate members committed to strengthening leadership pipelines and workplaces that that nurture talent," said Deborah Gillis, Chief Operating Officer, Catalyst.
"In the last few years, the significance of women in business and the workforce has gained momentum in India," said Ms. Irde. "Catalyst India can help companies accelerate their gender inclusion strategy. With its reputation for gold standard research, Catalyst India is poised to help India-based practitioners become true catalysts for change in their own organizations."
