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Tejal is the Global Head of Talent at Kantar, a private-equity backed, world-leading data, insights, and consulting company. She leads organisational effectiveness, talent and leadership, manager development and learning. She is passionate about building a future-focused, skills-first organisation by developing home-grown leaders and empowering all colleagues to shape their career success. Tejal is a vocal advocate for inclusion and diversity with recognition on the Involve HERo’s Women Future Leaders Role Model list for successive years. She chairs Kantar’s largest employee resource group, Women at Kantar which drives positive change for women to ensure all women are empowered to be themselves and know their contributions are critical to Kantar’s success.
Prior to that, Tejal was with Standard Chartered for 11 years in a variety of roles including leading strategic business transformations, investor relations and COO with a private equity and consulting background.
Can you tell us how you got into the D&I space?
Before I joined Kantar, I used to work at a bank called Standard Chartered. I came back from maternity leave during my time there and started a Lean In circle for returners from maternity leave. The concept of Lean In Circles had been put together by Sheryl Sandberg from Facebook at the time. The Circle I started was just a way to provide support to other women who were returning from maternity because they’re juggling a lot of things and it was just really helpful for me and the colleagues that were involved. Also, when I joined Kantar I knew I wanted to get involved in the DEI space and with supporting women, but I wasn’t entirely sure how and one of the women at an ERG at Kantar was advertising for a chair for that ERG, so I took that opportunity to apply on the basis that I was really passionate about building a community to ensure that women have sort of seen, heard their contributions valued so everyone can realise their full potential and I appreciate that.
I’d worked in lots of different roles and it took me a bit of time to build up my understanding of what was unique about me and, you know, how I could really show up and make an impact in the workplace. I just thought that there was so much opportunity to help other women and help break down some of the barriers to ensure that there’s equal access to opportunities for everyone, so that’s really how it started.
Can you walk us through your 9-5 schedule as someone who consistently liaises with people?
My day revolves around people development and organisational effectiveness. This means my team and I work to enable our leaders, managers, and colleagues to perform at their best and advance their careers using accessible tools, resources, and learning opportunities. Each day is different, but typically filled with meetings.
I regularly meet with the people leadership team to ensure alignment on our people strategy across divisions. I also hold meetings with my team to discuss our priorities and how best to achieve them, offering support and addressing any challenges they face. In addition, I spend time checking in with team members about their personal issues or career development goals, and I meet with various divisions to understand their specific people-related challenges and how my team can assist.
Mentoring is also a significant part of my role; I mentor a few individuals, helping them navigate and succeed in the workplace. Between these meetings, I carve out focus time to complete tasks, write reports, or prepare papers for a senior audience. My day is a mix of diverse interactions and dedicated work time, all aimed at fostering growth and efficiency within the organisation.
How do you stay updated on current DEI trends and best practices?
I’m very practical in my approach. I start with the data to understand the landscape here at Kantar. This involves analysing representation levels, promotion rates, hiring trends, and exit rates. This data is crucial for framing our current situation and identifying areas that need attention.
Once we have a clear picture, we can focus our efforts more effectively. Additionally, I rely on external research to guide our strategies. For example, studies from Harvard Business Review and the “What Women Want” research by McKinsey offer valuable insights. LinkedIn is also a great resource for topical content and learning from influential people driving positive change.
Using a combination of internal data and external research helps us make informed decisions and implement strategies that address our specific needs while staying aligned with broader industry trends.
How do you select which of the trends works best for your organisation?
As I mentioned earlier, using data to identify gaps in your organisation is crucial, and it’s essential to tailor your strategies to address these specific gaps. When we analysed our data, we noticed a disparity in female senior representation. By understanding the drivers behind this gap, we developed a targeted approach.
In my role in HR and people development, we implemented a talent review process to identify robust, diverse succession pipelines. As a result, we increased our senior female representation from 38% to 42% over the past few years. While we still have a way to go to achieve true parity, we are making significant progress.
We’ve also focused on removing barriers to progress. For example, we’ve improved our family and primary caregiver leave policies and introduced “life leave,” giving all Kantar employees five days for emergency caregiving, fertility treatments, or even pet issues. These measures help remove obstacles that might otherwise hinder career advancement.
In terms of career development, we emphasise mentorship as a key growth strategy. We launched an inclusive global mentoring program that operates at all levels, without hierarchy, prioritising members of our Diversity Resource Groups (DRGs). This initiative has resulted in over 300 mentoring relationships.
Additionally, we’ve established six thriving Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at Kantar, covering areas such as women (which I chair), colour and race, age, parents and carers, pride, and accessibility. These ERGs, run by our employees, foster community, connection, and education on the latest trends. Ultimately, it’s about doing what’s right for your organisation. Focus on a few key initiatives and execute them well to drive meaningful change.
How do you measure the success and impact of DEI programmes?
There are several ways we assess the impact of our DEI initiatives. We start by examining data on representation, promotion levels, and hiring to understand the current landscape. We then use this data to gauge how included and valued employees feel in the workplace. We also track attendance and engagement at the DEI events we and our employee resource groups organise.
This includes noting how many people show up, how interactive the events are, and whether participants are actively commenting and engaging. I often receive personal messages after events, where employees share how something I said or a particular piece of content resonated with them. These personal anecdotes are heartening and highlight the real impact of our efforts on an individual level.
By looking at these data points, we can then measure our progress and understand what resonates most with our employees, helping us to refine and enhance our DEI strategies.
How do you collaborate with other stakeholders such as HR, and the Board to advance DEI goals?
As an HR professional, I find that starting with data is crucial. Analysing the data helps us identify key areas to address. Setting specific targets based on this data is essential because, as they say, “what gets measured gets done.” This approach helps us focus on initiatives that will truly make a difference.
We use the data to guide our focus areas and share these insights with the executive team and the board. Employee resource groups (ERGs) also play a significant role in this process. They create vibrant communities, challenge the company’s thinking, and push boundaries, helping us advance in our top priority areas. This holistic approach is vital for driving meaningful progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Can you share any challenges that you’ve encountered and how you overcame them?
The main point I want to emphasise is that while discussing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is easy, driving actual change is much more challenging. The key issue I’ve encountered is turning these discussions into actionable steps. In my role, I’ve worked to incorporate a DEI perspective into our people processes. For example, we monitor representation levels, promotion rates, and participation in development programmes to ensure equal opportunities for everyone. Our manager programme is designed to equip managers with the skills to support team members going through life changes like menopause or parental leave, which is crucial for fostering an inclusive environment.
Many people struggle to understand how they can contribute to DEI efforts. To address this, we developed a video at the Women in Kantar ERG highlighting workplace challenges women face, such as being perceived as having been hired only for their gender in tech roles or being labelled as too emotional. Raising awareness and educating others about these issues is essential to creating a more equal organisation and society.
Another challenge is helping people understand how to be effective allies. We created practical guides with tips for allyship, such as participating in DEI events or openly discussing personal responsibilities like caregiving to normalise them in the workplace. Mentoring, whether as a mentor or a mentee in reverse mentoring programmes, is also powerful. Managers need to be well-versed in company policies and processes that support various needs, such as maternity leave or accommodations for disabilities like ADHD.
In essence, being a great ally involves taking practical steps to understand and support those with different experiences and privileges.